Portal:Mountains

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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). (Full article...)

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Selected mountain-related landform

An outwash plain, also called a sandur (plural: sandurs), sandr or sandar, is a plain formed of glaciofluvial deposits due to meltwater outwash at the terminus of a glacier. As it flows, the glacier grinds the underlying rock surface and carries the debris along. The meltwater at the snout of the glacier deposits its load of sediment over the outwash plain, with larger boulders being deposited near the terminal moraine, and smaller particles travelling further before being deposited. Sandurs are common in Iceland where geothermal activity accelerates the melting of ice flows and the deposition of sediment by meltwater. (Full article...)

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Selected mountain range

The Cordillera de Lípez is a mountain range in southern Potosí, Bolivia, and northern Argentina, part of the Andes. The range covers an area of 23,404 km² (9,036 sq mi) and runs in a northeast–southwest direction, between the parallels 22 degrees and 23 degrees, helping to form the boundary between Bolivia and Argentina. Thus the Cordillera de Lípez is a transverse range in the Andes, between the Cordillera Oriental and the Cordillera Occidental, creating the southern boundary of the Bolivian Altiplano.

The highest peak is Uturunku at 6,008 m (19,711 ft). Other important peaks are Cerro Lípez (5,933 m) sometimes misidentified as Nuevo Mundo (5,438 m); Soniquera (5,899 m) (sometimes misspelled as Soreguera); and Tinte (5,849 m) which is on the Bolivian-Argentine border. Despite the high elevations, there is no current glacier activity in the Cordillera de Lípez, just some semi-permanent snow fields. (Full article...)

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Igneous rock (igneous from Latin igneus 'fiery'), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic. Igneous rocks are formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava.

The magma can be derived from partial melts of existing rocks in either a planet's mantle or crust. Typically, the melting is caused by one or more of three processes: an increase in temperature, a decrease in pressure, or a change in composition. Solidification into rock occurs either below the surface as intrusive rocks or on the surface as extrusive rocks. Igneous rock may form with crystallization to form granular, crystalline rocks, or without crystallization to form natural glasses. (Full article...)

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Selected climbing article

An ice axe is a multi-purpose hiking and climbing tool used by mountaineers in both the ascent and descent of routes that involve snow, ice, or frozen conditions. Its use depends on the terrain: in its simplest role it is used like a walking stick, with the mountaineer holding the head in the center of their uphill hand.

On steep terrain it is swung by its handle and embedded in snow or ice for security and an aid to traction. It can also be buried pick down, the rope tied around the shaft to form a secure anchor on which to bring up a second climber, or buried vertically to form a stomp belay. The adze is used to cut footholds, as well as scoop out compacted snow to bury the axe as a belay anchor. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

Selected skiing article

Water skiing on the Yarra River in Melbourne

Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on two skis or one ski. The sport requires sufficient area on a stretch of water, one or two skis, a tow boat with tow rope, two or three people (depending on local boating laws), and a personal flotation device. In addition, the skier must have adequate upper and lower body strength, muscular endurance, and good balance.

There are water ski participants around the world, in Asia and Australia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas. In the United States alone, there are approximately 11 million water skiers and over 900 sanctioned water ski competitions every year. Australia boasts 1.3 million water skiers. (Full article...)

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