Portal:Mountains

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Introduction

View of the south side of the Santa Catalina Mountains as seen from Tucson, Arizona.

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). The tallest mountain including submarine terrain is Mauna Kea in Hawaii from its underwater base at 9,330 m (30,610 ft) and some scientists consider it to be the tallest on earth. (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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Mount Shkhara

Bezengi Wall, Pitsrula (Georgian: ბეზენგის კედელი; Russian: Безенгийская стена, also known as the Khalde Wall) is a 11-to-12 km (6.8-to-7.5 mi) long mountain range of the Greater Caucasus, in the Svaneti region of Georgia and Kabardino-Balkaria region of Russia.

Highest section of the Central Caucasus. The highest point of the Bezengi Wall is 5,203-metre (17,070 ft) high mount Shkhara, the highest peak of Georgia. Notable peaks include Janga (5,085 m [16,683 ft]), Katyn-Tau (4,979 m [16,335 ft]), Shota Rustaveli Peak (4,960 m [16,270 ft]), Gistola (4,860 m [15,940 ft]), Lalveri (4,350 m [14,270 ft]) and Esenin Peak (4,310 m [14,140 ft]). Bezengi Wall surrounded by ice cliffs on either side. (Full article...)

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Volcanic cones are among the simplest volcanic landforms. They are built by ejecta from a volcanic vent, piling up around the vent in the shape of a cone with a central crater. Volcanic cones are of different types, depending upon the nature and size of the fragments ejected during the eruption. Types of volcanic cones include stratocones, spatter cones, tuff cones, and cinder cones. (Full article...)

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Selected climbing article

Jakob Schubert in the competition lead climbing final of the 2018 IFSC World Championships

Competition climbing is a form of regulated rock climbing competition held indoors on purpose-built artificial climbing walls (earlier versions were held on external natural rock surfaces). The three competition climbing disciplines are lead climbing, bouldering, and speed climbing. The result of multiple disciplines can be used in a "combined" format to determine an all-round winner (or the "combined" winner). Competition climbing is sometimes called "sport climbing", which is the name given to pre-bolted lead climbing.

In competition lead climbing, competitors start at the bottom of a pre-bolted sport climbing route and lead-climb to touch or secure the highest climbing hold possible within a set time limit on a single attempt, making sure to clip the rope into pre-placed quickdraws while ascending. In competition bouldering, competitors climb short bouldering problems without a rope, with an emphasis on the number of problems completed, and the attempts necessary to do so. In competition speed climbing, competitors race-off in pairs on a standardised 'speed climbing wall' using a top rope on an auto belay, in the shortest time. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

Selected skiing article

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.

The X Games have been held all over the world and typically include sports such as skateboarding, BMX, freestyle motocross, 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. (Full article...)

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