Mount Damavand in winter, Iran

A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill, but there is no universally accepted standard definition for the height of a mountain or a hill although a mountain usually has an identifiable summit. Mountains cover 54% of Asia, 36% of North America, 25% of Europe, 22% of South America, 17% of Australia, and 3% of Africa. As a whole, 24% of the Earth's land mass is mountainous. Also, 1 in 10 people live in mountainous regions. Most of the world's major rivers are fed from mountain sources,and more than half of humanity depends on mountains for water.^[1][2] Image File history File links Damavand_in_winter. ... Image File history File links Damavand_in_winter. ... This article is about the volcano. ... A landform comprises a geomorphological unit. ... The panoramic view from Connors Hill, near Swifts Creek, Victoria A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain, in a limited area. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... For the Second World War frigate class, see River class frigate The Murray River in Australia A waterfall on the Ova da Fedoz, Switzerland A river is a large natural waterway. ...

The adjective montane is used to describe mountainous areas and the things associated with them.

Heights

Mountains are generally given as heights above mean sea level. The Himalayas average 5 km above sea level, whilst the Andes average 4 km. Most other mountain ranges average 2 – 2.5 km. The highest mountain on Earth is Everest, 8,848 m (29,028 feet), set in the world's most significant mountain range, the Himalayas. For considerations of sea level change, in particular rise associated with possible global warming, see sea level rise. ... Perspective view of the Himalayas and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... km redirects here. ... Planes view of the Andes, Peru. ... “Everest” redirects here. ... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... Perspective view of the Himalayas and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ...

15,000 ft (4700 m) high Mount Ushba in the Caucasus

Other definitions of height are possible. The peak that is farthest from the center of the Earth is Chimborazo in Ecuador. At 6,267 m above sea level it is not even the tallest peak in the Andes, but because Chimborazo is very close to the equator and the Earth bulges at the equator, it is 2,150 m further away from the Earth's centre than Everest. The peak that rises farthest from its base is Mauna Kea on Hawaii, whose peak is over 9,000 m above its base on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1472x1104, 320 KB) Summary photo by: Ann Schiff Licensing Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1472x1104, 320 KB) Summary photo by: Ann Schiff Licensing Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Mt. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Caucasus Mountains. ... Adjectives: Terrestrial, Terran, Telluric, Tellurian, Earthly Atmosphere Surface pressure: 101. ... The inactive stratovolcano Chimborazo is Ecuadors highest summit. ... Planes view of the Andes, Peru. ... World map showing the equator in red In tourist areas, the equator is often marked on the sides of roads The equator marked as it crosses Ilhéu das Rolas, in São Tomé and Príncipe. ... Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano in the Hawaiian Islands, one of five volcanic peaks that together form the island of Hawaii. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Even though Everest is the highest mountain on Earth today, there have been much taller mountains in the past. During the Precambrian era, the Canadian Shield once had enormous mountains 12,000 m in height that are now eroded down into rolling hills. These enormous mountains formed by the collision of plate tectonics much like the Himalaya and the Rocky Mountains. The Precambrian (Pre-Cambrian) is an informal name for the eons of the geologic timescale that came before the current Phanerozoic eon. ... Era may refer to: Era, a long period of history ERA Real Estate, also known as Electronic Realty Associates Inc. ... Canadian Shield The Canadian Shield— also called the Precambrian Shield, Laurentian Shield, Bouclier Canadien (French), or Laurentian Plateau— is a large shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American craton. ... The tectonic plates of the world were mapped in the second half of the 20th century. ... Confectionary Company, see Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. ...

At 26 km (Fraknoi et al., 2004), the tallest known mountain in the solar system is Olympus Mons, located on Mars. A kilometer (Commonwealth spelling: kilometre), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1,000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... Major features of the Solar System (not to scale; from left to right): Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, the asteroid belt, the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth and its Moon, and Mars. ... Olympus Mons Olympus Mons (Latin, Mount Olympus) is the tallest known mountain in our solar system, located on the planet Mars at approximately . ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ...

