Eighty million years ago, North America teemed with the life of the Cretaceous Period. Dinosaurs roamed the land. Giant marine lizards prowled the waters, and flying reptiles hunted from the skies.

But there was activity of a slower, quieter form as well. From modern Canada to Northern Mexico, parts of the continent's ancient foundation were being thrust from the depths toward the surface. Western North America was squeezed and broken.

This was an “orogeny,”or mountain-building event. Named for Wyoming's Laramie Mountains, the Laramide Orogeny is a defining geological chapter. It was a 40-million-year “event,” and it affected West Texas.

“Even continents are impermanent,�...