Portal:Mountains

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Introduction

Silvretta panorama from the Ochsenkopf

A mountain is an elevated portion of the surface of a planet, 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 600 metres (2,000 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...)

Selected mountain-related landform

In the central and southern Appalachian Mountains of Eastern North America, a cove is a small valley between two ridge lines that is closed at one or both ends.

Among the places where the word "cove" appears in the name of an Appalachian valley are Morrison Cove in Pennsylvania; Lost Cove, North Carolina; Bumpass Cove, Tennessee; Doran Cove, Grassy Cove, Ladd Cove, in or adjacent to the Sequatchie Valley of Tennessee and Alabama; and numerous locations in the Great Smoky Mountains, including Cades Cove, Greenbrier Cove, Miller Cove, Tuckaleechee Cove, and Wears Cove. Burke's Garden in western Virginia is another example of a cove. (Full article...)

Selected mountain range

The Karakoram (English: /ˌkɑːrəˈkɔːrəm, ˌkær-/, Urdu: [kaːɾaːkoːɾəm]) is a mountain range in Asia located primarily in the Kashmir region. The range spans the borders of Pakistan, China, and India, with the north-western extremities of the range extending into Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The Karakoram contains four of the fourteen eight-thousanders, the highest of which is K2, the second highest mountain on Earth.

The Karakoram begins in the Wakhan Corridor in western Afghanistan and extends eastwards into Indian-administered Ladakh and Chinese-administered Aksai Chin, as well as the Chinese province of Xinjiang. Most of the Karakoram is located within the Pakistani-administered Gilgit-Baltistan region. The Karakoram is bounded on the east by the Aksai Chin plateau, on the north-east by the edge of the Tibetan Plateau, and on the north by the river valleys of the Yarkand and Karakash rivers, beyond which lie the Kunlun Mountains. At the north-west corner are the Pamir Mountains. The southern boundary of the Karakoram is formed west to east by the Gilgit, Indus, and Shyok rivers, which separate the range from the north-western end of the Himalaya. These rivers flow north-west before making an abrupt turn south-westwards towards the plains of Pakistan. Roughly in the middle of the Karakoram range is the Karakoram Pass, which was part of a now unused trade route between Ladakh and Yarkand. (Full article...)

Selected mountain type

A cinder cone or scoria cone is a steep, conical landform of loose pyroclastic fragments, such as volcanic ash, clinkers, or scoria that has been built around a volcanic vent. The pyroclastic fragments are formed by explosive eruptions or lava fountains from a single, typically cylindrical, vent.

As the gas-charged lava is blown violently into the air, it breaks into small fragments that solidify and fall as either cinders, clinkers, or scoria around the vent to form a cone that is often symmetrical, with slopes between 30° and 40° and a nearly circular base. Most cinder cones have a bowl-shaped crater at the summit. (Full article...)

Selected climbing article

Outside is a magazine focused on the outdoors. The first issue of the Outside magazine was published in September 1977. It is published by Outside Inc., a company that also owns various other ventures. (Full article...)

Related portals

General images

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

Image 1A subalpine lake in the Cascade Range, Washington, United States (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 2Alpine landscape below Malyovitsa Peak, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 3The northern Urals at high latitude and elevation have an alpine climate and barren ground. (from Mountain)
Image 4An alpine mire in the Swiss Alps (from Mountain)
Image 5Edward Whymper (1840–1911), painting by Lance Calkin (from Mountaineering)
Image 6Cabane du Trient, a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps (from Mountaineering)
Image 7Choppering out the injured – with Mt. Forbes in the background (from Mountain rescue)
Image 8The 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 9Climber approaching the summit of Manaslu at 8,163 metres (from Mountaineering)
Image 10Mountaineers, c. 1900 (from Mountaineering)
Image 11The Namcha Barwa Himal, east part of the Himalayas as seen from space by Apollo 9 (from Mountain range)
Image 12Apennine Mountains and Trebbia river, Italy (from Mountain)
Image 13Illustration of mountains that developed on a fold that has been thrust (from Mountain)
Image 14Chimborazo, Ecuador, whose summit is the point farthest away from the Earth's center (from Mountain)
Image 15The Ocean Ridge, the world's longest mountain range (chain) (from Mountain range)
Image 16Tropical montane forest at around 2,000 m in Malaysia (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 17Iranian oak scrub in the Zagros Mountains (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 18Mountaineers climbing in South Tyrol, Italy (from Mountain)
Image 19Climbers ascending Mount Rainier looking at Little Tahoma Peak, United States (from Mountaineering)
Image 20Stretcher box in Cumbria, England, prepositioned equipment saves mountain rescue teams having to trudge up mountains with it. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 21Treeline elevation by latitude (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 22British 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 23Antique climbing tools (from Mountaineering)
Image 24Pirin Mountain, Bulgaria, part of the fault-block Rila-Rhodope massif (from Mountain)
Image 25K2, the second-highest mountain in the world, is revered for its isolation, difficulty, and the profound sense of awe it inspires among climbers. Many alpinists describe ascents of peaks like K2 as deeply spiritual experiences, combining physical challenge with introspection and transcendence. (from Mountaineering)
Image 26Car of Horská služba (Czech Republic) (from Mountain rescue)
Image 27Edelweiss, a plant associated with mountain sports (from Mountaineering)
Image 28Mountaineers proceed across snow fields on South Tyrol; other climbers are visible further up the slopes. (from Mountaineering)
Image 29The 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 30Winter campers bivouaced in the snow (from Mountaineering)
Image 31Fixed lines and ladders are distinguishing characteristics of expedition style mountaineering (from Mountaineering)
Image 32Distribution of mountains by location and elevation (from Mountain)
Image 33Edmund Hillary (left) and Tenzing Norgay after successfully completing the first ascent of Mount Everest, 29 May 1953
Image 34Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain (from Mountain)
Image 35Temperate montane forest in Bavaria, Germany (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 36A stand of mountain birch at around 750 m in Trollheimen, typical of Scandinavian subalpine forests (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 37Montes Apenninus on the Moon was formed by an impact event. (from Mountain range)
Image 38This 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 39The city of La Paz reaches up to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) in elevation. Mount Illimani dominates the city's skyline. (from Mountain)
Image 40Alpine flora near Cascade Pass (from Montane ecosystem)
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 42Fuji volcano (from Mountain)
Image 43Waimea Canyon, Hawaii, is known for its montane vegetation. (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 44Mont Blanc on the border between Aosta Valley, Italy, and Haute-Savoie, France, the highest point in the European Union (from Mountain)