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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A rift valley is a linear shaped lowland between several highlands or mountain ranges produced by the action of a geologic rift. Rifts are formed as a result of the pulling apart of the lithosphere due to extensional tectonics. The linear depression may subsequently be further deepened by the forces of erosion. More generally the valley is likely to be filled with sedimentary deposits derived from the rift flanks and the surrounding areas. In many cases rift lakes are formed. One of the best known examples of this process is the East African Rift. On Earth, rifts can occur at all elevations, from the sea floor to plateaus and mountain ranges in continental crust or in oceanic crust. They are often associated with a number of adjoining subsidiary or co-extensive valleys, which are typically considered part of the principal rift valley geologically. (Full article...)

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The Dry Harbour Mountains are a range of mountains in north central Jamaica. More accurately described as a plateau than a true mountain range, they form the eastern boundary of the Cockpit Country. This is also the mountain that people used to go and pray. The Dry Harbour Mountains starts from Discovery Bay, St. Ann and covers most settlements all the way to the eastern end of the Cockpit Country. It is a mountain which abounds in limestone and bauxite. The soil type is latosol which is of red iron and aluminium oxide.

The Dry Harbour Mountains is some 2,200 feet above sea level and many areas are very cool. The area is covered in rich verdant pastures and numerous trees. In many areas the wet limestone forest is a riotous profuse of trees. Many prominent districts are part of this plateau region of Jamaica. Nine Mile, the home of Bob Marley; Alexandria; Aboukir; Clarksonville, Inverness; Tobolski; Gibraltar; Watt Town; Bethany; Murray Mountain (the marijuana centre) and McKenzie; Cascade; Battersea, the home of the famous Basil Robinson; Bohemia; Wild Cane are some of the numerous settlements in the Dry Harbour Mountains. (Full article...)

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A grass mountain (German: Grasberg) in topography is a mountain covered with low vegetation, typically in the Alps and often steep-sided. The nature of such cover, which often grows particularly well on sedimentary rock, will reflect local conditions. (Full article...)

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Lead climber on the bolted sport climbing route Gezurren Erresuma 8c (5.14b), in Spain.

Lead climbing (or leading) is a technique in rock climbing where the lead climber clips their rope to the climbing protection as they ascend a pitch of the climbing route, while their second (or belayer) remains at the base of the route belaying the rope to protect the lead climber in the event that they fall. The term is used to distinguish between the two roles, and the greater effort and increased risk, of the role of the lead climber.

Leading a climb is in contrast with top roping a climb, where even though there is still a second belaying the rope, the lead climber faces little or no risk in the event of a fall and does not need to clip into any protection as the rope is already anchored to the top of the route (i.e. if they fall off, they just hang from the rope). (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

Selected skiing article

This is a list of ski jumping hills passing the FIS rules, to be competition hills in Ski Jumping Fis-Cup, Continental Cup and World Cup. It also includes hills passing the rules for a national championship. (Full article...)

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