Portal:Mountains

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Introduction

Appalachian Mountains

Mount Ararat, as seen from Armenia

A mountain is a large landform that rises above the surrounding land in a limited area, usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally considered to be steeper than a hill. Mountains are formed through tectonic forces or volcanism. These forces can locally raise the surface of the earth. Mountains erode slowly through the action of rivers, weather conditions, and glaciers. A few mountains are isolated summits, but most occur in huge mountain ranges.

High elevations on mountains produce colder climates than at sea level. 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 and 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).

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Selected mountain-related landform

Skeiðarársandur in Iceland, viewed from its eastern margin at the terminus of Svínafellsjökull glacier

An outwash plain, also called a sandur (plural: sandurs), sandr or sandar, is a plain formed of glacial sediments deposited by meltwater outwash at the terminus of a glacier. As it flows, the glacier grinds the underlying rock surface and carries the debris along. The meltwater at the snout of the glacier deposits its load of sediment over the outwash plain, with larger boulders being deposited near the terminal moraine, and smaller particles travelling further before being deposited. Sandurs are common in Iceland where geothermal activity accelerates the melting of ice flows and the deposition of sediment by meltwater. Read more...

Selected mountain range

Pine Mountain Ridge (or simply Pine Mountain) is a massif of the Transverse Ranges located in northern Ventura County, and entirely within the Los Padres National Forest. The ridge is a large block of Matilija Sandstone, and reaches some of the highest elevations in the southern Transverse Ranges. The north slope of the ridge is part of the Sespe Wilderness.

Major peaks on the ridge include, from west to east, Reyes Peak, Haddock Peak, and Thorn Point. Read more...

Selected mountain type

Fjäll landscape in Padjelanta, Swedish Lapland

A fell (from Old Norse fell, fjall, "mountain") is a high and barren landscape feature, such as a mountain range or moor-covered hills. The term is most often employed in Fennoscandia, the Isle of Man, parts of Northern England, and Scotland. Read more...

Selected climbing article

Man climbs a tree

Tree climbing is a recreational or functional activity consisting of ascending and moving around in the crown of trees.

A rope, helmet, and harness can be used to ensure the safety of the climber. Other equipment can also be used depending on the experience and skill of the tree climber. Some tree climbers take special hammocks called "Treeboats" and Portaledges with them into the tree canopies where they can enjoy a picnic or nap, or spend the night. Read more...

Selected images

Fixed lines and ladders are distinguishing characteristics of expedition style mountaineering
Mountaineers, circa 1900
Tatra mountain range
Geological cross-section of Fuji volcano
A combination of high latitude and high altitude makes the northern Urals in picture to have climatic conditions that make the ground barren.
Antique climbing tools
Cotopaxi (5,897 m), Andes: 5,000 m
Alpine flora near Cascade Pass
Car of Horská služba (Czech Republic)
The silver-rich Cerro Rico in Potosí, Bolivia, was in colonial times an immense source of wealth for the Spanish administration.
Stretcher box in Cumbria, England, prepositioned equipment saves mountain rescue teams having to trudge up mountains with it.
Tenting on the Columbia Icefield
Mount Everest, the highest peak on Earth
Alpine landscape below Malyovitsa Peak, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria
Waimea Canyon, Hawaii is known for its montane vegetation.
Mount Wilhelm in Papua New Guinea
Hillary and Tenzing Montes on Pluto (14 July 2015)
Edward Whymper (1840-1911), painting by Lance Calkin
Mountain rescue team members and other services attend to a casualty in Freiburg Germany.
Montes Apenninus on the Moon was formed by an impact event.
Mountains retain snow much longer than lower elevations, pictured "Witches' Mountain" in Poland at the end of May
The Himalayas, the highest mountain range on Earth, seen from space
The city of La Paz lies next to the mountain Huayna Potosí
The Ocean Ridge, the world's longest mountain range (chain)
An 1865 lithograph showing the High Tatras mountain range in Slovakia and Poland by Karel Kořistka appearing in a book by August Heinrich Petermann.
A mountain rescue team in Iran moving a casualty.
Peaks of Mount Kenya
Cho Oyu (8,201 m), Himalayas: 6,000 m
Mountain climbers ascending Mount Rainier looking at Little Tahoma Peak
Chimborazo, Ecuador. The point on Earth's surface farthest from its centre.
Pine forest in Abkhazia
Weisshorn (4,506 m), Alps: 3,000 m
Choppering out the injured – with Mt. Forbes in the background
The Andes, the world's longest mountain range on the surface of a continent, seen from the air
Mount Ararat, as seen from Armenia
Mt. Forbes' summit lunch; nutrition & hydration are key for mountaineering
Tropical montane forest at around 2,000 m in Malaysia
Illustration of mountains that developed on a fold that has been thrusted
A climber taking the final few steps onto the 6,160 m (20,210 ft) summit of Imja Tse (Island Peak) in Nepal, 2004
Pirin Mountain, Bulgaria, part of the fault-block Rila-Rhodope massif
A subalpine lake in the Goms district of the Swiss Alps
A stand of mountain birch at around 750 m in Trollheimen, typical of Scandinavian subalpine forests
The Catskills in Upstate New York represent an eroded plateau.
Climber on Mt. Forbes' summit, the highest peak within Banff National Park (4 taller peaks on Banff's boundaries)
This 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
Iranian oak scrub in the Zagros Mountains
An alpine mire in the Swiss Alps

Selected skiing article

This is a list of skiing deaths of notable people, in chronological order, and includes skiers and snowboarders both professional and recreational whose deaths are due to accidents or avalanches. Read more...