the sevier orogenic belt consisted of a series of thin plates along gently dipping west thrust sheets and moving from west to east. these thin skinned thrusts moved late precambrian to mesozoic age rock of the cordilleran passive margin east. the sevier meets the laramide orogenic belt on its eastern side. the sevier and laramide combination is similar to the modern day andean margin in chile. they are comparable because the younger laramide faults and structures were a geometric response to the shallow dipping sevier thrusts.