case study the Alps fold mountains

The Alps - Fold Mountains Case Study

Location, plates & plate movement and type of plate margin

The Alps were formed when the African plate pushed northwards against the Eurasian plate. They were formed by a collisional, not destructive margin.

Information about HEP (Hydroelectric power)

• Steep slopes, high precipitation and summer glacial melt produce fast flowing rivers.
• Narrow valleys are easy to dam & there are lakes to store water.
• Some of the cheap HEP is used by industry: sawmills, electrochemicals and fertiliser manafacture & alluminium smelting.
• Some is exported to other regions

Information about farming/forestry

Most farms are located on the sunnier, warmer, south facing slopes.

The traditional pattern of farming is dairy, this uses transhumance, the seasonal moving of animals. In the summer, the cattle are taken to the high alp to graze. This allows hay and fodder to be grown on the small amount of flat land on the valley floor. In winter, the animals are taken back to the farm on the valley…