We understand by orogeny the science that studies the movement of the plates that underlie the earth's surface. This movement could be described as the cause of the formation of mountain ranges millions of years ago (as well as other landforms such as valleys, plateaus, underwater platforms, islands, etc.) and also as the one that constantly generates and visible violent movements of the ground that are known as earthquakes, earthquakes or tsunamis.
Orogeny or orogenesis are terms that come from Greek, the language in which gold means mountain and genesis creation or birth. Thus, the orogeny will be especially interested in the causes that make the flat terrain ever become mountains or that when moving it generates alterations such as those mentioned. The orogeny starts from the central fact that the earth's crust of our planet is divided into several plates (known as tectonic plates) that are never completely still. Although most of the time the movement or displacement that these plates show is negligible, many other times it is very violent and generates very visible and noticeable surface alterations.
As a consequence of the collision of tectonic plates, the earth's surface is altered and that is when phenomena such as mountain ranges appear. In most cases, the elevations in the terrain are caused by the very violent and prolonged collision of tectonic plates that share boundaries with each other. In this way, for example, the Andes mountain range has been formed by the collision of the Nazca and the South American plates. It is interesting to observe how in all the places on the planet where the mountain ranges and high mountain ranges are found, we find underlying them the union of two or more tectonic plates.
This movement of the plates or orogeny can also cause other types of movements that are recorded as earthquakes, earthquakes or tsunamis. When the plates move and displace, colliding with each other or even without colliding but altering their position, the surface is also affected and the more violent the movement, the more serious or serious the consequences can be for the human being that lives in them. regions.
