orogeny

American  

[aw-roj-uh-nee, oh-roj-] / ɔˈrɒdʒ ə ni, oʊˈrɒdʒ- /

noun

Geology.

1. the process of mountain making or upheaval.

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orogeny British  

/ ˌɒrəʊˈdʒɛnɪk, ɒˈrɒdʒɪnɪ, ˌɒrəʊdʒɪˈnɛtɪk, ˌɒrəʊˈdʒɛnɪsɪs /

noun

1. the formation of mountain ranges by intense upward displacement of the earth's crust, usually associated with folding, thrust faulting, and other compressional processes

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orogeny Scientific  

/ ô-rŏj′ə-nē /

1. The process of mountain formation, especially by folding and faulting of the Earth's crust and by plastic folding, metamorphism, and the intrusion of magmas in the lower parts of the lithosphere. Unlike epeirogeny, orogeny usually affects smaller regions and is associated with evidence of folding and faulting. The long chains of mountains often seen on the edges of continents form through orogeny.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• orogenically
  adverb
• orogenic
  adjective
• orogenetic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of orogeny

First recorded in 1885–90; oro- ¹ + -geny

Example Sentences

Orogeny occurs across the Stillness; it does not correlate with any specific racial markings.

From Slate • Dec. 3, 2018

After the Sevier Orogeny in the late Mesozoic, a subsequent orogeny called the Laramide Orogeny occurred in the early Cenozoic.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

The Laramide Orogeny, a thick-skinned type of deformation, occurred near the end of and slightly after the Sevier Orogeny in the same region.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Another possible island-arc collision created the Sonoman Orogeny in Nevada during the latest Paleozoic to the Triassic.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2017

Some scientists believe the Appalachians experienced a fourth, earlier mountain-building episode, called the Grenville Orogeny, and that there may have been others earlier still.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson