Fault-Block Mountains

A Climber’s Guide to the Teton Range

Fault-block mountains (or just “block mountain“) are created when faults or cracks in the Earth’s crust force materials upward. So instead of folding, like the plate collision we get with fold mountains, block mountains break up into chunks and move up or down. Fault-block mountains usually have a steep front side and then a sloping back side.

Although many mountain belts form as a result of compression, tension plays a large role in the formation of fault-block mountains. In some parts of the western United States, Earth’s crust is slowly being uplifted. This uplift has caused the crust to stretch and crack, forming normal faults along the surface. As uplift continues, whole blocks of crust have been pushed up into fault-block mountains. Examples of such mountains are the Sierra Nevada of California, the Wasatch Range of Utah, and the Teton Range of Wyoming

If you have any information,questions, or feedback you would like to include in this post.

Please email momo19@naturekingdoms.com or leave your comments below.