Portal:Mountains

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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). (Full article...)

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A pyramidal peak, sometimes called a glacial horn in extreme cases, is an angular, sharply pointed mountain peak which results from the cirque erosion due to multiple glaciers diverging from a central point. Pyramidal peaks are often examples of nunataks. (Full article...)

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Looking south from Keys View in the Little San Bernardino Mountains in Joshua Tree National Park. Visible landmarks are the Salton Sea at rear left, and the Santa Rosa Mountains behind Indio and the San Jacinto Mountains behind Palm Springs in center. In the valley floor, the San Andreas Fault is visible. At rear right is 11,500 ft San Gorgonio Mountain.

The Little San Bernardino Mountains are a short mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 40 mi (64 km) southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains through San Bernardino and Riverside Counties to near the northeast edge of the Salton Sink and Salton Sea.

The community of Palm Springs looks north and northeast across the Coachella Valley to the range. (Full article...)

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Hügelland is a type of landscape consisting of low rolling hills whose topography or surface structure lies between that of a lowland region (plains or river terraces) and that of a more rugged hill range or low mountain range. The term is German and has no exact equivalent in English, but is often translated as "hill country", "hilly terrain", "upland(s)" or "gently undulating" or "rolling country", or "rolling countryside". It is derived from Hügel, a low hill or hillock and appears frequently as a proper name for this type of terrain.

The term Hügelland is not unambiguously defined, even in German. For example, on the plains of North Germany, Poland or Hungary it may be applied to terrain with a height variation of just 50 metres, whilst in the Alpine Foreland or in the Voralpen it might refer to terrain with a height difference of at least 100–200 metres. On the other hand, some scholars prefer to define Hügelland by its height above sea level; for example, applying it to terrain between 200 and 500 metres above sea level. (Full article...)

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Selected climbing article

The Abalakov thread, also known as a V-thread, A-thread, or 0-thread (zero thread), is an ice protection technique named after its inventor, Soviet climber Vitaly Abalakov. The Abalakov thread is a common method of protecting oneself while ice climbing because it is easy to create, does not require the sacrifice of expensive gear, and can be very safe when used properly. An Abalakov thread is often used in multi-pitch ice climbing routes. Because of its safety and convenience, the Abalakov thread is considered one of the most significant innovations in ice climbing. It significantly expanded the scope of possible routes and abseiling safety. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Everest 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 2Mountaineers proceed across snow fields on South Tyrol; other climbers are visible further up the slopes. (from Mountaineering)
Image 3A subalpine lake in the Cascade Range, Washington, United States (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 4Choppering out the injured – with Mt. Forbes in the background (from Mountain rescue)
Image 5Car of Horská služba (Czech Republic) (from Mountain rescue)
Image 6Stretcher box in Cumbria, England, prepositioned equipment saves mountain rescue teams having to trudge up mountains with it. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 7A stand of mountain birch at around 750 m in Trollheimen, typical of Scandinavian subalpine forests (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 8Edelweiss, a plant associated with mountain sports (from Mountaineering)
Image 9Alpine landscape below Malyovitsa Peak, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 10Alpine flora near Cascade Pass (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 11Tropical montane forest at around 2,000 m in Malaysia (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 12Temperate montane forest in Bavaria, Germany (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 13Waimea Canyon, Hawaii, is known for its montane vegetation. (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 14Antique climbing tools (from Mountaineering)
Image 15Mountaineers climbing in South Tyrol (from Mountain)
Image 16Cabane du Trient, a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps (from Mountaineering)
Image 17A climber taking the final few steps to the 6,160 m (20,210 ft) summit of Imja Tse (Island Peak) in Nepal, 2004 (from Mountaineering)
Image 18British 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 19Winter campers bivouaced in the snow (from Mountaineering)
Image 20Mountaineers, c. 1900 (from Mountaineering)
Image 21The Namcha Barwa Himal, east part of the Himalayas as seen from space by Apollo 9 (from Mountain range)
Image 22Edward Whymper (1840–1911), painting by Lance Calkin (from Mountaineering)
Image 23The city of La Paz reaches up to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) in elevation. (from Mountain)
Image 24Pirin Mountain, Bulgaria, part of the fault-block Rila-Rhodope massif (from Mountain)
Image 25This 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 26An alpine mire in the Swiss Alps (from Mountain)
Image 27Mountain climbers ascending Mount Rainier looking at Little Tahoma Peak (from Mountaineering)
Image 28Iranian oak scrub in the Zagros Mountains (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 29Illustration of mountains that developed on a fold that has been thrust (from Mountain)
Image 30A mountain rescue team in Iran moving a casualty. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 31The northern Urals at high latitude and elevation have an alpine climate and barren ground. (from Mountain)
Image 32Fixed lines and ladders are distinguishing characteristics of expedition style mountaineering (from Mountaineering)
Image 33Chimborazo, Ecuador, whose summit is the point farthest away from the Earth's center (from Mountain)
Image 34The Ocean Ridge, the world's longest mountain range (chain) (from Mountain range)
Image 35Montes Apenninus on the Moon was formed by an impact event. (from Mountain range)
Image 36The Catskills in Upstate New York represent an eroded plateau. (from Mountain)
Image 37The 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 38Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain (from Mountain)
Image 39Fuji volcano (from Mountain)
Image 40Mountain rescue team members and other services attend to a casualty in Freiburg Germany. (from Mountain rescue)

Selected skiing article

Chairlift mechanism in the resort of Val Cenis Vanoise, France

A ski lift is a mechanism for transporting skiers up a hill. Ski lifts are typically a paid service at ski resorts. The first ski lift was built in 1908 by German Robert Winterhalder in Schollach/Eisenbach, Hochschwarzwald. (Full article...)

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