Mountain Formation

2 listen and read the text about mountains. Which type of mountains are formed when:

a magma erupts from under the Earth?

b magma pushes up under the Earth, but doesn’t erupt?

c two tectonic plates push together?

d water or wind cut away the land?

e rock is pushed up through a crack in the Earth?

The top layer of the Earth (the crust) is divided into seven large, independent sections, called tectonic plates. Below the Earth’s crust is the mantle – a layer of very hot, solid rock with some semi-molten rock called magma. Most mountains are formed by the movement of tectonic plates and rising magma.

1 Fold mountains are created when two tectonic plates collide. Their edges push together and up, causing mountains to be formed where they meet.

Example: the Himalayas in Asia, the Alps in Europe

Venture Level 2 . Mountain formation, p.255 © Oxford University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE 2 Fault-block mountains are formed when rock is forced up a crack in the Earth’s crust. They usually have a steep front and a sloping back.

Example: the Sierra Nevada Mountains in North America

3 Volcanic mountains are created when magma pushes through the Earth’s crust and erupts. The material that erupts falls on the ground and becomes solid. With each future eruption, this material gradually builds into a mountain.

Example: Mount Fuji in Japan

4 Dome mountains occur when magma pushes up under the Earth’s crust without erupting. The magma then cools and hardens, leaving a dome-shaped mountain.

Example: the Adirondack Mountains in North America

Venture Level 2 . Mountain formation, p.255 © Oxford University Press PHOTOCOPIABLE 5 Erosional mountains are formed in areas of high, flat land. Over millions of years, rivers or wind erode the land. The high ground that is left as a result of the erosion makes tall mountains.

Example: the Catskill Mountains in the USA