Portal:Mountains

Portal

WikiProject

Discussion

Introduction

Silvretta panorama from the Ochsenkopf

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); some scientists consider it to be the tallest on earth. (Full article...)

Show new selections below (purge)

Selected mountain-related landform

A glacier (US: /ˈɡleɪʃər/; UK: /ˈɡlæsiə/ or /ˈɡleɪsiə/) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as crevasses and seracs, as it slowly flows and deforms under stresses induced by its weight. As it moves, it abrades rock and debris from its substrate to create landforms such as cirques, moraines, or fjords. Although a glacier may flow into a body of water, it forms only on land and is distinct from the much thinner sea ice and lake ice that form on the surface of bodies of water.

On Earth, 99% of glacial ice is contained within vast ice sheets (also known as "continental glaciers") in the polar regions, but glaciers may be found in mountain ranges on every continent other than the Australian mainland, including Oceania's high-latitude oceanic island countries such as New Zealand. Between latitudes 35°N and 35°S, glaciers occur only in the Himalayas, Andes, and a few high mountains in East Africa, Mexico, New Guinea and on Zard-Kuh in Iran. With more than 7,000 known glaciers, Pakistan has more glacial ice than any other country outside the polar regions. Glaciers cover about 10% of Earth's land surface. Continental glaciers cover nearly 13 million km² (5 million sq mi) or about 98% of Antarctica's 13.2 million km² (5.1 million sq mi), with an average thickness of ice 2,100 m (7,000 ft). Greenland and Patagonia also have huge expanses of continental glaciers. The volume of glaciers, not including the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland, has been estimated at 170,000 km³. (Full article...)

More mountain landforms

Selected mountain range

View from the northwest

The Ślęża (Polish: [ˈɕlɛ̃ʐa]; German: Zobten or Zobtenberg, later also Siling) is a 718 m (2,356 ft) high mountain in the Sudeten Foreland in Poland. The mountain is built mostly of granite and is covered with forests.

The top of the mountain has a PTTK tourist mountain hut, a television and radio mast, the Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, some poorly-visible ruins of the castle and an observation tower. The area of the peak is protected as the Góra Ślęża nature reserve. The wide area around the mountain forms the Ślęża Landscape Park protected area. (Full article...)

More mountain ranges

Selected mountain type

Submarine volcanoes are underwater vents or fissures in the Earth's surface from which magma can erupt. Many submarine volcanoes are located near areas of tectonic plate formation, known as mid-ocean ridges. The volcanoes at mid-ocean ridges alone are estimated to account for 75% of the magma output on Earth. Although most submarine volcanoes are located in the depths of seas and oceans, some also exist in shallow water, and these can discharge material into the atmosphere during an eruption. The total number of submarine volcanoes is estimated to be over one million (most are now extinct) of which some 75,000 rise more than 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) above the seabed. Only 119 submarine volcanoes in Earth's oceans and seas are known to have erupted during the last 11,700 years.

Hydrothermal vents, sites of abundant biological activity, are commonly found near submarine volcanoes. (Full article...)

More mountain types

Selected climbing article

The development of rock-climbing techniques was as important as the development of rock-climbing equipment in increasing standards and reaching new grade milestones. Several techniques were particularly notable for their impact on the sport — and on particular types of climbing routes — and are key for any aspiring rock climber to master. The development of route setters in competition climbing, who can artificially fine-tune a route to require the accurate use of specific techniques, has further increased the range of techniques that contemporary rock climbers need to master. (Full article...)

More climbing articles

edit

Related portals

General images

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

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

Selected skiing article

Ski and Snowboarding Foundation Nepal is non profit and non governmental organisation established in 2016 with the aim of developing skiing and snowboarding culture in Nepal. Since its establishment, the foundation has organized events, training, research and camps in different places of Nepal. Ski and Snowboarding Foundation Nepal installed the first ski lift in Nepal in Kalinchowk. Ski and Snowboarding Foundation Nepal was founded by Utsav Pathak and Julious Seidenador in 2016. Ski and Snowboarding Foundation Nepal has been working from Humla to Solukhumbu. They have also been featured in many international magazines and have been nominated for UIAA 2022 Mountain Protection Award.

Ski and Snowboarding Foundation is also known as NFSS among ski and snowboarding community in Nepal (Full article...)

More skiing articles