Why is limestone (sedimentary rock) found on the top of a mountain in Wyoming?
Limestone is a sedimentary rock and was originally deposited at the bottom of ancient seas and oceans millions of years ago. The fact that these same limestones and other sedimentary rocks can be found at the top of a mountain in Wyoming, and even high up in the Himalayas, is the result of something called PLATE TECTONICS. It has been discovered that the whole of the Earths surface (on land and under the sea) is made up of interlocking blocks of the Earths crust which are called plates. These plates move around over the planet, either moving away from each other, rubbing against each other or colliding with each other. The earths crust under the sea is thin an known as oceanic crust. On land it is thick and known as continental crust. Where oceanic crust collides with continental crust, mountain ranges with many volcanoes are produced (such as the Andes) and where continental crust collides with continental crust massive mountains (such as the Himalayas and the Alps) are the result. Th
