Fold Friday: Gobi Altai, Mongolia

A brief summary of the Mongolian Altaids.

Credit: Eastern Connecticut State University

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The Mongolian Altaids are part of the largest compressional mountain chain in Central Asia, built between 750 and 150 million years ago spanning across Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and deep into Russia to the north.

These mountains cover roughly 30% of the land surface of Asia, spanning six countries (China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Uzbekistan), and extend for 1550 miles (2500 kilometers), from west to east.

Map from Ju & Guiting (2014).

Tectonic Evolution

The Altaids, also called the Altaid orogenic system or the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, result from millions of years of collisional history between oceanic crust, continental crust, and stable continental cratons. The arc region overlying the subduction zone witnessed the accretion of oceanic complexes, microcontinents, and large tectonic fragments.