Characteristics

The altitude of mountains means that the tops exist in higher cold layers of the atmosphere. They are consequently often subject to glaciation and erosion through frost action. This produces the classic mountain peak shape. Some mountains have glacial lakes, created by melting glaciers; for example, there are an estimated 3,000 in Bhutan. A glaciation (a created composite term meaning Glacial Period, referring to the Period or Era of, as well as the process of High Glacial Activity), often called an ice age, is a geological phenomenon in which massive ice sheets form in the Arctic and Antarctic and advance toward the equator. ... Severe soil erosion in a wheat field near Washington State University, USA. For erosion as understood by materials science, see Erosion (materials science) For erosion as an English analogy, see Erosion (figurative) For erosion as an operation of Mathematical morphology, see Erosion (morphology) Erosion is the displacement of solids (soil... The Matterhorn, a classic peak A pyramidal peak, or sometimes in its most extreme form called a glacial horn, is a mountaintop that has been modified by the action of ice during glaciation and frost weathering. ... The Seven Rila Lakes in Rila, Bulgaria are typical representatives of lakes with glacial origin A glacial lake is a lake with origins in a melted glacier. ...

The Mythical Mount Olympus in Greece.

Sufficiently tall mountains have very different climatic conditions at the top than at the base, and will thus have different life zones at different altitudes on their slopes. The plants and animals of a zone are somewhat isolated when the zones above and below are inhospitable, and many unique species occur on mountainsides as a result. Extreme cases are known as sky islands. Cloud forests are forests on mountain sides which attract moisture from the air, creating a unique ecosystem. Very tall mountains may be covered in ice or snow. Image File history File linksMetadata Olympus_Litochoro. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Olympus_Litochoro. ... This article is about the mountain in Greece. ... The Life Zone concept was developed by C. Hart Merriam in 1889 as a means of describing areas with similar plant and animal communities. ... For the fantasy novel by L. Frank Baum, see Sky Island Sky islands are mountains in ranges isolated by valleys in which other ecosystems are located. ... Tree ferns in cloud forest on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo At the edge of the Panamanian side of the Parque Internacional la Amistad Temperate cloud forest on La Palma, Canary Islands The cloud forest of Monteverde, Costa Rica Cloud forest on Mount Lushan in southeastern China One of the hanging bridges... An ecosystem, a contraction of ecological and system, refers to the collection of biotic and abiotic components and processes that comprise and govern the behavior of some defined subset of the biosphere. ...

Mountains are not generally favored for human habitation; the weather is harsher, less food is available, and there is little level ground suitable for farming. At very high altitudes, there is less oxygen in the air, and less protection against solar radiation (UV). Acute mountain sickness (caused by hypoxia - a lack of oxygen in the blood) affects over half of lowlanders who spend more than a few hours above 3,500 metres. Despite some biological adaptation by peoples who have lived on mountains for hundreds or thousands of years, babies' average birthweight is reduced by 100 grams for every 1,000-metre gain in altitude. Thus, many stores lining the many mountain ranges known to cause these sicknesses provide oxygen tanks and higher SPF sunscreens. Trinomial name Homo sapiens sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Humans, or human beings, are bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens (Latin: wise man or knowing man) in the family Hominidae (the great apes). ... Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Standard atomic weight 15. ... Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS) or altitude illness is a pathological condition that is caused by lack of adaptation to high altitudes. ... Hypoxia is a pathological condition in which the body as a whole (generalised hypoxia) or region of the body (tissue hypoxia) is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. ... Birth weight is the weight of a baby at its birth. ...

