How were the Alps formed?
The Alps are a mountain range in Central Europe. They cover a distance of over one thousand kilometers. The Alps were formed when the African tectonic plate moved towards the north and collided with the European plate. As a result, a part of the European plate was folded and rose up in the form of a mountain range.
In the photograph on the right, you can see how the mountain range has been created as a result of folding. These kind of folded mountains are known in geography as orogenic mountains.
The Alps were formed only approximately twenty million years ago. In the history of the planet, this is a very short time – the planet itself is over five billion or 5 000 million years old.
Image on the right: The rocks of the mountain have become folded as the result of a collision between two tectonic plates. This is how the Alps were formed.
In the photograph on the right, you can see how the mountain range has been created as a result of folding. These kind of folded mountains are known in geography as orogenic mountains.
The Alps were formed only approximately twenty million years ago. In the history of the planet, this is a very short time – the planet itself is over five billion or 5 000 million years old.
Image on the right: The rocks of the mountain have become folded as the result of a collision between two tectonic plates. This is how the Alps were formed.