Portal:Mountains

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Introduction

Silvretta panorama from the Ochsenkopf

A mountain is an elevated portion of the surface of a planet, 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 600 metres (2,000 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); some scientists consider it to be the tallest on earth. (Full article...)

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Selected mountain-related landform

A tunnel valley is a U-shaped valley originally cut under the glacial ice near the margin of continental ice sheets such as that now covering Antarctica and formerly covering portions of all continents during past glacial ages. They can be as long as 100 km (62 mi), 4 km (2.5 mi) wide, and 400 m (1,300 ft) deep.

Tunnel valleys were formed by subglacial erosion by water and served as subglacial drainage pathways carrying large volumes of meltwater. Their cross-sections often exhibit steep-sided flanks similar to fjord walls. They presently appear as dry valleys, lakes, seabed depressions, and as areas filled with sediment. If they are filled with sediment, their lower layers are filled primarily with glacial, glaciofluvial or glaciolacustrine sediment, supplemented by upper layers of temperate infill. They can be found in areas formerly covered by glacial ice sheets including Africa, Asia, North America, Europe, Australia and offshore in the North Sea, the Atlantic and in waters near Antarctica. (Full article...)

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The Frontal Cordillera (Spanish: Cordillera Frontal) is a mountain range in western Argentina that forms part of the Andes. It extends in a north–south direction in the provinces of La Rioja, San Juan and Mendoza. To the west of the Frontal Cordillera lies the Principal Cordillera that makes up the Argentina–Chile border and the continental divide.

The Frontal Cordillera has many summits between 5000 and 6000 m a.s.l. in Mendoza Province. It is subdivided into various lesser ranges such as Cordón del Plata, Cordón del Tigre, Cordón del Portillo, Cordón de Santa Clara, Cordón de las Llaretas and Cordón del Carrizalito. (Full article...)

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A monogenetic volcanic field is a type of volcanic field consisting of a group of small monogenetic volcanoes, each of which erupts only once, as opposed to polygenetic volcanoes, which erupt repeatedly over a period of time. The small monogenetic volcanoes of these fields are the most common subaerial volcanic landform.

Many monogenetic volcanoes are cinder cones, often with lava flows, such as Parícutin in the Michoacán-Guanajuato volcanic field, which erupted from 1943 to 1952. Some monogenetic volcanoes are small lava shields, such as Rangitoto Island in the Auckland volcanic field. Other monogenetic volcanoes are tuff rings or maars. A monogenetic field typically contains between ten and a hundred volcanoes. The Michoacán-Guanajuato field in Mexico contains more than a thousand volcanoes and is exceptionally large. (Full article...)

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Selected climbing article

BMC headquarters in Manchester

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is the national representative body for England and Wales that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers. The BMC are also recognised by government as the national governing body for competition climbing. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Cabane du Trient, a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps (from Mountaineering)
Image 2A subalpine lake in the Cascade Range, Washington, United States (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 3Mountaineers climbing in South Tyrol, Italy (from Mountain)
Image 4Edelweiss, a plant associated with mountain sports (from Mountaineering)
Image 5Climber approaching the summit of Manaslu at 8,163 metres (from Mountaineering)
Image 6British 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 7Fuji volcano (from Mountain)
Image 8Mountaineers, c. 1900 (from Mountaineering)
Image 9Antique climbing tools (from Mountaineering)
Image 10This 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 11The northern Urals at high latitude and elevation have an alpine climate and barren ground. (from Mountain)
Image 12Edward Whymper (1840–1911), painting by Lance Calkin (from Mountaineering)
Image 13The city of La Paz reaches up to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) in elevation. Mount Illimani dominates the city's skyline. (from Mountain)
Image 14Fixed lines and ladders are distinguishing characteristics of expedition style mountaineering (from Mountaineering)
Image 15K2, the second-highest mountain in the world, is revered for its isolation, difficulty, and the profound sense of awe it inspires among climbers. Many alpinists describe ascents of peaks like K2 as deeply spiritual experiences, combining physical challenge with introspection and transcendence. (from Mountaineering)
Image 16Waimea Canyon, Hawaii, is known for its montane vegetation. (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 17Treeline elevation by latitude (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 18Car of Horská služba (Czech Republic) (from Mountain rescue)
Image 19Edmund Hillary (left) and Tenzing Norgay after successfully completing the first ascent of Mount Everest, 29 May 1953
Image 20A stand of mountain birch at around 750 m in Trollheimen, typical of Scandinavian subalpine forests (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 21Montes Apenninus on the Moon was formed by an impact event. (from Mountain range)
Image 22Apennine Mountains and Trebbia river, Italy (from Mountain)
Image 23Everest 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 24Winter campers bivouaced in the snow (from Mountaineering)
Image 25Choppering out the injured – with Mt. Forbes in the background (from Mountain rescue)
Image 26The 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 27Tropical montane forest at around 2,000 m in Malaysia (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 28Temperate montane forest in Bavaria, Germany (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 29Mont Blanc on the border between Aosta Valley, Italy, and Haute-Savoie, France, the highest point in the European Union (from Mountain)
Image 30Alpine landscape below Malyovitsa Peak, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 31Stretcher box in Cumbria, England, prepositioned equipment saves mountain rescue teams having to trudge up mountains with it. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 32Distribution of mountains by location and elevation (from Mountain)
Image 33Climbers ascending Mount Rainier looking at Little Tahoma Peak, United States (from Mountaineering)
Image 34An alpine mire in the Swiss Alps (from Mountain)
Image 35The Namcha Barwa Himal, east part of the Himalayas as seen from space by Apollo 9 (from Mountain range)
Image 36Pirin Mountain, Bulgaria, part of the fault-block Rila-Rhodope massif (from Mountain)
Image 37Chimborazo, Ecuador, whose summit is the point farthest away from the Earth's center (from Mountain)
Image 38The Ocean Ridge, the world's longest mountain range (chain) (from Mountain range)
Image 39The 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 40Alpine flora near Cascade Pass (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 41Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain (from Mountain)
Image 42Illustration of mountains that developed on a fold that has been thrust (from Mountain)
Image 43Mountaineers proceed across snow fields on South Tyrol; other climbers are visible further up the slopes. (from Mountaineering)
Image 44Iranian oak scrub in the Zagros Mountains (from Montane ecosystem)

Selected skiing article

Cross-country skiers in western Norway.

Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a means of travel. Variants of cross-country skiing are adapted to a range of terrain which spans unimproved, sometimes mountainous terrain to groomed courses that are specifically designed for the sport.

Modern cross-country skiing is similar to the original form of skiing, from which all skiing disciplines evolved, including alpine skiing, ski jumping and Telemark skiing. Skiers propel themselves either by striding forward (classic style) or side-to-side in a skating motion (skate skiing), aided by arms pushing on ski poles against the snow. It is practised in regions with snow-covered landscapes, including Europe, Canada, Russia, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. (Full article...)