Most mountains of the world have been left in their natural state, and are today primarily used for recreation. Some mountains are very difficult to climb, and offer spectacular views. Some people therefore enjoy the sport of mountaineering. Mountains are also the site for the sport of downhill skiing. People engaging in these activities often stay at mountain resorts built for the purpose. People participating in summer luge as a form of recreation, in the Vosges. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Alpine skiing (or downhill skiing) is a recreational activity and sport involving sliding down snow-covered hills with long, thin skis attached to each foot. ... Mountain Resort, Chengde Mountain Resort, Chengde The Mountain Resort (Chinese: 避暑山庄; pinyin: Bìshǔ Shānzhuāng; literally: Mountain Resort for Avoiding the Heat) or Ligong (Chinese: 离宫; pinyin: Lígōng, the Qing Dynastys summer palace) situated in the city of Chengde in Hebei Province, China, is the worlds...

Geology

The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everest.

A mountain is usually produced by the movement of lithospheric plates, either orogenic movement or epeirogenic movement. The compressional forces, isostatic uplift and intrusion of igneous matter forces surface rock upwards, creating a landform higher than the surrounding features. The height of the feature makes it either a hill or, if higher and steeper, a mountain. The absolute heights of features termed mountains and hills vary greatly according to an area's terrain. The major mountains tend to occur in long linear arcs, indicating tectonic plate boundaries and activity. Mountain creation tends to occur in discrete periods, each referred to as an orogeny. The orogeny may last millions of years, and the uplifted region is being eroded away, producing valley-and-peak terrain, even while the uplift is taking place. Two types of mountain are formed depending on how the rock reacts to the tectonic forces – block mountains or fold mountains. Download high resolution version (1000x662, 416 KB)The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everest as seen from the International Space Station looking south-south-east over the Tibetan Plateau. ... Download high resolution version (1000x662, 416 KB)The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everest as seen from the International Space Station looking south-south-east over the Tibetan Plateau. ... Perspective view of the Himalaya and Mount Everest as seen from space looking south-south-east from over the Tibetan Plateau. ... “Everest” redirects here. ... // Orogeny (Greek for mountain generating) is the process of mountain building, and may be studied as a tectonic structural event, as a geographical event and a chronological event, in that orogenic events cause distinctive structural phenomena and related tectonic activity, affect certain regions of rocks and crust and happen within... Volcanic rock on North America Plutonic rock on North America Igneous rocks are formed when rock (magma) cools and solidifies, with or without crystallization, either below the surface as intrusive (plutonic) rocks or on the surface as extrusive (volcanic) rocks. ... // Orogeny (Greek for mountain generating) is the process of mountain building, and may be studied as a tectonic structural event, as a geographical event and a chronological event, in that orogenic events cause distinctive structural phenomena and related tectonic activity, affect certain regions of rocks and crust and happen within...

The compressional forces in continental collisions may cause the compressed region to thicken, so the upper surface is forced upwards. In order to balance the weight, much of the compressed rock is forced downwards, producing deep "mountain roots". Mountains therefore form downwards as well as upwards (see isostasy). However, in some continental collisions part of one continent may simply override part of the others, crumpling in the process. Isostasy is a term used in Geology to refer to the state of gravitational equilibrium between the Earths lithosphere and asthenosphere such that the tectonic plates float at an elevation which depends on their thickness and density. ...

Some isolated mountains were produced by volcanoes, including many apparently small islands that reach a great height above the ocean floor. For other uses, see Volcano (disambiguation). ... Animated map exhibiting the worlds oceanic waters. ...

Block mountains are created when large areas are widely broken up by faults creating large vertical displacements. This occurrence is fairly common. The uplifted blocks are block mountains or horsts. The intervening dropped blocks are termed graben: these can be small or form extensive rift valley systems. This form of landscape can be seen in East Africa, the Vosges, the Basin and Range province of Western North America and the Rhine valley. USGS image In physical geography and geology, a horst is the raised fault block bounded by normal faults. ... USGS image A graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...  Eastern Africa (UN subregion)  East African Community  Central African Federation (defunct)  geographic, including above East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easternmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. ... Vosges is a French department, named after the Vosges mountain range. ... Basin and Range index map - USGS The Basin and Range Province is a particular type of topography that covers much of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico that is typified by elongate north-south trending arid valleys bounded by mountain ranges which also bound adjacent valleys. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... The Rhine (Dutch: ; French: ; German: ; Italian: ; Romansh: ) is one of the longest and most important rivers in Europe at 1,320 kilometres (820 miles), with an average discharge of more than 2,000 cubic meters per second. ...

