orogenic belt
nounUK /ˌɒrəˈdʒenɪk bɛlt/
US /ˌɔːrəˈdʒenɪk bɛlt/
A long strip of land where mountains were made by the Earth pushing its rocks together.
The Himalayan orogenic belt formed when two continents slowly crashed into each other.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A zone of the Earth's crust that was squeezed and folded during a mountain-building event.
Geologists mapped the ancient orogenic belt across the continent.
3. A region where rocks show signs of intense deformation from past tectonic activity.
The orogenic belt contains many folded and faulted rock layers.
4. A linear area of thickened crust created by the collision of tectonic plates.
The Appalachian orogenic belt is older and more worn down than the Rockies.