Exploring Alleghanian Deformation in Butler Cave, Bath County, VA

[@jcee2259]

I subscribe to The WV Explorer to appreciate Alleghanian present day speleology. Started my journey into where the sun never shines with organized exploration in 1964. Offer readers another perspective: Horsethief LIDAR Flythrough

[@glennbutler-iy2nk]

Do we know at what temperatures those folds occur at? Or how far under the surface during the folding period? As someone who knows little about geology, it’s difficult to imagine how the resulting folds are smooth and wavy and why the brittle rocks just don’t fracture into crumbs. I always hear “high temperatures and pressures” but are we able to quantify those parameters for specific types of rock folds?

[@callanbentley]

You're right that higher temperatures encourage the propagation of molecular bond swapping, as crystal lattice defects move into new positions, changing the shape of the mineral crystal. But studies show that slow strain rates essentially have the same effect but over longer time (at lower temperature).