The Origin of Mountains
 | |
| Author | Cliff Ollier |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Geomorphology, tectonics |
| Published | 2000 |
| Publisher | Routledge |
| Pages | 344 |
| ISBN | 0415198909 |
The Origin of Mountains is a 2000 book by the geomorphologists Cliff Ollier and Colin Pain, published by Routledge.
Overview
The book challenges the standard view that mountains are produced by plate-tectonic collision and folding. Ollier and Pain argue instead that most mountains arose by the vertical uplift of former plains, combined with cracking and warping by earth movements and subsequent erosion by water. They present evidence that this uplift occurred largely within the last few million years — a timing they say does not fit plate-tectonic accounts — and note that mountain building correlates with climatic change, suggesting it may have helped trigger the onset of the ice age. The book draws on mountain ranges worldwide and is heavily illustrated.
About the authors
Cliff Ollier is an Australian geologist and geomorphologist, Emeritus Professor at the University of New England and a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, known for work on landforms, volcanoes, and tectonics — and for heterodox views on mountain building and (relatedly) on Earth expansion. Colin Pain is an Australian geomorphologist.
Publication details
- Authors: Cliff Ollier and Colin Pain
- Publisher: Routledge
- Published: 2000
- Pages: 344
- ISBN: 0415198909
Links to Purchase Book
- The Origin of Mountains (Amazon)