The dividing line between a mountain with multiple peaks and separate mountains is not always clear (see also [[Highest unclimbed mountain]]). A popular and intuitive way to distinguish mountains from subsidiary peaks is by their height above the highest saddle connecting it to a higher summit, a measure called [[topographic prominence]] or re-ascent (the higher summit is called the "parent peak"). A common definition of a mountain is a summit with 300 m prominence (1,000 ft; also 10 traditional rope lengths). Alternatively, a relative prominence (prominence/height) is used (usually 7-8%) to reflect that in higher mountain ranges everything is on a larger scale. The table below lists the highest 100 summits with at least 500 m prominence, approximating a 7% relative prominence. A drawback of a prominence-based list is that it may exclude well-known or spectacular mountains that are connected via a high ridge to a taller summit, like the [[Eiger]] or [[Nuptse]]. A few such peaks and mountains with nearly sufficient prominence are included but not numbered in the list.
It is very unlikely that all given heights are correct to the nearest meter; indeed, the sea level is often problematic to define when a mountain is remote from the sea. Different sources often differ by many meters, and the heights given below may well differ from those elsewhere in this encyclopedia. As an extreme example, [[Ulugh Muztagh]] on the north [[Tibetan Plateau]] is often listed as 7,723-7,754 m, but appears to be only 6,973-6,987 m. Some mountains differ by >100 m on different maps, while even very thorough current measurements of [[Mount Everest#measurement|Mount Everest]] range from 8,844 to 8,850 m. These discrepancies serve to emphasize the uncertainties in the listed heights.
Though some parts of the world, especially the most mountainous parts, have never been thoroughly mapped, it is unlikely that any mountains this high have been overlooked, because [[synthetic aperture radar]] can and [[SRTM|has been]] used to measure altitudes of most otherwise inaccessible places. Still, heights and/or prominences may be revised, so that the order of the list may change and even "new" mountains could enter the list over time. To be safe, the list has been extended to include all 7,200 m+ peaks.
Though some parts of the world, especially the most mountainous parts, have never been thoroughly mapped, it is unlikely that any mountains this high have been overlooked, because [[synthetic aperture radar]] can and [[SRTM|has been]] used to measure altitudes of most otherwise inaccessible places. Still, heights and/or prominences may be revised, so that the order of the list may change and even "new" mountains could enter the list over time. To be safe, the list has been extended to include all 7,200 m+ peaks.
Revision as of 18:26, 20 April 2009
Mount Everest from the south of an aeroplane. The summit rises over Lhotse (#4), while Nuptse is the ridge on the left.
The following is a list of the world's 100+ highest mountains per height above sea level, all of which are located in Asia. Only those summits are included that, by an objective measure, may be considered individual mountains as opposed to subsidiary peaks.
Considerations
Though some parts of the world, especially the most mountainous parts, have never been thoroughly mapped, it is unlikely that any mountains this high have been overlooked, because synthetic aperture radar can and has been used to measure altitudes of most otherwise inaccessible places. Still, heights and/or prominences may be revised, so that the order of the list may change and even "new" mountains could enter the list over time. To be safe, the list has been extended to include all 7,200 m+ peaks.
The highest mountain is not necessarily the tallest, considering the difference in height between the peak and the surrounding base of the mountain. There is no precise definition of surrounding base, but Mount McKinley, Mount Kilimanjaro and Nanga Parbat are possible candidates for the tallest mountain on land by this measure. The bases of mountain islands are below sea level, and given this consideration Mauna Kea is the world's tallest mountain, rising about 10,200 meters (33,500 feet) from the Pacific floor.
The highest mountains are not necessarily those farthest from the centre of the Earth, because the figure of the Earth is not spherical. Sea level closer to the equator is several miles farther from the centre of the Earth. The summit of Chimborazo, Ecuador's tallest mountain, is usually considered to be the farthest point from the Earth's centre, although the southern summit of Peru's tallest mountain, Huascarán, is another contender.[1]
The locations of the highest mountains are shown on the composite satellite image of High Asia below. The numbers refer to the ranking in the list. For clarity, lower peaks with labels overlapping higher peaks are left out of the main image. The boxed regions are those with the highest density of summits and are enlarged in two separate images to show all peaks.
The following is a stem and leaf plot of the above data. The two digits to the left of the line are the first two digits of the mountain's height, and each digit to the right of the line represents the third digit of the mountain's height. The numbers to the right are linked to the mountain's article. For example, you can see from the plot that the height of one of the mountains is 884x meters (Mount Everest). You can also see from the plot that there are only 5 mountains above 8,200 meters.
^For Nepal, the heights indicated on the Nepal Topographic Maps are followed. For China and the Baltoro Karakoram, the heights are those of "The Maps of Snow Mountains in China". For the Hispar Karakoram the heights on a Russian 1:100,000 topo map [1] seem to be more accurate than the customarily quoted heights probably based on US army maps from the 50s [2]. Elsewhere, unless otherwise indicated, heights are those in Jill Neate's "High Asia".
^The region is beautifully covered by Terraserver.com and Google Maps Satellite imagery. Coordinates were established by comparing topographical maps with these satellite images.
^The prominence data were extracted from a combination of maps and computer aided analysis of NASA's 3" SRTM data. Prominences over 1,450 m were copied from this website.
^Here defined as the first higher mountain beyond the key saddle with at least 500 m prominence itself.
^The number of ascents and failed attempts up to 2004 is extracted from the Alpine Club Himalayan index. These are the number of expeditions (not individuals) that announced their ascent or attempt in a journal. They are probably quite accurate for the rarely climbed peaks (though omissions were noted), but greatly underestimate the number of ascending parties on the easier and/or more popular mountains, like most eight-thousanders. For instance, Mt Everest has been scaled 2,251 times by individuals up to 2004 [3].
^Given the large differences between multiple "final" measurements of Mt Everest, the traditional 8,848 m is listed. For more information, see Mount Everest#Measurement.
^Everest IS parent to K2 by the definition of topographic prominence. See also, the discussion page.
^The highest (Eastern) summit of Saser Kangri II has not yet been climbed or attempted. The lower West peak, 2.5 km away, has been climbed in 1984 and twice since.
^According to the 1996 Himalayan Journal (pp.29-36), the highest point of the Kabru massif (the North summit) was climbed by an Indian Army team in May 1994
^Chomolhari may be considerably lower than the official 7,315 m, which corresponds to exactly 24,000 ft [4].
^The height is unknown, but over 7,200 meters on both Chinese and Russian maps of the area.
^The name and information about this summit was extracted from the May 2003 edition of Japanese Alpine News.
