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). 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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A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sheet. It may consist of partly rounded particles ranging in size from boulders (in which case it is often referred to as boulder clay) down to gravel and sand, in a groundmass of finely-divided clayey material sometimes called glacial flour. Lateral moraines are those formed at the side of the ice flow, and terminal moraines are those formed at the foot, marking the maximum advance of the glacier. Other types of moraine include ground moraines (till-covered areas forming sheets on flat or irregular topography) and medial moraines (moraines formed where two glaciers meet). (Full article...)

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The Plott Balsams viewed from the Blue Ridge Parkway

The Plott Balsams are a mountain range in western North Carolina in the southeastern United States. (Full article...)

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An ultra-prominent peak, or ultra for short, is a mountain summit with a topographic prominence of 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) or more; it is also called a P1500. The prominence of a peak is the minimum height of climb to the summit on any route from a higher peak, or from sea level if there is no higher peak. There are approximately 1,524 such peaks on Earth. Some well-known peaks, such as the Matterhorn and Eiger, are not ultras because they are connected to higher mountains by high cols and thus do not achieve enough topographic prominence.

The term "ultra" originated with earth scientist Steve Fry, from his studies of the prominence of peaks in Washington in the 1980s. His original term was "ultra major mountain", referring to peaks with at least 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) of prominence. (Full article...)

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Selected climbing article

Site of the Fort de Buoux

Buoux (French pronunciation: [bɥuks]; Occitan: Buòus) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.

Located on the north side of the Luberon, the town is known for the high cliffs that surround it, making it a popular venue for rock-climbing enthusiasts, as well as the ruins of a medieval fort that was built in the 13th century and destroyed in 1660. The town's population peaked in the mid 19th century with 244 inhabitants in 1836 before falling to only 44 people in 1961. The population has since rebounded some to 122 in 2006. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

Selected skiing article

Ski sickness or Häusler's disease is a form of motion sickness which some skiers develop when weather conditions are bad. Poor visibility in heavy fog can bring on the condition as well as psychological factors such as fear of heights or fear of mountains. High speed and falling may also contribute as when descending rapidly atmospheric pressure changes in the ear from high to low altitude. Symptoms are similar to other sicknesses brought about by motion and include: dizziness, headaches and nausea and in more extreme cases vomiting.

In whiteout conditions, the brain is unable to determine orientation or movement accurately. The condition is caused by the rhythmic turning motion of skiing and other effects such as a reduction in sensory feedback from constrained feet. In 1995 Rudolf Häusler of the University of Berne was the first described to have this disease. Ski sickness could affect up to 10% of skiers. Professor Häusler found that over-the-counter prescription medicines for motion sickness relieved the symptoms for most affected people. (Full article...)

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