What is the alpine orogeny system?

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The Alpine orogeny, also called the Alpide orogeny, is one of three phases in geology that defined the landscape of Europe. It occurred in the Late Mesozoic period when tectonic plates from different continents collided. These plates are the Indian plate, African plate, Eurasian plate and numerous small plates. This led to the formation of the mountain ranges of the Alpide belt. Although the majority of mountain building is complete, the process is still occurring in a few of the Alpide mountain ranges because of northern-moving plates hitting the Eurasian plate.

The mountain ranges of the Alpine orogeny system stretch from Southeast Asia to the Mediterranean and include the Alborz, Alps, Apennine, Atlas, Baetic Cordillera, Balkan, Cantabrian, Carpathian, Caucasus, Dinaric Alps, Hellenides, Himalayas, Hindu Kush, Karakoram, Pamir, Pyrenees, Taurus and Zagros Mountains. North of these mountain ranges, the Alpine orogeny caused chalk ridges to be formed in England and in France. These ridges can be seen in the Isle of Wight at Whitecliff Bay.

Following the Ring of Fire in the Pacific, the Alpine orogeny system is the second most seismic region on Earth with 5 percent of all earthquakes and 17 percent of the strongest earthquakes occurring there. Indonesia is located between the Ring of Fire and the Alpine orogeny system. The islands of Sumatra, Java and Timor fall within the Alpine orogeny system. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed over 230,000 people was caused by an earthquake with a magnitude of approximately 9.1 off the coast of Sumatra.

The Alps, from which the name Alpine orogeny was derived, were formed by the Alpine orogeny thrusting up rocks. They are separated from the Carpathian Mountains to the east by a gap caused by tectonic plates shifting downward during orogeny. Scientists have studied the Alps for centuries and the data available is the most out of any mountain range. The Alps are usually split into the Western Alps and Eastern Alps. The Western Alps, located in Italy, France and Switzerland, are taller than the Eastern Alps. But their main ridge is shorter and curved. The ridge of the Eastern Alps, located in Austria, Italy, Germany, Liechtenstein, Slovenia and Switzerland, is long and wide. The tallest and most famous mountain of the Alps is Mont Blanc at 15,782 feet high. It is located in the Western Alps.

The Himalayans are one of the youngest mountain ranges of the Alpine orogeny. The Himalayans separate the Tibetan Plateau from the Indian subcontinent. It is theorized that they were created by orogeny between the Eurasian and Indo-Australian plate or continents colliding. Plates are still moving in the Himalayas, which causes them to rise by approximately 5 mm a year. This plate movement also causes seismic activity, such as earthquakes, to occur. It is the highest mountain range in the world with over 100 mountains at least 23,000 feet high. It contains the highest peaks, Mount Everest and K2. Home to the Ganges, Indus, Yangtze and other rivers, it supplies water to three billion people, nearly half of the planet’s population, located in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Burma, Cambodia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and Pakistan.

The impact of the Himalayans is felt not just in the actual mountain range, but across Asia. It keeps southern Asia warm by preventing dry Arctic winds from blowing south. It also blocks monsoons from traveling north. From the west, the Himalayans block precipitation from Iran, which causes rain in northern India and snow in Kashmir. The Himalayans are thought to have caused the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts in Central Asia to be formed. Culturally, the Himalayans blocked peoples from the Indian subcontinent with mixing with peoples from the north resulting in drastically different languages, religions and customs.

Resource by Will

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