Portal:Mountains

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Introduction

Uluguru Mountains, in Tanzania

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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Selected mountain-related landform

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 Accursed Mountains, with the range's highest peak Maja Jezercë in the distance.

The Accursed Mountains (Albanian: Bjeshkët e Nëmuna; Serbo-Croatian: Проклетије, Prokletije, pronounced [prɔklɛ̌tijɛ]; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps (Albanian: Alpet Shqiptare), is a mountain range in coastal Southeast Europe adjacent to the Adriatic Sea. It is the southernmost subrange of the 1,000-kilometre-long (621 mi) Dinaric Alps range (Dinarides), extending from northern Albania to southern Kosovo and northeastern Montenegro. Maja Jezercë, standing at 2,694 m (8,839 ft), is the highest point of the Accursed Mountains and of all Dinaric Alps, and the fifth highest peak in Albania. The range includes the mountain Zla Kolata, which, at 2,534 m (8,314 ft), is the tallest mountain in Montenegro. The range also includes the mountain Gjeravica, which, at 2,656 m (8,714 ft), is the second tallest mountain in Kosovo. One of the southernmost glacial masses in Europe was discovered in the Albanian part of the range in 2009. (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

Sharma in 2008

Chris Omprakash Sharma (born 23 April 1981) is an American rock climber who is considered one of the greatest and most influential climbers in the history of the sport. He dominated sport climbing for the decade after his 2001 ascent of Realization/Biographie, the world's first-ever redpoint of a consensus 9a+ (5.15a) graded route, and ushered in what was called a "technical evolution" in the sport. Sharma carried the mantle of "world's strongest sport climber" from Wolfgang Güllich (who held it for almost a decade from the early 1980s), and passed it to Adam Ondra (who held it from 2012).

In 2008, Sharma redpointed the world's first-ever consensus 9b (5.15b) route with Jumbo Love, and in 2013, became only the second-ever person to climb a 9b+ (5.15c) route with La Dura Dura. Sharma is also known for free soloing the world's first-ever 9a+ (5.15a) deep-water solo route, Es Pontàs in 2006. Sharma became one of the most commercially successful climbers in his sport, and was noted for his "King Lines" – iconic routes that inspired him to spend the months and even years needed to climb them – some of which feature in the award-winning 2007 climbing film, King Lines. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

Selected skiing article

A ski film is a motion picture with sequences of expedition, recreation, competition, or acrobatic exhibition on snow skis. These non-fiction action sport films capture the experience of an athletic outdoor snow sporting culture. Ski films typically present one or more techniques (ski jumping, cross-country, downhill, freestyle), locations, or skiers (expert, celebrity or novice). Categories include the feature, documentary of competition or other event coverage (such as a snow festival or sportscast), instruction or technique demonstration, retrospective history, travel guide showcasing a region, or a short subject (such as a web series or included in a newsreel). More than 200 such videos debuted in 2006. Notable examples are listed at the Ski and Snowboard Film Institute, or have received awards from the International Ski Film Festival, X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival, IF3 International Freeski Film Festival, Cold Smoke Winter Film, Powder magazine, or similar. (Full article...)