Portal:Mountains

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Introduction

Appalachian Mountains

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...)

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U-shaped valleys, also called trough valleys or glacial troughs, are formed by the process of glaciation. They are characteristic of mountain glaciation in particular. They have a characteristic U shape in cross-section, with steep, straight sides and a flat or rounded bottom (by contrast, valleys carved by rivers tend to be V-shaped in cross-section). Glaciated valleys are formed when a glacier travels across and down a slope, carving the valley by the action of scouring. When the ice recedes or thaws, the valley remains, often littered with small boulders that were transported within the ice, called glacial till or glacial erratic.

Examples of U-shaped valleys are found in mountainous regions throughout the world including the Andes, Alps, Caucasus Mountains, Himalaya, Rocky Mountains, New Zealand and the Scandinavian Mountains. They are found also in other major European mountains including the Carpathian Mountains, the Pyrenees, the Rila and Pirin mountains in Bulgaria, and the Scottish Highlands. A classic glacial trough is in Glacier National Park in Montana, USA in which the St. Mary River runs. Another well-known U-shaped valley is the Nant Ffrancon valley in Snowdonia, Wales. (Full article...)

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The Central Indian Ridge (CIR) is a north–south-trending mid-ocean ridge in the western Indian Ocean. (Full article...)

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Geomorphology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal about geomorphology. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

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Skijor racing with horses

Skijoring (pronounced /ˌskiːˈdʒɔːrɪŋ/) (skijouring in British English) is a winter sport in which a person on skis is pulled by a horse, a dog (or dogs), another animal, or a motor vehicle. The name is derived from the Norwegian word skikjøring, meaning "ski driving". Although skijoring is said to have originated as a mode of winter travel, it is currently primarily a competitive sport. (Full article...)