In the background of my world it happens that two continents crash against each other. Now that I've done some research, do I correctly understand that this would create a mountain range? Or did I get something wrong?
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2$\begingroup$ What exactly you mean by crash? Speed like India crashing into Asia? Or something faster, something that would be a "common sense" crash? $\endgroup$– MołotCommented Nov 6, 2018 at 21:30
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$\begingroup$ Welcome to Worldbuilding.SE! We're glad you could join us! When you have a moment, please click here to learn more about our culture and take our tour. Thanks! $\endgroup$– JBHCommented Nov 6, 2018 at 21:40
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2$\begingroup$ Possible duplicate of How quickly can I form a mountain chain?. The question is different, but the answer (mine) answers this question fully, and then some. If not a duplicate, then this question belongs on Earth Science, and is a dupe there, check out earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/5332/…, or earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/13509/… $\endgroup$– kingledionCommented Nov 6, 2018 at 22:00
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2 Answers
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Mountain building, or Orogenesis, occurs in two main tectonic settings. One is, as you rightly describe, where two continental plates are pushing against each other (e.g. Himalayas). The other major setting where orogenesis occurs is where an oceanic plate is subducting under a continental plate (e.g. Andes, Rocky Mountains).
There are other less common settings which can cause orogenesis, but these are the ones you should be most aware of.
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1$\begingroup$ Could we add more detail to this? Can two plates collide without subduction? Can the local edge of the non-subducting plate be flexible? What if it's rigid? Can subduction occur without mountain building? This is darn close to the right answer, it just needs some more detail. Remember, you're not just answering the OP's question, you're informing the rest of us (and the future), too. $\endgroup$– JBHCommented Nov 6, 2018 at 21:39
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1$\begingroup$ @JBH I am wary of muddying the waters by adding extraneous detail. The answer I have given does answer the question asked. Ultimately, subduction is not really relevant to the question of a continent-continent collision, so adding detail on that process I would think is not required. $\endgroup$ Commented Nov 6, 2018 at 23:49
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$\begingroup$ @JBH I'm not sure how rigid you're talking about here, and on which scale. When it comes to large portions of plates, I think it's already fair to view it all as thin, slightly hardened top layer of liquid. It can always bend, flex, stretch, tear and mount up (to a certain height, after which it starts to sink too fast). $\endgroup$– tlaikCommented Nov 6, 2018 at 23:58
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Yes. Two continents crashing into each other create folded mountains, which is what it's called when two large landmasses collide and the land in between them gets crumpled upwards.
