Suture (geology)

In structural geology, a suture is a joining along a major fault zone, of separate terranes, tectonic units that have different plate tectonic, metamorphic and paleogeographic histories. The suture is often represented on the surface by an orogen or mountain range. [1]

  1. ^ There is a "difference between the geophysical and geological definition of suture zones and terrane boundaries. The geophysical definitions are generally based upon the integration of a physical response over the thickness of the crust, whereas the geological definition is almost always as a line or zone at the Earth's surface." Harris, Anthony L. and Fettes, D. J. (1988) The Caledonian-Appalachian orogen published for the Geological Society by Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, England, page 4, ISBN 978-0-632-01796-6