Portal:Mountains

Portal

WikiProject

Discussion

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...)

Show new selections below (purge)

Selected mountain-related landform

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...)

More mountain landforms

Selected mountain range

The Massif du Nord is the longest mountain range of Haiti. (Full article...)

More mountain ranges

Selected mountain type

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...)

More mountain types

Selected climbing article

Silent Partner, a common self-belay device for rope solo climbing.

Rope-solo climbing or rope-soloing (or self-belaying) is a form of solo climbing (i.e. performed alone without a climbing partner), but unlike with free solo climbing, which is also performed alone and with no climbing protection whatsoever, the rope-solo climber uses a mechanical self-belay device and rope system, which enables them to use the standard climbing protection to protect themselves in the event of a fall.

Rope-soloing can be performed as free climbing in a traditional climbing or a sport climbing format. It can also be performed as aid climbing, and a modified version can be performed as top rope soloing. Due to the complexity of the self-belay system, and the greater workloads, it is still considered a hazardous technique. (Full article...)

More climbing articles

edit

Related portals

General images

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

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

Selected skiing article

Free moving heels during the ascent are a defining characteristic of ski touring. After reaching the mountain top or other destination, the heel portions of the special touring bindings are fixated such that the skis behave like normal alpine skis on the typically long ride downhill.

Ski touring is skiing in the backcountry on unmarked or unpatrolled areas. Touring is typically done off-piste and outside of ski resorts, and may extend over a period of more than one day. It is similar to backcountry skiing but excludes the use of a ski lift or transport.

Ski touring combines elements of Nordic and alpine skiing and embraces such sub-disciplines as Telemark and randonnée. A defining characteristic is that the skier's heels are "free" – i.e. not bound to the skis – in order to allow a natural gliding motion while traversing and ascending terrain which may range from perfectly flat to extremely steep. (Full article...)

More skiing articles