How are the folds and thrusts configured in the rocky mountains?
Folds and thrusts are “configured” (anywhere, including the Rocky Mountains) by determining the most compressive stresses; folds and thrusts will be orthogonal to these stresses. The entire Rocky Mountains, from northern New Mexico to Alaska, cannot be answered in a short answer. Local geology will determine strains from stresses, and can be assigned accordingly. Mapping and other field work reveals folds and faults, along their “configurations”.
