| Sevier Orogeny |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT SEVIER OROGENY | |
| orogeny | |
| geology of the united states | |
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Since the Sevier and Laramide orogenies occurred at similar times and places, they are sometimes confused. In general the Sevier orogeny defines a more western compressional event that took advantage of weak bedding planes in overlying Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rock. As the crust was shortened, pressure was transferred eastward along the weak sedimentary layers, producing “thin-skinned” Thrust Fault s that generally get younger to the east. In contrast, the Laramide orogeny produced “basement-cored” uplifts that often took advantage of preexisting faults that formed during Rifting in the Late Precambrian during the breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia or during the Ancestral Rocky Mountains orogeny. The Sevier and Laramide orogenies ended when subduction along the western edge of North America ceased. REFERENCES Willis, Grant C. "Utah's Sevier Thrust System" Utah Geological Survey Notes. v. 32 no. 1 January 2000 EXTERNAL LINKS Laramide and Sevier orogenies: thin skinned thrust tectonics |
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