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). (Full article...)

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U-shaped valleys, also called trough valleys or glacial troughs, are formed by the process of glaciation. They are characteristic of mountain glaciation in particular. They have a characteristic U shape in cross-section, with steep, straight sides and a flat or rounded bottom (by contrast, valleys carved by rivers tend to be V-shaped in cross-section). Glaciated valleys are formed when a glacier travels across and down a slope, carving the valley by the action of scouring. When the ice recedes or thaws, the valley remains, often littered with small boulders that were transported within the ice, called glacial till or glacial erratic.

Examples of U-shaped valleys are found in mountainous regions throughout the world including the Andes, Alps, Caucasus Mountains, Himalaya, Rocky Mountains, New Zealand and the Scandinavian Mountains. They are found also in other major European mountains including the Carpathian Mountains, the Pyrenees, the Rila and Pirin mountains in Bulgaria, and the Scottish Highlands. A classic glacial trough is in Glacier National Park in Montana, USA in which the St. Mary River runs. Another well-known U-shaped valley is the Nant Ffrancon valley in Snowdonia, Wales. (Full article...)

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The Central Indian Ridge (CIR) is a north–south-trending mid-ocean ridge in the western Indian Ocean. (Full article...)

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Geomorphology is a peer-reviewed scientific journal about geomorphology. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

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The X Games are a series of action sports events founded by ESPN Inc.. In late 2022, ESPN sold the long-running property to MSP Sports Capital, a private equity firm co-founded by Jahm Najafi and Jeff Moorad. As of early 2024, MSP Sports Capital has overseen four major X Games events as well as other related activations.

The X Games have been held all over the world and typically include sports such as skateboarding, BMX, freestyle motorcross, skiing and snowboarding. Participants compete to win bronze, silver, and gold medals, in addition to prize money. X Games events also feature music and culture elements like live music performances, athlete autograph sessions, and interactive, family-friendly exhibitions. X Games California 2023 returned the property to southern California after a 10-year absence from the region. On April 3rd, 2024, X Games announced the 2024 summer edition would again be held in California and be titled X Games Ventura. (Full article...)

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