5 Orogemy Epierogeny 5th Class

Orogeny & Epeirogeny
R.C. Patel
Department of Geology,
Institute of Science,
Banaras Hindu University
(BHU), Varanasi- 221 005
(INDIA)
Diastrophism
•Diastrophism refers to deformation of the Earth’s crust due
to diastrophic movements (deforming movements) such as
folding, faulting, warping (bending or twisting of a large
area) and fracturing.
•All processes that move, elevate or build up portions of the
earth’s crust come under diastrophism. They include:
•Orogenic processes (Orogeny)
•Epeirogenic processes (Epeirogeny)
•Earthquakes and volcanism
•Plate tectonics
•The most obvious evidence of diastrophic movement can be
seen where sedimentary rocks have been bent, broken or
tilted.
•It has largely been replaced by the synonym tectonism.
Orogeny
▪Orogenic movement is horizontal movements of plates or it is also
known as the mountain forming movements act tangentially to
the earth surface, as in plate tectonics.
▪In orogenic process, plate tectonic and volcanic form mountains .
▪ Due to this process ,the crust is severely deformed into folds.
▪ It causes deformation of the Earth’s Lithosphere and result in the

occurrence of several geological processes.
▪This process can take place over a period of several million years.
As a result, mountains get formed from the sea bed or plains. So
it is also known as the mountain-forming movements.
Orogeny
Mountains and Orogenic Style
➢In Plate tectonic theory, all orogenic belts are on or near converging
plate boundaries.
➢Mountain ranges are not randomly distributed but form distinctive

linear or arcuate belts across the earth surfaces.
➢Three distinct types of orogenic belts can be identified on

converging plate boundaries:
1. Island arcs and trenches

2. Cordilleran-type mountain range
3. Collisional type mountain belts
➢A fourth type of mountains are built by extensional and strike-slip

plate motions in a variety of tectonic settings.
3. Collisional type mountain belts
1 3
1 2 3
1
2
1
Island arcs are long chains of active volcanoes
with intense seismic activity found along
convergent tectonic plate boundaries. Most
island arcs originate on oceanic crust and
have resulted from the descent of
the lithosphere into the mantle along
the subduction zone. They are the principal
way by which continental growth is achieved.
✓Either be active or inactive based on

their seismicity and presence
of volcanose.
✓Possess a distinct curved form, a chain

of active or recently extinct volcanoes,
a deep-sea trench, and a large
negative Bouguer anomaly on the
convex side of the volcanic arc.
✓The partial melting under high load pressures and shears, of oceanic crust on
the descending plate at depth of about 120 km provides a likely source of calc-
alkaline magma erupted on the arc as andesite and dacite.
✓Partial melting is dominantly controlled by load pressure and temperature, the

position of the volcanic front will be related to the inclination of the descending
plate.
✓The region between the volcanic front and the trench has a dominantly
submarine, ocean ward thickening, prism of sediment derived from the volcanic
portion of the arc.
✓ Bouguer gravity anomalies are high above the island arc.
✓Thick prism of intensely deformed sediments (chert and argillite, carbonates and
alcalic basalt of seamounts) in the trench. This is the region of high pressure
and low geothermal gradient. So it may be site of blueschist (Glaucophane,
lawsonite, aragonite, Jadeite assemblage).
✓ Characterized by paired metamorphic belt: The metamorphic belt has a

blueschist zone on the outer, ocean ward side and a high temperature zone with
andalusite, sillimanite, cordieritc assemblages in the inner side.
(A) Section from Primorye to the Pacific Ocean across the Japan Sea and northern
Itonshu [Miyashiro, 1961, 1967; Matsuda et al., 1967; Rikitake et al., 1968]. Seismic
velocities are indicated. (B) Bouguer gravity anomaly [Hagiwara, 1997]. (C) Heat
flow [Uyeda and Vacquier, 1968]. (D) Volumes of Quarternary volcanics [Sugimura
et al., 1963]. (E) Morphology [Sykes, 1986] of the descending plate and probable
composition [Ringwood, 1969] of the descending oceanic crust.
➢A mountain belt marginal to a continent where oceanic lithosphere underthrusts
a continental margin, such as the Cordilleras or the Andes, develops where a
trench originates at, or very near to, a continental margin of Atlantic-type.
➢Early, ocean ward-driven wedges of oceanic crust and mantle, flysch

accumulations thickening toward the trench, and blueschist melanges.
➢ As the oceanic plate descends beneath the continental rise to depths greater
than 100 km, submarine volcanics arc erupted behind the volcanic front.
➢As the heat flux generated by the rise of basaltic and calc-alkaline magmas in
creases, an embryonic orogenic welt (Figure 10B) rises above an expanding
dome, the core of which is occupied by rising gabbroic and granodioritic
magmas.
➢ High-temperature deformation and metamorphism begins to affect the

sedimentary pile of the lower continental rise as the mobile core (Figure 10C)
expands and grows toward the continent.
➢The coarse sediments and volcanics that accumulated in graben formed during
the early stages of continental rupture are affected by the high-temperature
deformation and metamorphism.
ANDES:
classic example of
orogenic belt
“cordillera”
View from Nev. Pisco,

Cordillera Blanca
NASA satellite image

3. Collisional type mountain
belts
•continental-continental collision
•tend to have a little of everything: volcanoes,

folds, thrust faults, normal faults
ALPS
HIMALAYAS
View of Everest and

Khumbu ice fall from
Kala Patar, Nepal
Himalayas
Epeirogeny
▪Eperiogenic movement is strictly vertical movement of continent and it
acts along the radius of the earth.
▪ It is also known as radial movements of the earth.
▪In eperiogenic movements, tectonic deformation of the earth’s crust

forms continents and ocean basins.
▪Due to this process, sea level rise and fall as new plate materials
modified the open basins.
▪It causes depressions or upheavals of land with long wavelengths and

broad ripples. The result of epeirogeny can be either transient or
permanent..
Epeirogeny
Difference between Orogeny & Epeirogeny
1. Orogeny is a mountain building process while epeirogeny is a
continent building process.
2. In orogeny crust is severely deformed into into folds while in

epeirogeny there may be simple deformation.
3. In orogeny the rock masses move in tangential direction to the earth's

surface while in epeirogeny the rock masses move in radial or vertical
direction to the earth's surface.
Thank you for your attention !

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Orogeny & Epeirogeny

▪In orogenic process, plate tectonic and volcanic form mountains .

▪ Due to this process ,the crust is severely deformed into folds.

▪ It causes deformation of the Earth’s Lithosphere and result in the

➢Mountain ranges are not randomly distributed but form distinctive

➢Three distinct types of orogenic belts can be identified on

1. Island arcs and trenches

➢A fourth type of mountains are built by extensional and strike-slip

✓Either be active or inactive based on

✓Possess a distinct curved form, a chain

✓Partial melting is dominantly controlled by load pressure and temperature, the

✓ Bouguer gravity anomalies are high above the island arc.

✓ Characterized by paired metamorphic belt: The metamorphic belt has a

➢Early, ocean ward-driven wedges of oceanic crust and mantle, flysch

➢ High-temperature deformation and metamorphism begins to affect the

View from Nev. Pisco,

NASA satellite image

•tend to have a little of everything: volcanoes,

View of Everest and

▪ It is also known as radial movements of the earth.

▪In eperiogenic movements, tectonic deformation of the earth’s crust

▪It causes depressions or upheavals of land with long wavelengths and

2. In orogeny crust is severely deformed into into folds while in

3. In orogeny the rock masses move in tangential direction to the earth's

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