Where rock does not fault it folds, either symmetrically or asymmetrically. The upfolds are anticlines and the downfolds are synclines; in asymmetric folding there may also be recumbent and overturned folds. The Jura mountains are an example of folding. Over time, erosion can bring about an inversion of relief: the soft upthrust rock is worn away so the anticlines are actually lower than the tougher, more compressed rock of the synclines.

Local definitions

Some authorities define a mountain as a peak with a topographic prominence over a defined value: for example, according to the Britannica Student Encyclopedia, the term "generally refers to rises over 2,000 feet (610 metres)".^[3] The Encyclopædia Britannica, on the other hand, does not prescribe any height, merely stating that "the term has no standardized geological meaning".^[4] In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height or shoulder drop (in America) or prime factor (in Europe), is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains, also known as peaks. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The metre (or meter, see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general encyclopedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. ...

United Kingdom

In England and Wales the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has defined "mountain" (as a mass noun) as all land over 600 metres, for the purposes of right to roam legislation. This is a close metric equivalent of 2,000 feet (610 meters).^[5] The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 does not appear to draw this distinction, and in Scotland the term "mountain" is more subjective, often being used for hills exceeding 3,000 feet (914.4 m) listed as Munros. In the United Kingdom the term "hill" is commonly used for all hills and mountains, regardless of height. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in England. ... It has been suggested that Count noun be merged into this article or section. ... The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 is a UK act of parliament which came into force on November 30, 2000. ... The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 created a framework for responsible access to land and inland water, formalising the tradition in Scotland of unhindered access to open countryside, provided that care was taken not to cause damage or interfere with activities including farming and game stalking. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic)1 Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime... Sgurr Fiona and the Corrag Bhuide pinnacles of An Teallach A Munro is a Scottish hill with a height over 3000 feet (914. ...

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ...

References

1. ^ International Year of Freshwater 2003. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
2. ^ The Mountain Institute. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
3. ^ [http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-9275956?&query=mountain&ct=%22ebi%22Britannica Mountain -- Britannica Student Encyclopedia]. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
4. ^ [http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9372713 Mountain -- Britannica Concise Encyclopedia - The online encyclopedia you can trust!]. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
5. ^ http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/consult/access/statut.htm (Link broken)

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sources

• Fraknoi, A., Morrison, D., & Wolff, S. (2004). Voyages to the Planets. 3rd Ed. Belmont: Thomson Books/Cole.

See also

• List of mountains
• List of highest mountains
• Latin names of mountains
• Mountain range and list of mountain ranges
• List of mountains on Venus
• List of mountains on the Moon
• List of mountains on Mars
• Mountaineering
• Touge
• List of ski areas and resorts
• List of peaks by prominence

. ... Mount Everest, the worlds highest mountain The following is a list of the worlds 109 highest mountains per height above sea level, all of which are located in Asia. ... Mountains like Hymettus have a Latinized Greek origin Hymettos. ... The Himalaya as seen from the International Space Station A mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers. ... This is a list of mountain ranges organized alphabetically by continent. ... This is a list of mountains on the planet Venus. ... This is a list of mountains on the Moon: // These are isolated mountains or massifs. ... This is a list of all the named mountains on Mars. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Touge ) is a Japanese word literally meaning pass. ... This is a list of ski areas and resorts around the world. ... This is a list of peaks by prominence; that is, a list of mountains on Earth ordered by their topographic prominence. ...

External links

• Mount Everest - Nepal
• Mountain walking from Ireland
• Photos from european mountain landscapes
• Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia - an exhaustive index of North American peaks, including thousands of unnamed ones. Includes the United States and Mexico as well as Canada.
• A charity web page with an applet to work out the amount of oxygen at any altitude.