Nevadan orogeny

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/nevadan-orogeny

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the orogenic period?Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, approximately 155-145 Ma
2. What is the primary tectonic setting?Convergent margin along the western edge of North America
3. Why did mountains form during the Nevadan orogeny?Mountains grew because the oceanic Farallon plate slid under the North American plate, making a volcanic arc. Later, pieces of crust called terranes collided and stuck to the continent, adding more height.
4. How long did the Nevadan orogeny last?It lasted only about 10 million years, which is very quick for a big mountain‑building event.

Magmatic Arc: A curved chain of volcanoes and intrusive igneous rocks formed above a subducting oceanic plate.
Terrane Accretion: The process by which crustal fragments (terranes) are added to the margin of a continent through collision.