Anatomy of Orogenic
Belts
Orogenic Belts
Orogenic Belts
► Foreland Basin
► Foreland Fold and
Thrust Belt
► Crystalline Core
► Suture Zone
► Accreted Terrane
Orogenic Belts
► Foreland Basin
► Foreland Fold and Thrust
Belt
► Crystalline Core
► Suture Zone
► Accreted Terrane
Foreland Basin
Mountains ► Mass added to coast
during orogenesis
► Continent flexes like a
diving board
Foredeep
► Produces an asymmetric
Continent basin on the inland side of
the mountains
► FORELAND BASIN (aka
FOREDEEP)
Foreland
Basin
► The deepest part of the basin is adjacent to the mountain
range
► Sediments derived from the rapid erosion of uplifted rocks in
the mountains accumulate in the foreland basin
Foreland
Basin
Cretaceous
Interior
Seaway
► Alluvial/Fluvial sediments accumulate
adjacent to the mountains
► Marine sediments accumulate further
inboard
► Grain size decreases with distance
Catskill Foreland Basin
► Alluvial/Fluvial sediments accumulate adjacent to
the mountains
► Marine sediments accumulate further inboard
► Grain size decreases with distance
Foreland Basin
► Foreland sediments are generally undeformed or
weakly deformed
► Open folds and young thrust faults common adjacent
to the mountain ranges within the distal fold and thrust
belt
► Generally unmetamorphosed to weakly
metamorphosed
► Indicates that the basin formed relatively late in the
development of an orogenic belt
Fold and Thrust Belt
► Occurs behind the foreland basin
► Characterized by marine continental margin strata that
have been faulted and folded
► Miogeoclinal strata are pushed over foreland sediments
along thrust faults
Fold and Thrust Belt
► Underlainby a sole fault, along which the
deformed rocks are transported over
undeformed rocks
Fold and Thrust Belt
► Components of a Thrust Fault: Ramps and Flats
Fold and Thrust Belt
► Duplex Structures form when thrust faults stack strata on top of
itself
Fold and Thrust Belt
► Youngest faults are at the front, resulting in steepening
of the older faults behind them
Fold and Thrust Belt
► Propagation of thrust faults can produce fault-
cored folds
Fold and Thrust Belt
► Intensityof deformation increases across
the fold an thrust belts
Open, upright folds are typical of the outer fold
and thrust belt
Overturned, tight folds are common in the inner
fold and thrust belt
► Metamorphism increases from low to
moderate (subgreenschist to amphibolite
facies) across the fold and thrust belt
Crystalline Core
► Composed of high-grade metamorphic and
plutonic rocks
► Rocks commonly exhibit multiple
generations of deformation
Fold interference patterns are common
Crystalline Core
► Faults are ductile in nature (shear zones)
► Folds are tight to isoclinal, and are commonly
recumbent
Produces nappes
Crystalline Core
► Usually bounded by detachment faults (extension)
► Unroofs the deep roots of the mountain belt due
to post-orgenic gravitational collapse
Suture Zone
► Commonly contain slices
of oceanic crust and
mantle (Ophiolites)
Pillow basalt
Sheeted dike complexes
Gabbros
Peridotites (serpentinites)
► OBDUCTION of oceanic
rocks as an ocean closes
in a collision
Suture Zone
► Commonly contain
unusual metamorphic
rocks: BLUESCHISTS
Contain distinctive blue
amphibole called
glaucophane
Forms under high
pressure and low
temperature
Indicative of a
subduction zone
environment
Cameron’s Line Suture
Accreted Terrane
► The edge of an
orogenic belt consists
of rocks with a foreign
origin
Allochthonous terrane
► Continental fragment
or island arc that
collided with the
continent and caused
the orogeny
