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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Selected mountain-related landform

New York's Finger Lakes. Lying south of Lake Ontario, the Finger Lakes formed in tunnel valleys.

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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Selected mountain range

View from Queenstown, with the Remarkables left of frame and Tapuae-o-Uenuku / Hector Mountains on the right.

The Tapuae-o-Uenuku / Hector Mountains are a mountain range in the New Zealand region of Otago, near the resort town of Queenstown and just south of the more famous Remarkables. For most of its length, the mountains run adjacent to the southern reaches of Lake Wakatipu, before extending approximately 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) further south, past the glacial moraine at Kingston on the southern end of the lake. On their eastern side, the mountains mark the edge of the Nevis valley, a largely tussocked area which saw significant activity during the Otago Gold Rush of the 1860s. Historically, the mountains were an important mahinga kai (food gathering-place) for Ngāi Tahu and other local Māori iwi, who used the area to hunt for weka and gather tikumu while visiting the region.

Many of the peaks in the range remain unnamed, a group which – until 2013 – included its highest point. Following a joint process between Ngāi Tahu and the Central Otago District Council, four new names were added to the region in 2013, including the adoption of the range's current dual name. This included the name of Mount Tūwhakarōria for the highest point of the range, as well as Te Karearea Peak for another prominent point as seen from Cromwell and Lake Te Kōhua for the small lake between the two. (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 1Antique climbing tools (from Mountaineering)
Image 2Fixed lines and ladders are distinguishing characteristics of expedition style mountaineering (from Mountaineering)
Image 3Mountain rescue team members and other services attend to a casualty in Freiburg Germany. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 4Temperate montane forest in Bavaria, Germany (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 5Fuji volcano (from Mountain)
Image 6A mountain rescue team in Iran moving a casualty. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 7This 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 8The city of La Paz reaches up to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) in elevation. (from Mountain)
Image 9Montes Apenninus on the Moon was formed by an impact event. (from Mountain range)
Image 10Alpine flora near Cascade Pass (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 11British 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 12Car of Horská služba (Czech Republic) (from Mountain rescue)
Image 13A subalpine lake in the Cascade Range, Washington, United States (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 14The Catskills in Upstate New York represent an eroded plateau. (from Mountain)
Image 15Iranian oak scrub in the Zagros Mountains (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 16The Ocean Ridge, the world's longest mountain range (chain) (from Mountain range)
Image 17Mountaineers, c. 1900 (from Mountaineering)
Image 18Illustration of mountains that developed on a fold that has been thrust (from Mountain)
Image 19The northern Urals at high latitude and elevation have an alpine climate and barren ground. (from Mountain)
Image 20Everest 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 21Mountaineers climbing in South Tyrol (from Mountain)
Image 22Stretcher box in Cumbria, England, prepositioned equipment saves mountain rescue teams having to trudge up mountains with it. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 23Mountaineers proceed across snow fields on South Tyrol; other climbers are visible further up the slopes. (from Mountaineering)
Image 24A stand of mountain birch at around 750 m in Trollheimen, typical of Scandinavian subalpine forests (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 25Tropical montane forest at around 2,000 m in Malaysia (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 26Alpine landscape below Malyovitsa Peak, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 27Climber approaching the summit of Manaslu at 8,163 metres (from Mountaineering)
Image 28Chimborazo, Ecuador, whose summit is the point farthest away from the Earth's center (from Mountain)
Image 29An alpine mire in the Swiss Alps (from Mountain)
Image 30Waimea Canyon, Hawaii, is known for its montane vegetation. (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 31Climbers ascending Mount Rainier looking at Little Tahoma Peak (from Mountaineering)
Image 32The 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 33Cabane du Trient, a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps (from Mountaineering)
Image 34Edward Whymper (1840–1911), painting by Lance Calkin (from Mountaineering)
Image 35The Namcha Barwa Himal, east part of the Himalayas as seen from space by Apollo 9 (from Mountain range)
Image 36Winter campers bivouaced in the snow (from Mountaineering)
Image 37Choppering out the injured – with Mt. Forbes in the background (from Mountain rescue)
Image 38Pirin Mountain, Bulgaria, part of the fault-block Rila-Rhodope massif (from Mountain)
Image 39Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain (from Mountain)
Image 40Edelweiss, a plant associated with mountain sports (from Mountaineering)

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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