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

• orogenetic adjective
• orogenic adjective
• orogenically adverb

Etymology

Origin of orogeny

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

Example Sentences

But today’s most visible on-the-ground evidence of the colliding land masses are the mountain ranges running from Georgia to Maine that arose during the Appalachian orogeny.

From Washington Post • Jun. 3, 2021

In Book 2, The Obelisk Gate, Jemisin introduces us to Nassun, Essun’s 8-year-old daughter, who is on the road with her father as he searches for a way to “cure” his daughter of her orogeny.

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

“In this occasion we have had a kind of political implosion. And one should never discount the ability of such a tectonic orogeny to reformat how countries interact.”

From The Guardian • Nov. 14, 2016

The mountains raised by the Laramide orogeny did what mountains do, and eroded.

From Scientific American • Jun. 4, 2012