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How did the Ruwenzori Mountains form in East Africa?
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Mount Sir Donald in the Selkirk Mountains, British Columbia,
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above
a segment of the Trans-Canada Highway.
The Ruwenzori Mountains in East Africa are unique among the region's major peaks because they are not of volcanic origin. Instead, they were formed as a horst—a large, elevated block of the Earth's crust that has been pushed upward between two parallel faults.123
The formation of the range involved the following geological processes:
- Tectonic Uplift: The ancient plateau surface, composed of crystalline rocks such as gneisses and schists, underwent significant elevational movement.2
- Faulting and Warping: The range was created through a combination of upfaulting on its western side and upwarping on its eastern side.2
- Ongoing Activity: These tectonic movements remain active today, making the Ruwenzori system an important earthquake epicenter.2
While many other prominent East African mountains, such as Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, were formed by volcanic activity associated with the East African Rift System, the Ruwenzori range stands as a distinct block-fault mountain structure.432