Portal:Mountains

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Introduction

Uluguru Mountains, in Tanzania

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...)

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Selected mountain-related landform

A glacier cave is a cave formed within the ice of a glacier. Glacier caves are often called ice caves, but the latter term is properly used to describe bedrock caves that contain year-round ice. (Full article...)

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Selected mountain range

Map of Northern Ellesmere Island and far Northern Greenland.

The H. H. Benedict Range or H. H. Benedict Mountains (Danish: H. H. Benedict Bjerge) is a mountain range in Peary Land, Northern Greenland. Administratively this range is part of the Northeast Greenland National Park.

The H. H. Benedict range is part of the northernmost mountain system in the world. The area where its ridges rise is barren and uninhabited. (Full article...)

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Selected mountain type

A tuya is a flat-topped, steep-sided volcano formed when lava erupts through a thick glacier or ice sheet. They are rare worldwide, being confined to regions which were covered by glaciers and had active volcanism during the same period.

As lava that erupts under a glacier cools very quickly and cannot travel far, it piles up into a steep-sided hill. If the eruption continues long enough, it either melts all the ice or emerges through the top of the ice and then creates normal-looking lava flows that make a flat cap on top of the hill. Discovering and dating the lava flows in a tuya has proven useful in reconstructing past glacial ice extents and thicknesses. (Full article...)

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Selected climbing article

An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow, ice, or frozen conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its simplest role it is used like a walking stick, with the mountaineer holding the head in the center of their uphill hand.

On steep terrain it is swung by its handle and embedded in snow or ice for security and an aid to traction. It can also be buried pick down, the rope tied around the shaft to form a secure anchor on which to bring up a second climber, or buried vertically to form a stomp belay. The adze is used to cut footholds, as well as scoop out compacted snow to bury the axe as a belay anchor. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Illustration of mountains that developed on a fold that has been thrust (from Mountain)
Image 2An alpine mire in the Swiss Alps (from Mountain)
Image 3Edward Whymper (1840–1911), painting by Lance Calkin (from Mountaineering)
Image 4Alpine flora near Cascade Pass (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 5Choppering out the injured – with Mt. Forbes in the background (from Mountain rescue)
Image 6The Namcha Barwa Himal, east part of the Himalayas as seen from space by Apollo 9 (from Mountain range)
Image 7The northern Urals at high latitude and elevation have an alpine climate and barren ground. (from Mountain)
Image 8Climber approaching the summit of Manaslu at 8,163 metres (from Mountaineering)
Image 9Mont Blanc in Aosta Valley, Italy, the highest point in the European Union (from Mountain)
Image 10The Catskills in Upstate New York represent an eroded plateau. (from Mountain)
Image 11A subalpine lake in the Cascade Range, Washington, United States (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 12Pirin Mountain, Bulgaria, part of the fault-block Rila-Rhodope massif (from Mountain)
Image 13Montes Apenninus on the Moon was formed by an impact event. (from Mountain range)
Image 14The city of La Paz reaches up to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) in elevation. (from Mountain)
Image 15British 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 16Mountaineers climbing in South Tyrol (from Mountain)
Image 17Chimborazo, Ecuador, whose summit is the point farthest away from the Earth's center (from Mountain)
Image 18Stretcher box in Cumbria, England, prepositioned equipment saves mountain rescue teams having to trudge up mountains with it. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 19Mountaineers proceed across snow fields on South Tyrol; other climbers are visible further up the slopes. (from Mountaineering)
Image 20Antique climbing tools (from Mountaineering)
Image 21A stand of mountain birch at around 750 m in Trollheimen, typical of Scandinavian subalpine forests (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 22Fuji volcano (from Mountain)
Image 23Mountaineers, c. 1900 (from Mountaineering)
Image 24Tropical montane forest at around 2,000 m in Malaysia (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 25Winter campers bivouaced in the snow (from Mountaineering)
Image 26Waimea Canyon, Hawaii, is known for its montane vegetation. (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 27Mountain rescue team members and other services attend to a casualty in Freiburg Germany. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 28Fixed lines and ladders are distinguishing characteristics of expedition style mountaineering (from Mountaineering)
Image 29Edelweiss, a plant associated with mountain sports (from Mountaineering)
Image 30Everest 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 31Cabane du Trient, a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps (from Mountaineering)
Image 32The Ocean Ridge, the world's longest mountain range (chain) (from Mountain range)
Image 33The 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 34Car of Horská služba (Czech Republic) (from Mountain rescue)
Image 35Temperate montane forest in Bavaria, Germany (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 36Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain (from Mountain)
Image 37Alpine landscape below Malyovitsa Peak, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 38A mountain rescue team in Iran moving a casualty. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 39Iranian oak scrub in the Zagros Mountains (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 40This 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 41Climbers ascending Mount Rainier looking at Little Tahoma Peak (from Mountaineering)

Selected skiing article

Shin-bang is a general sense of discomfort or pain in the lower anterior portion of the tibia that contacts the tongue of a ski boot, especially when pressed against the boot. It should not to be confused with shin-bite, which is a condition where the shin is rubbed raw due to irritation inside of the ski boot. (Full article...)