The town of Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, a volcanic product of tectonic plate collision that formed the Apennines.
Like the mighty Himalayas and the Alps, Italy's Apennine Mountains were created by the collision of tectonic plates. These collisions have transpired over millions of years, continuing on to this day. While the Himalayas, the tallest mountain range on Earth, were formed by the collision of two continental plates, the Apennines involved an oceanic plate, the Adriatic plate, and a continental plate, the Eurasian plate. The result was a powerful subduction zone that has shaped the Italian peninsula.
Apennine Description
The Apennine range is comprised of parallel micro, or sub, chains. Together, these micro chains extend in an arc along the length of the Italian peninsula, beginning at the Alps to the north. The Apennines are generally broken into three sections: the northern, central and southern ranges. The northern range is comprised of three well-known sub chains: the Ligurian, the Tuscan and the Umbrian Apennines.
Apennine Orogenic Plates
The Apennine Mountains of Italy were formed by the collision of the Adriatic, or Apulian, plate and the Eurasian plate. The Adriatic plate is a small tectonic plate that separated from the African plate during the cretaceous period. As this plate moved northward, it collided with the Eurasian plate, forming three subduction zones: the Apennines, the Alps and the Dinarides. The Alps were the first mountains created by the collision, followed by the Apennines millions of years later. Today, the largest movement of the Adriatic plate, approximately three millimeters a year, takes place in the Apennine subduction zone.
Apennine Orogeny
An orogeny is the process by which severe structural damage occurs to the Earth's crust. This damage is the result of the collision between tectonic plates. An orogeny produces long tracks of deformed rock, called orogens or orogenic belts. The arc of the Apennine Mountains reflects this orogenic belt. Orogeny is the primary mechanism for the formation of continental mountains. As the plates collide, the continental plate is crushed and thickened under tremendous pressure. This causes both vertical displacement of the crust and broad uplifting, resulting in mountains.
Apennine Geology
The geological process that formed, and continues to form, the Apennine Mountains actually represents two distinct processes occurring simultaneously, known as a syn-convergent extension. The eastern side of the Apennine arc represents the compression zone, produced by the subduction of the Adriatic plate. This arc of compression formed mountains by a process known as complex mountain formation. The west side of the Apennine arc represents the extension zone. In this zone, the mountains were formed by a fault-block system. This occurs where faults are created by tension forces that are pulling apart the crust. This divergent tension is created by the uplift of the crust. Rifting occurs along the fault lines, with the uplifted crust (mountains) being called horsts and the descending crust (rift valleys) being called grabens.
Tags: Adriatic plate, Apennine Mountains, Eurasian plate, were formed, Apennine represents, being called, continental plate
