Orogeny in 1890 to describe the process of mountain building as distinguished from epeirogeny. The formation of an orogen can be accomplished by the tectonic processes such as oceanic subduction (where a continent rides forcefully over an oceanic plate for accretionary orogeny) or continental subduction convergence of two or more continents for collisional orogeny). Orogeny usually produces long arcuate (from the Latin "", "to bend like a bow") structures, known as "orogenic belts". Generally, orogenic belts consist of long parallel strips of rock exhibiting similar characteristics along the length of the belt. Although orogenic belts are associated with subduction zones, subduction
Damara orogeny Damara orogeny The Damara orogeny was part of the Pan-African orogeny. The Damara orogeny occurred late in the creation of Gondwana, at the intersection of the Congo and the Kalahari cratons. The Damara orogeny involved the suturing of the Congo–São Francisco and Río de la Plata cratons at 580–550 Ma (together with India forming northern Gondwana) before the amalgamation of the Kalahari and Mawson cratons in the Kuunga–Damara orogeny at 530 Ma (southern Gondwana). The Adamastor Ocean closed southwards from the Araçuaı́ Belt (São Francisco Craton, now in South America) to the Kaoko Belt (Congo Craton, now in Africa) 580–550