Europe
The continent of Europe is a landmass bounded on the east by the Ural Mountains, on the south by the Mediterranean Sea, and on the north and west by the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans. Numerous islands around this landmass are considered a part of Europe. Europe is also the westernmost part of the Eurasian supercontinent (several continental masses joined together). Europe is a collection of different kinds of geologic regions located side by side. Europe holds a unique place among the continents; much of it is new, in geologic terms.
Plate tectonics is the main force of nature responsible for the geologic history of Europe. European geologic history, like that of all the continents, involves the formation of features as a result of plate tectonics.
When the edge of a plate of Earth's lithosphere runs over another plate, forcing the lower plate deep into the elastic interior, a long, curved chain of volcanic mountains usually erupts on the forward-moving edge of the upper plate. When this border between two plates forms in an ocean, the volcanic mountains constitute a string of islands (or archipelago). This is called an island arc. Italy's Appenine Mountains originally formed as an island arc, then later became connected into a single peninsula.
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