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Types of Orogenies (Mountain Buildings)



     Orogenies come in an almost endless variety. Subduction zones can occur under many conditions, and volcanic arcs, microcontinents, and continents can collide in an almost unlimited variety of ways. Almost any kind or circumstance of mountain building that you can imagine has probably occurred in the earth history. But if we generalize, orogenies come in the four varieties, grouped into the two categories above.
     There are subduction orogenies, and there are collision orogenies.

Last Update: 9/05/00

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