The Blue Mountains of Savannah: Faulting and Folding

The Kanuku Mountains also nicknamed “The Blue Mountains of Savannah.” The Kanuku Mountains are approximately 5000 km2 in area, located in the heart of the Rupununi Savannahs of south-western Guyana.  The Kanuku Mountains are said to be the most ecologically diverse area in Guyana. Geologically the mountains are marked with what is called normal and reverse faulting. As Exemplified in the picture below.

Faulting arise when underground pressure forces, pulls apart, or compresses tectonic plates, to further creating stress. Within the event of a fault rocks tend to be weak and break. Reverse faults are exactly the opposite of normal faults. If the hanging wall rises relative to the footwall, you have a reverse fault. Reverse faults occur in areas that undergo compression. Even though the mountain in disguised by Rain Forest there are many triangular facets along the sides of the mountains. Lining the base of the mountain valleys also form as a process of faulting.

Within the Kanuku Mountains there is also evidence of folding. Geological folding is defined as the varied striations and waves in rock or sediment. The Kanuku Mountains show aspects of overturned folding which is a result of dominate compression from one direction.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/reverse+fault

http://www4.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ritter/geog101/textbook/tectonics_landforms/folding.html

http://www.conservation.org.gy/explore_kanuku.php

http://www.guyanatimesinternational.com/?p=17424