Portal:Mountains

Portal

WikiProject

Discussion

Introduction

Appalachian Mountains

A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher than a hill, typically rising at least 300 metres (980 ft) above the surrounding land. A few mountains are isolated summits, but most occur in mountain ranges.

Mountains are formed through tectonic forces, erosion, or volcanism, which act on time scales of up to tens of millions of years. Once mountain building ceases, mountains are slowly leveled through the action of weathering, through slumping and other forms of mass wasting, as well as through erosion by rivers and glaciers.

High elevations on mountains produce colder climates than at sea level at similar latitude. These colder climates strongly affect the ecosystems of mountains: different elevations have different plants and animals. Because of the less hospitable terrain and climate, mountains tend to be used less for agriculture and more for resource extraction, such as mining and logging, along with recreation, such as mountain climbing and skiing.

The highest mountain on Earth is Mount Everest in the Himalayas of Asia, whose summit is 8,850 m (29,035 ft) above mean sea level. The highest known mountain on any planet in the Solar System is Olympus Mons on Mars at 21,171 m (69,459 ft). The tallest mountain including submarine terrain is Mauna Kea in Hawaii from its underwater base at 9,330 m (30,610 ft) and some scientists consider it to be the tallest on earth. (Full article...)

Show new selections below (purge)

Selected mountain-related landform

A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over a very long period. Some valleys are formed through erosion by glacial ice. These glaciers may remain present in valleys in high mountains or polar areas.

At lower latitudes and altitudes, these glacially formed valleys may have been created or enlarged during ice ages but now are ice-free and occupied by streams or rivers. In desert areas, valleys may be entirely dry or carry a watercourse only rarely. In areas of limestone bedrock, dry valleys may also result from drainage now taking place underground rather than at the surface. Rift valleys arise principally from earth movements, rather than erosion. Many different types of valleys are described by geographers, using terms that may be global in use or else applied only locally. (Full article...)

More mountain landforms

Selected mountain range

Hoggestabben in the Mühlig-Hofmann Mountains

The Mühlig-Hofmann Mountains (German: Mühlig-Hofmann-Gebirge) is a major group of associated mountain features extending east to west for 100 km (62 mi) between the Gjelsvik Mountains and the Orvin Mountains in Queen Maud Land, East Antarctica. With its summit at 3,148 metres (10,328 ft), the massive Jøkulkyrkja Mountain forms the highest point in the Mühlig-Hofmann Mountains. (Full article...)

More mountain ranges

Selected mountain type

A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arisen from the same cause, usually an orogeny. Mountain ranges are formed by a variety of geological processes, but most of the significant ones on Earth are the result of plate tectonics. Mountain ranges are also found on many planetary mass objects in the Solar System and are likely a feature of most terrestrial planets.

Mountain ranges are usually segmented by highlands or mountain passes and valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geologic structure or petrology. They may be a mix of different orogenic expressions and terranes, for example thrust sheets, uplifted blocks, fold mountains, and volcanic landforms resulting in a variety of rock types. (Full article...)

More mountain types

Selected climbing article

This is a list of climbers and mountaineers who are notable for their activities in mountaineering (including alpine climbing), rock climbing (including aid climbing, free climbing, bouldering, speed climbing and competition climbing) or in ice climbing (including mixed climbing). (Full article...)

