The broad, gentle upward or downward warping of large regions of continental crust, without the intense folding and faulting that accompanies mountain-building orogeny, typically driven by deep processes such as mantle upwelling or downwelling, sediment or ice loading, or the isostatic response to erosion. Epeirogenic movement raises or lowers whole plateaus and basins over long geological periods and helps explain broad regional uplift, such as that of the Colorado Plateau, that cannot be attributed to a nearby collision zone.
Facts
Timescale
Timescale (category) Process Type Connections
Shaped
Source Drakensberg (Wikipedia)
Source Limpopo River (Wikipedia)
Source Mount Kosciuszko (Wikipedia)
Source Zambezi River (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Epeirogenic movement (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia infobox 'Lead section' = 'In geology, epeirogenic movement (from Greek epeiros, land, and gen...' on 'Epeirogenic movement'View the Source 2. Epeirogeny (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
In geology, epeirogenic movement (from Greek epeiros, land, and genesis, birth) is upheavals or depressions of land exhibiting long wavelengths and little folding apart from broad undulations. The broad central parts of continents are called cratons, and are subject to epeirogeny.
Zambezi River (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationShaped: Zambezi River, Formation statement for target 296193Quote, Shaped: Zambezi River, Formation statement for target 296193
The change of the river course is the result of epeirogenic movements that lifted up the surface at the present-day water divide between both rivers.
Drakensberg (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationShaped: Drakensberg, Formation statement for target 296193Quote, Shaped: Drakensberg, Formation statement for target 296193
During the past 20 million years, southern Africa has experienced massive uplifting, especially in the east, with the result that most of the plateau lies above 1,000 m (3,300 ft) despite extensive erosion.
Mount Kosciuszko (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationShaped: Mount Kosciuszko, Formation statement for target 296193Quote, Shaped: Mount Kosciuszko, Formation statement for target 296193
The mountain was formed by geologic uplift.
Limpopo River (Wikipedia)
Shaped: Limpopo River, LeadQuote, Shaped: Limpopo River, Lead
The change of the drainage divide is the result of epeirogenic movement that uplifted the surface north of present-day Limpopo River, diverting waters into Zambezi River.
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