Raising the Rockies

By Rachel Preiser
Apr 1, 1997 6:00 AMNov 12, 2019 4:50 AM

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The rocky mountains are one of the world’s great geologic features, yet it’s never been clear how they achieved their status. The problem is this: the Rockies have the same structure as ranges such as the Himalayas, which, as a rule, form when one of the slowly shifting tectonic plates that make up Earth’s crust collides with another. But there is no landmass pressing up against North America; the Pacific plate is sliding along the west coast, not ramming against it.

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