Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Can only one mountain be formed at the convergent boundary (continental to continental plates)?

cause we made a model about convergent boundary. and our model shows only one big mountain made of plastic bottle. it's like both sides of the box have a side of mountain so when you pull the one box, it collides with the other box so it forms a one mountain.

I don't know if we did correctly regarding our model.

Hi there!

Generally, mountain ranges, rather than single mountains, tend to be formed at convergent boundaries, as the force of the collision compresses the crust in many successive waves. Here is a link for further research if you would like to learn more about mountain range formation from convergent boundaries: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/geology/pl ... ranges.htm!

However, don’t worry about your model! Models are representations of natural phenomena – they do not have to be completely exact, as minimizing natural phenomena into digestible models is sure to lose some detail along the way.

With that in mind, you can add a legend to your model to indicate that the one mountain you built is representative of a mountain range that would form at that convergent boundary! You can also say that your model zooms in to how one mountain is created at the convergent boundary – that is, one mountain out of a full range that is created.

Hope this gives you some reassurance, and please let us know if we can help you further!

Anika