Question

Since Mountains typically form due to tectonic stress. Tectonic stress can change the structural form of rock, and in the process it could cause uplift and subsidence of land areas.

Explain how a mountain could form in nearly flat-lying sedimentary rock layers where there has been no stress, no change in structural form, and without necessarily any uplift of land areas??

What do we call this type of mountain and what are its two somewhat unique characteristics?

Answer 1

Answer- The mountains that are formed in nearly flat lying Sedimentary rock layers where there has been no stress or change in structural form or uplift are Mesas. The Mesa is an erosional feature when the flat lying Sedimentary rocks are eroded from all sides to form an steeped wall mountain or a hill which are capped by an hard resistive rocks.

We call this type of mountains are called Mesa and two most unique characteristic of Mesa are,

1. They are steeped wall and isolated mountains.
2. They are capped by hard durable resistant rocks which protects them from getting eroded from top.