Continental collision

Continental collision is the convergence and welding of two continental landmasses after the oceanic lithosphere between them has been consumed. Because continental crust is buoyant, the collision commonly thickens and deforms the crust rather than subducting it deeply.

Subduction: The descent of one tectonic plate beneath another into the mantle. Oceanic lithosphere commonly subducts before the continents on either side collide.
Plate tectonics: The theory that Earth's lithosphere is divided into moving plates whose interactions shape the planet's surface. Continental collision is a consequence of plate convergence.
Himalayas: A mountain range in Asia formed chiefly by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. The Himalayas record ongoing continental convergence and crustal shortening.
Wilson cycle: The recurring opening and closing of ocean basins through plate tectonic processes. Continental collision is the terminal stage of an ocean basin's closing cycle.
Mountain range: An elongated region of elevated terrain formed by tectonic, volcanic, or erosional processes. Collision can raise extensive mountain belts through crustal shortening and thickening.
Oceanic lithosphere: The rigid oceanic crust and underlying uppermost mantle that form oceanic plates. Its consumption removes the ocean basin separating the approaching continents.
Continental crust: The relatively thick, compositionally varied crust that underlies continents. Its buoyancy and strength distinguish continental collision from continued oceanic subduction.
Tibetan Plateau: A high-elevation region north of the Himalayas, underlain by exceptionally thick continental crust. Its elevation and extent reflect deformation associated with India–Eurasia collision.
Ocean basin: A large depression in Earth's crust occupied by oceanic lithosphere and seawater. Its shrinking and eventual disappearance bring distant continental margins together.
Foreland basin: A sedimentary basin that forms beside a growing mountain belt as the lithosphere bends under its load. The weight of collision-built mountains can depress adjacent continental crust.

Linked from 36 pages