Above the Italian Alps

Referred by: Laura De Felice
Summary authors & editors: Laura De Felice

This picture of the western European Alps was taken on my flight back from Stockholm (Sweden) to Italy on September 21, 2004. Clock-time was just before sunset. Photographs from commercial airlines are usually disappointing, but a combination of the fog rising from the valley, the sharp edges of the mountains and the pinkish nuance of the sky give this image a particular charm. The Alps, the Rocky Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains, and the Himalayas are all examples of mountain belts or (cordillera) composed of numerous mountain ranges. On this photo, the Alps show the typical features of collisional orogeny -- enormous pressure generated by a collision between the African and Eurasian plates thrust sedimentary rock strata upward and northward.

Related Links:

• About the Alps
• Plate Tectonics
• Jurassic Period
• Geologic Glossary