Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
measurable uplift now in the Alps, tectonic activity survives in Mediterranean volcanic
arcs.
The Himalayas, like the Alps, are a specific range but also define larger systems
extending for 3000 km between Afghanistan and south-east Asia (Figure 25.5).
Figure 25.3
The principal terranes and plates involved in the
formation and structure of the Alps. As the African plate
drives into Europe, minor platelets pirouette in a complex
mosaic of thrusts and subduction. The Arabian plate shears
past the African plate along the Dead Sea strike-slip zone.
Source: After Howell (1995).
Figure 25.4
Cross-section through the principal structures of
the Alps. Large nappes of African plate and young European
sediments were thrust north-westwards during the continental
