Question

In what tectonic setting was the Sierra Nevada formed?

1) Convergent boundary
2) Divergent boundary
3) Transform boundary
4) Intraplate boundary

Answer 1

The Sierra Nevada was formed in a convergent boundary tectonic setting, specifically as a result of the convergence between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Sierra Nevada was formed in a convergent boundary tectonic setting. Convergence occurs when two tectonic plates collide. In the case of the Sierra Nevada, the convergence was between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate.

As the Pacific Plate subducted beneath the North American Plate, it led to volcanism and the formation of the Sierra Nevada Range. The subduction also caused the intrusion of massive granite batholiths, which have been exposed as the eroded features we see today.

The Sierra Nevada topography is relatively recent, occurring within the last 5 million years, as the rocks have been deformed by extensional stress, creating large fault blocks that give the range its steep face.