Question

why are the fold mountains called so?

Answer 1

Fold mountains are mountains that form mainly by the effects of folding on layers within the upper part of the Earth's crust. Before either plate tectonic theory developed, or the internal architecture of thrust belts became well understood, the term was used for most mountain belts, such as the Himalayas. The term is still fairly common in physical geography literature but has otherwise generally fallen out of use except as described below. The forces responsible for formation of fold mountains are called orogenic movements. The term orogenic has derived from a Greek word meaning mountain building. These forces act at tangent to the surface of the earth and are primarily a result of plate tectonics.

Answer 2

Answer:

Fold mountains are the result of large scale earth movements caused by stresses in the earth’s crust. Such stresses may be caused by weight of the overlying rocks, movements in the mantle, the expansion or contraction of some part of the earth, etc. These stresses subject the rocks to compressive forces, producing wrinkling or folding along the lines of weakness. Hence, these mountains are called fold mountains.