Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 14 hours ago
The Basin and Range of the American west is unique within the North American continent. Yes, Clarence Dutton (one of the founders of National Geographic Society) said it looks like "an army of caterpillars marching south towards Mexico." The mountains and the flat basins separating them do have a distinct look that is a product of their geologic structure. As a viewer requested video, I draw a generalized diagram of the structure using Microsoft Paint. It doesn't catch every last detail, but it gives an idea of how stretching (instead of squeezing) can make mountains on Earth. Paint works pretty well for things like this, particularly with the solid colors of the fill tool. The diagram here is simplified but gives the basic idea of what makes the Basin and Range look like it does, which is quite distinct from the mountains related to squeezing of the Earth's crust in other parts of the US.
The Basin and Range of the American west is unique within the North American continent. Yes, Clarence Dutton (one of the founders of National Geographic Society) said it looks like "an army of caterpillars marching south towards Mexico." The mountains and the flat basins separating them do have a distinct look that is a product of their geologic structure. As a viewer requested video, I draw a generalized diagram of the structure using Microsoft Paint. It doesn't catch every last detail, but it gives an idea of how stretching (instead of squeezing) can make mountains on Earth. Paint works pretty well for things like this, particularly with the solid colors of the fill tool. The diagram here is simplified but gives the basic idea of what makes the Basin and Range look like it does, which is quite distinct from the mountains related to squeezing of the Earth's crust in other parts of the US.
