How Earth's Surface Changes

When two plates are pushing against each other, rock can fold due to compression. An anticline is an upward fold that forms arches. A syncline is a downward fold that forms valleys.

Divergent plates often cause the formation of two normal faults in a block of rock. The downward movement of the hanging walls causes the rock in-between to move upward. This stretching of the crust forms fault-block mountains.

Large areas of flat land and rock called plateaus are uplifted by plate movements that create stress in the crust.