A high in
structural geology and
tectonics
Tectonics ( via Latin ) are the processes that result in the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. The field of ''planetary tectonics'' extends the concept to other planets and moons.
These processes ...
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
A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...
, 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.
See also
*
Anteclise
References
Tectonics
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