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). The tallest mountain including submarine terrain is Mauna Kea in Hawaii from its underwater base at 9,330 m (30,610 ft) and some scientists consider it to be the tallest on earth. (Full article...)

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A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migration throughout history. At lower elevations it may be called a hill pass. A mountain pass is typically formed between two volcanic peaks or created by erosion from water or wind. (Full article...)

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The Coeur d'Alene Mountains are the northwesternmost portion of the Bitterroot Range, part of the Rocky Mountains, located in northern Idaho and westernmost Montana in the Western United States.

The mountain range spans an area of 2,590 square miles (6,708 km²) and its two highest peaks are the 7,352-foot (2,241 m) Cherry Peak and the 6,837-foot (2,084 m) Patricks Knob. (Full article...)

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A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher elevation on any surface. Artificial mounds have been created for a variety of reasons throughout history, including habitation (see Tell and Terp), ceremonial (platform mound), burial (tumulus), and commemorative purposes (e.g. Kościuszko Mound). (Full article...)

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Selected climbing article

Climber has rolled onto their stomach and have embedded the pick into the snow

The self-arrest is a climbing technique mostly used in mountaineering and alpine climbing where a climber who has fallen and is sliding uncontrollably down a snow or ice-covered slope 'arrests' their fall by themselves by using their ice axe and their crampons.

There are many ways to self-arrest depending on the climber's body position while falling (e.g. falling head-first and/or falling on their back etc.,) but they mostly involve the climber quickly digging the pick of their ice axe into the slope (with the adze of the axe at their shoulder and the axe held at either end diagonally across their body), rolling over onto their stomach so that they can use their full body weight to push down harder on the pick, and simultaneously digging the front-points of their crampons into the slope. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

Selected skiing article

Norwegian train plowing through drifted snow

Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout its life cycle, starting when, under suitable conditions, the ice crystals form in the atmosphere, increase to millimeter size, precipitate and accumulate on surfaces, then metamorphose in place, and ultimately melt, slide or sublimate away.

Snowstorms organize and develop by feeding on sources of atmospheric moisture and cold air. Snowflakes nucleate around particles in the atmosphere by attracting supercooled water droplets, which freeze in hexagonal-shaped crystals. Snowflakes take on a variety of shapes, basic among these are platelets, needles, columns and rime. As snow accumulates into a snowpack, it may blow into drifts. Over time, accumulated snow metamorphoses, by sintering, sublimation and freeze-thaw. Where the climate is cold enough for year-to-year accumulation, a glacier may form. Otherwise, snow typically melts seasonally, causing runoff into streams and rivers and recharging groundwater. (Full article...)