Evolving Landscapes

Landscapes are constanly changing. Volcanoes and gigantic earth movements push up mountains, ridges and plateaus, while ice , water and wind grind them down and reshape them into valleys, plains, caves and canyons. This process has been happening for millions of years and have shaped the patterns of the oceans and continents. For example the himalyas were formed by the indian and asian plates colliding, one pushing underneath the other and forming mountains.

Also moving ice has shaped most of earths spectacular scenery, in places such as the alps, the himalyas, the rockies and englands lake district. During the pleistocene age, which ended about 10, 000 years ago , there were several ice ages, when the climate of the world was much colder. The falling snow pressed down on the layers beneath slowly turning to ice. The pressure on the rock is so high that it turns the ice into water, allowing the ice to slide over the ground beneath it. Many climbers claim that the ice can be heard moving as they scale the worlds great mountain ranges! This ice created and carved many canyons , such as the tenaya creek in californias yosemite national park.So when your out walking in the mountains and valleys remember how they were formed and still are changing to this day.