Re: The thin-crusted US Sierra Nevada Mountains: Where did the Earth go?

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eeek

The thin-crusted US Sierra Nevada Mountains: Where did the Earth go?
April 28, 2014 05:47PM

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Registered: 15 years ago
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Scientist have examined the seismological study of the entire extent of the Sierra Nevada range using seismograms collected in the Sierra Nevada EarthScope field experiment from 2005 to 2007. The southern Sierra Nevada is known to have unusually thin crust for mountains with such high elevations (peaks higher than 4 km/14,000 ft, and average elevations near 3 km/10,000 ft). Scientists have used measurements of the arrival times of seismic waves (called P-waves) from earthquakes around the globe to image the earth under the Sierra Nevada and neighboring locations.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140428155820.htm

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Dave

Re: The thin-crusted US Sierra Nevada Mountains: Where did the Earth go?
April 28, 2014 07:19PM

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Registered: 14 years ago
Posts: 1,634

The bottom layer broke off. That caused the southern Sierra to rise, or to float on top of the heavier, molten, mantle. My guess is that it broke off starting in the east where the mountains rise abruptly out of the Mono Basin. That also explains all the volcanic activity there; it's associated with the fault.