The Cordilleran orogeny applies to four episodes of Mesozoic mountain building. What was the tectonic setting for
the Cordilleran orogeny? List the individual episodes, in order from oldest to youngest, and briefly describe where and
how they occurred. What will be an ideal response?
The Sonoma orogeny was the result of subduction of an oceanic plate beneath an island arc
system and the subsequent thrusting of oceanic and island arc rocks eastward against the
southwestern cratonic margin of North America.
The cause of the Nevadan, Sevier, and Laramide orogenies was the changing angle of
subduction of the oceanic Farallon plate beneath the continental North American plate. The
timing, rate, and, to some degree, the direction of plate movement were related to seafloor
spreading and the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. The Sevier and Laramide orogenies were
farther to the North, in present-day Canada.
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A) CH4 B) CO2 C) both a and b D) neither a nor b
Worldwide, the amount of arable land per capita is increasing as a consequence of expanded irrigation and improved farming methods.
Answer the following statement true (T) or false (F)
This term is used to describe clouds found in the middle height range
A) alto B) cumulus C) stratus D) cirrus
Why is the Moon still visible during a full lunar eclipse?
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