A movement of the earth which involves the folding of sediments, faulting, and metamorphism. A cordilleran orogeny begins with sedimentation at a passive continental margin, ranging from coarse sand and silt near the shore, to limestone reefs in tropical seas. Fine-grained clastic sediments accumulate on the deeper continental slopes, forming shales and greywackes. The deposition of these geosynclinal deposits is followed by subduction and compression. Folds, thrust faults, and a volcanic arc form. Lateral growth continues through igneous activity, and metamorphism, uplift, and deformation result from continuing plate convergence. See Şengör (1999) GSA Spec. Paper 338.

Initially, a continental collision-type orogeny is similar to the cordilleran type. However, when two continental plates collide, both are too thick and too buoyant for subduction. Consequently, the plates are welded together to produce a large mountain chain. See the excellent Andersen et al. (2002) Abstr. & Procs Norw. Geol. Soc. 22, 12–14 (available online, 2008).