Continents collide, and the Alps begin to form
- The North part of the African plate collides with the European plate and is thrust over the European plate. This is the start of the formation of the Alps which grows by 1000m per million years.
- The Matterhorn is an interesting example of this collision:
- The base of the Matterhorn contains rocks which were formed under the Tethys Sea. As the African plate moved into the Eurasian plate the denser oceanic crust was subducted under the lighter, continental crust.
- The centre of the Matterhorn contains rocks from the Eurasian plate.
- The top of the Matterhorn comprises of rocks from the African plate which was thrust up on top of the Eurasian plate when it collided together.
Credit: Alpen Wild
Picture Credit : Google
