Portal:Mountains

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Introduction

Uluguru Mountains, in Tanzania

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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Selected mountain-related landform

A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit, and is usually applied to peaks which are above elevation compared to the relative landmass, though not as prominent as mountains. Hills fall under the category of slope landforms. (Full article...)

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Selected mountain range

The Hankin Range is marked 5 on map

The Hankin Range is a small mountain range on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, located between Nimpkish and Bonanza Lakes. It has an area of 287 km² and is a subrange of the Vancouver Island Ranges which in turn form part of the Insular Mountains. (Full article...)

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Selected mountain type

A dome is a feature in structural geology where a circular part of the Earth's surface has been pushed upward, tilting the pre-existing layers of earth away from the center. In technical terms, it consists of symmetrical anticlines that intersect each other at their respective apices. Intact, domes are distinct, rounded, spherical-to-ellipsoidal-shaped protrusions on the Earth's surface. A slice parallel to Earth's surface of a dome features concentric rings of strata. If the top of a dome has been eroded flat, the resulting structure in plan view appears as a bullseye, with the youngest rock layers at the outside, and each ring growing progressively older moving inwards. These strata would have been horizontal at the time of deposition, then later deformed by the uplift associated with dome formation. (Full article...)

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Selected climbing article

Site of the Fort de Buoux

Buoux (French pronunciation: [bɥuks]; Occitan: Buòus) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.

Located on the north side of the Luberon, the town is known for the high cliffs that surround it, making it a popular venue for rock-climbing enthusiasts, as well as the ruins of a medieval fort that was built in the 13th century and destroyed in 1660. The town's population peaked in the mid 19th century with 244 inhabitants in 1836 before falling to only 44 people in 1961. The population has since rebounded some to 122 in 2006. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

Selected skiing article

A ski film is a motion picture with sequences of expedition, recreation, competition, or acrobatic exhibition on snow skis. These non-fiction action sport films capture the experience of an athletic outdoor snow sporting culture. Ski films typically present one or more techniques (ski jumping, cross-country, downhill, freestyle), locations, or skiers (expert, celebrity or novice). Categories include the feature, documentary of competition or other event coverage (such as a snow festival or sportscast), instruction or technique demonstration, retrospective history, travel guide showcasing a region, or a short subject (such as a web series or included in a newsreel). More than 200 such videos debuted in 2006. Notable examples are listed at the Ski and Snowboard Film Institute, or have received awards from the International Ski Film Festival, X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival, IF3 International Freeski Film Festival, Newschoolers magazine, Cold Smoke Winter Film, Powder magazine, or similar. (Full article...)