More climbing articles

edit

Related portals

General images

The following are images from various mountain-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1The Ocean Ridge, the world's longest mountain range (chain) (from Mountain range)
Image 2British mountaineer William Cecil Slingsby became known as the father of Norwegian mountaineering and contributed greatly to its popularization with his classic book Norway, the Northern Playground (from Mountaineering)
Image 3Alpine landscape below Malyovitsa Peak, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 4Chimborazo, Ecuador, whose summit is the point farthest away from the Earth's center (from Mountain)
Image 5Choppering out the injured – with Mt. Forbes in the background (from Mountain rescue)
Image 6The northern Urals at high latitude and elevation have an alpine climate and barren ground. (from Mountain)
Image 7Fixed lines and ladders are distinguishing characteristics of expedition style mountaineering (from Mountaineering)
Image 8Edward Whymper (1840–1911), painting by Lance Calkin (from Mountaineering)
Image 9Edelweiss, a plant associated with mountain sports (from Mountaineering)
Image 10Antique climbing tools (from Mountaineering)
Image 11Winter campers bivouaced in the snow (from Mountaineering)
Image 12Climbers ascending Mount Rainier looking at Little Tahoma Peak (from Mountaineering)
Image 13Waimea Canyon, Hawaii, is known for its montane vegetation. (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 14Tropical montane forest at around 2,000 m in Malaysia (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 15The Namcha Barwa Himal, east part of the Himalayas as seen from space by Apollo 9 (from Mountain range)
Image 16This 1848 "Sketch showing the actual elevation of the Snow Line in different Latitudes" by Alexander Keith Johnston shows the snow lines of mountains in America, Europe and Asia (from Snow line)
Image 17Stretcher box in Cumbria, England, prepositioned equipment saves mountain rescue teams having to trudge up mountains with it. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 18Mountaineers proceed across snow fields on South Tyrol; other climbers are visible further up the slopes. (from Mountaineering)
Image 19Distribution of mountains by location and elevation (from Mountain)
Image 20A stand of mountain birch at around 750 m in Trollheimen, typical of Scandinavian subalpine forests (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 21Alpine flora near Cascade Pass (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 22Fuji volcano (from Mountain)
Image 23The Catskills in Upstate New York represent an eroded plateau. (from Mountain)
Image 24Montes Apenninus on the Moon was formed by an impact event. (from Mountain range)
Image 25Climber approaching the summit of Manaslu at 8,163 metres (from Mountaineering)
Image 26Pirin Mountain, Bulgaria, part of the fault-block Rila-Rhodope massif (from Mountain)
Image 27An alpine mire in the Swiss Alps (from Mountain)
Image 28Mont Blanc in Aosta Valley, Italy, the highest point in the European Union (from Mountain)
Image 29Everest is highest from sea level (green), Mauna Kea is highest from its base (orange), Cayambe is farthest from Earth's axis (pink) and Chimborazo is farthest from Earth's centre (blue) (from Mountain)
Image 30A subalpine lake in the Cascade Range, Washington, United States (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 31Cabane du Trient, a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps (from Mountaineering)
Image 32The city of La Paz reaches up to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) in elevation. (from Mountain)
Image 33Illustration of mountains that developed on a fold that has been thrust (from Mountain)
Image 34Temperate montane forest in Bavaria, Germany (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 35Car of Horská služba (Czech Republic) (from Mountain rescue)
Image 36Edmund Hillary (left) and Tenzing Norgay after successfully completing the first ascent of Mount Everest, 29 May 1953
Image 37Iranian oak scrub in the Zagros Mountains (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 38The Dolomite Mountains, Italy, in summer. The climate of the Dolomites is characterized by short but warm and mild summers, while winters are long and very cold. (from Mountain)
Image 39Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain (from Mountain)
Image 40The Andes, the longest mountain range on the surface of the Earth, have a dramatic impact on the climate of South America (from Mountain range)
Image 41Mountaineers, c. 1900 (from Mountaineering)
Image 42Mountaineers climbing in South Tyrol (from Mountain)

Selected skiing article

Free moving heels during the ascent are a defining characteristic of ski touring. After reaching the mountain top or other destination, the heel portions of the special touring bindings are fixated such that the skis behave like normal alpine skis on the typically long ride downhill.

Ski touring is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas. Touring is typically done off-piste and outside of ski resorts, and may extend over a period of more than one day. It is similar to backcountry skiing but excludes the use of a ski lift or transport.

Ski touring combines elements of Nordic and alpine skiing and embraces such sub-disciplines as Telemark and randonnée. A defining characteristic is that the skier's heels are "free" – i.e. not bound to the skis – in order to allow a natural gliding motion while traversing and ascending terrain which may range from perfectly flat to extremely steep. (Full article...)

More skiing articles