High (tectonics)
Encyclopedia
A high is in structural geology
and tectonics
an area where tectonic uplift
has taken place relative to its surroundings. Highs are often bounded by normal faults and can be regarded as the opposites of basins
. A related word is a massif
, an area where relative old rocks layers are found at the surface. A small high can be called a horst.
Because of the relative uplift the accommodation space for sediments was relatively small and a high will have thinner sedimentary layers deposited on it compared to the surrounding basins. Therefore, highs are not good places to study stratigraphic
sequences as the sequence may be less detailed or even absent.
Structural geology
Structural geology is the study of the three-dimensional distribution of rock units with respect to their deformational histories. The primary goal of structural geology is to use measurements of present-day rock geometries to uncover information about the history of deformation in the rocks, and...
and tectonics
Tectonics
Tectonics is a field of study within geology concerned generally with the structures within the lithosphere of the Earth and particularly with the forces and movements that have operated in a region to create these structures.Tectonics is concerned with the orogenies and tectonic development of...
an area where tectonic uplift
Tectonic uplift
Tectonic uplift is a geological process most often caused by plate tectonics which increases elevation. The opposite of uplift is subsidence, which results in a decrease in elevation. Uplift may be orogenic or isostatic.-Orogenic uplift:...
has taken place relative to its surroundings. Highs are often bounded by normal faults and can be regarded as the opposites of basins
Basin (geology)
A structural basin is a large-scale structural formation of rock strata formed by tectonic warping of previously flat lying strata. Structural basins are geological depressions, and are the inverse of domes. Some elongated structural basins are also known as synclines...
. A related word is a massif
Massif
In geology, a massif is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole...
, an area where relative old rocks layers are found at the surface. A small high can be called a horst.
Because of the relative uplift the accommodation space for sediments was relatively small and a high will have thinner sedimentary layers deposited on it compared to the surrounding basins. Therefore, highs are not good places to study stratigraphic
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
sequences as the sequence may be less detailed or even absent.