The Basin and Range Province is a vast region in the western United States characterized by alternating narrow mountain ranges and flat, arid valleys (basins). This distinctive topography is a result of crustal extension that has stretched and thinned the Earth’s crust, causing faulting and block faulting. The study of this province provides valuable insights into extensional tectonics and the processes that shape continental rifts.
Reference: Wernicke, B. (1992). “Cenozoic Extensional Tectonics of the U.S. Cordillera.” In: The Cordilleran Orogen: Conterminous U.S. Geological Society of America.