FRAGILE ALPINE ENVIRONMENTS  

1 - A typical alpine sedimentation process (© Gary Larson)

Rocks either form the basement underneath the vegetation or are exposed as mountains. Rocks look static, but it's better not to call them, or they may come too quickly (Fig. 1).

The tectonic activity on our earth shows that oceanic and continental plates are in constant motion, colliding and separating, forming mountains or trenches, respectively. At the same time, other mountains are being destroyed by wheathering and erosion. The highest mountains are generally the youngest.

If you hike in alpine regions you may encounter very different types of reliefs, depending on the age, but also on the type and formation of the rock. There are three main rock types: the sedimentary rocks, the igneous rocks and the metamorphic rocks. Their evolution is shown in the rock cylce. But rock types do not only influence the relief, but also the type of vegetation and soils, slope stability, etc.

29 August 2011
© ALPECOLe 2002-2007