epeirogeny
/ɪˌpʌɪˈrɒdʒəni
/noun [mass noun] Geology
The regional uplift of an extensive area of the earth’s crust.This would allow discrimination of the effects of erosion owing to footwall uplift from those owing to inversion and/or epeirogeny....
- Reconstructing the tectonic history of the western UK basins is hampered by the difficulty in recognizing and discriminating the superimposed effects of epeirogeny and inversion.
Derivatives
epeirogenesis
/ noun ...- Orogenesis is contrasted with the term ‘epeirogenesis’, which is applied to the vertical movements involved in the formation of plateaux and basins in stable plate interiors.
epeirogenic
- Preservation of these large-scale coastal landforms is primarily due to gentle epeirogenic uplift in response to Quaternary volcanism.
- In common with other work on the western UK basins system, igneous underplating is invoked as the principal mechanism driving the epeirogenic uplift.
- Regional scale epeirogenic uplift has removed the barriers from the influence of subsequent sea level highstands and therefore largely preserved their original form.
Origin
Late 19th century: from Greek ēpeiros 'mainland' + -geny.