Portal:Mountains

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Introduction

Uluguru Mountains, in Tanzania

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...)

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A pyramidal peak, sometimes called a glacial horn in extreme cases, is an angular, sharply pointed mountain peak which results from the cirque erosion due to multiple glaciers diverging from a central point. Pyramidal peaks are often examples of nunataks. (Full article...)

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Chaparral, riparian, and grassland habitats.

The Laguna Mountains are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges in eastern San Diego County, California. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately 35 miles (56 km).

The mountains have long been inhabited by the indigenous Kumeyaay people. (Full article...)

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A tumulus (pl.: tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, mounds, howes, or in Siberia and Central Asia as kurgans, and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones built for various purposes, may also originally have been a tumulus.

Tumuli are often categorised according to their external apparent shape. In this respect, a long barrow is a long tumulus, usually constructed on top of several burials, such as passage graves. A round barrow is a round tumulus, also commonly constructed on top of burials. The internal structure and architecture of both long and round barrows have a broad range; the categorization only refers to the external apparent shape. (Full article...)

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East Mountain at Hueco Tanks

Hueco Tanks is an area of low mountains and historic site in El Paso County, Texas, in the United States. It is located in a high-altitude desert basin between the Franklin Mountains to the west and the Hueco Mountains to the east. Hueco is a Spanish word meaning "hollows" and refers to the many water-holding depressions in the boulders and rock faces throughout the region. Due to the unique concentration of historic artifacts, plants and wildlife, the site is under protection of Texas law; it is a crime to remove, alter, or destroy them.

The historic site is located approximately 32 miles (51 km) northeast of central El Paso, Texas, accessible via El Paso's Montana Avenue (U.S. Route 62/U.S. Route 180), by turning at RM 2775. The park consists of three syenite (a weak form of granite) mountains; it is 860 acres (350 ha) in area and is popular for recreation such as birdwatching and bouldering. It is culturally and spiritually significant to many Native Americans. This significance is partially manifested in the pictographs (rock paintings) that can be found throughout the region, many of which are thousands of years old. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Edmund Hillary (left) and Tenzing Norgay after successfully completing the first ascent of Mount Everest, 29 May 1953
Image 2Edelweiss, a plant associated with mountain sports (from Mountaineering)
Image 3This 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 4The 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 5Alpine flora near Cascade Pass (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 6Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain (from Mountain)
Image 7Temperate montane forest in Bavaria, Germany (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 8Fuji volcano (from Mountain)
Image 9Iranian oak scrub in the Zagros Mountains (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 10Alpine landscape below Malyovitsa Peak, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 11The 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 12Waimea Canyon, Hawaii, is known for its montane vegetation. (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 13British 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 14The 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 15Stretcher box in Cumbria, England, prepositioned equipment saves mountain rescue teams having to trudge up mountains with it. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 16Illustration of mountains that developed on a fold that has been thrust (from Mountain)
Image 17Mont Blanc on the border between Aosta Valley, Italy, and Haute-Savoie, France, the highest point in the European Union (from Mountain)
Image 18An alpine mire in the Swiss Alps (from Mountain)
Image 19Tropical montane forest at around 2,000 m in Malaysia (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 20K2, 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 21Edward Whymper (1840–1911), painting by Lance Calkin (from Mountaineering)
Image 22Climbers ascending Mount Rainier looking at Little Tahoma Peak, United States (from Mountaineering)
Image 23Antique climbing tools (from Mountaineering)
Image 24Climber approaching the summit of Manaslu at 8,163 metres (from Mountaineering)
Image 25Fixed lines and ladders are distinguishing characteristics of expedition style mountaineering (from Mountaineering)
Image 26Mountaineers climbing in South Tyrol, Italy (from Mountain)
Image 27Choppering out the injured – with Mt. Forbes in the background (from Mountain rescue)
Image 28Cabane du Trient, a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps (from Mountaineering)
Image 29Distribution of mountains by location and elevation (from Mountain)
Image 30The Namcha Barwa Himal, east part of the Himalayas as seen from space by Apollo 9 (from Mountain range)
Image 31Everest 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 32Chimborazo, Ecuador, whose summit is the point farthest away from the Earth's center (from Mountain)
Image 33A stand of mountain birch at around 750 m in Trollheimen, typical of Scandinavian subalpine forests (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 34Mountaineers proceed across snow fields on South Tyrol; other climbers are visible further up the slopes. (from Mountaineering)
Image 35Mountaineers, c. 1900 (from Mountaineering)
Image 36The northern Urals at high latitude and elevation have an alpine climate and barren ground. (from Mountain)
Image 37A subalpine lake in the Cascade Range, Washington, United States (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 38Pirin Mountain, Bulgaria, part of the fault-block Rila-Rhodope massif (from Mountain)
Image 39The Ocean Ridge, the world's longest mountain range (chain) (from Mountain range)
Image 40Car of Horská služba (Czech Republic) (from Mountain rescue)
Image 41Treeline elevation by latitude (from Montane ecosystem)
Image 42Apennine Mountains and Trebbia river, Italy (from Mountain)
Image 43Winter campers bivouaced in the snow (from Mountaineering)
Image 44Montes Apenninus on the Moon was formed by an impact event. (from Mountain range)

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Indoor skiing is done in a climate-controlled environment with artificially produced snow. This enables skiing and snowboarding to take place regardless of outdoor temperatures. Facilities for both alpine skiing and nordic skiing are available. (Full article...)

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