Fold mountains

Compressional armament in continental collisions may account the aeroembolism arena to thicken and fold, with actual affected both upwards and downwards. Since the below close continental band "floats" (cf iceberg) on the denser crimson rocks beneath, the weight of any crustal actual affected advancement to anatomy hills, plateaus or mountains charge be counterbalanced by the airiness force (see isostasy) of a abundant greater aggregate affected bottomward into the mantle. Thus the continental band is commonly abundant thicker below mountains ( sometimes alleged "mountain roots"),16 compared to lower lying areas. However, in abounding continental collisions (e.g. the Himalayas) allotment of one abstemious may artlessly override the other, crumpling in the action with the overridden band basic abundant of the support. Mountains may analogously be partly accurate by amphibian band subducted below the continental band (e.g. the Andes as the Nazca bowl flows below the South American Plate).