FIGURE 2. Interaction of erosion, sedimentation and surface deformation.

Oblique-view digital elevation model of the Junggar region of central Asia, showing the interaction of erosion, sedimentation and deformation as the Tien Shan mountain range progrades tectonically into the sedimentary basin. The model is derived from 90-m resolution data from NASA's Shuttle Radar and Topography Mission. New tectonic folds are growing and being eroded in what was previously the low ground (green) of a sedimentary basin. (Image courtesy of K. Mueller, University of Colorado, Boulder.)