Ten million years is relatively recently in geological time and it was a period when dramatic pulses of uplift, produced by intensive faulting and widespread volcanic activity, induced vigorous erosion that shaped the modern landscape of the Sierra Nevada.  As these geological changes culminated, glaciers and ice caps developed over the rising Sierra crest in response to the episodic deterioration of the Earth’s climate, further sculpting the extraordinary alpine scenery of the region. 

This animated lecture describes the concept of “Normal Faults,” or geological fractures with displacements.