The Sequence Of Events That Leads To The Basin And Range Topography That We Now See Essays Examples

It is worth noting that the Basin and Range Province that is located in the southwest of the US tends to be stretching. It is estimated that the gradual mantle upwelling as well as plate movements are prone to result in the faulting of much greater magnitude, thereby eventually contributing to rifting of the North American Plate.
When it comes to the causes of Basin and Range topography, crustal extensions should be emphasized. Crustal movements tend to pull apart the Earth's crust and lithosphere, thus rifts make rocks drop down on one side and then rise on the other. Over 20 million years, the Basin has become wider twice its original width. The massive amount of erosion happens on the peaks of the ranges, as the rocks are prone to be eroded by ice, water as well as wind. When the crust spreads apart, the upward movement occurs. Not only the crust stretches, it becomes thinner and thinner, thereby creating more gaps into which rocks are prone to drop. Therefore, this process results in shifting the basins. In terms of geological perspective, basin and range topography refers to the area where the topographical features define the lines of basins and ranges. Steep mountain ranges with the help of ground motion lead to the decrease of the valleys and the uplift of the mountains.
Thus, the way the Basin and Range topography has been formed is closely related to the higher heat flow and thinner crust. The subduction of a crustal plate has triggered both chemical and physical changes, including uplift along with crustal thinning and ultimately, the regional extension observed in the Basin and Range topography.