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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Selected mountain-related landform

Side valleys and tributary valleys are valleys whose brooks or rivers flow into greater ones.

Upstream, the valleys can be classified in an increasing order which is equivalent to the usual orographic order: the tributaries are ordered from those nearest to the source of the river to those nearest to the mouth of the river. A confluence is where two or more tributaries or rivers flow together. (Full article...)

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A chapada (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʃaˈpadɐ]) is a plateau found in the Brazilian Highlands. The chapadas, which are usually described as mountain ranges, are capped by horizontal strata of sandstone. They show the original surface, which has been worn away by the rivers, leaving here and there broad flat-topped ridges between river basins and narrower ranges of hills between river courses. From the valleys their rugged, deeply indented escarpments, stretching away to the horizon, they have the appearance of a continuous chain of mountains. (Full article...)

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Intrusive rock is formed when magma penetrates existing rock, crystallizes, and solidifies underground to form intrusions, such as batholiths, dikes, sills, laccoliths, and volcanic necks.

Intrusion is one of the two ways igneous rock can form. The other is extrusion, such as a volcanic eruption or similar event. An intrusion is any body of intrusive igneous rock, formed from magma that cools and solidifies within the crust of the planet. In contrast, an extrusion consists of extrusive rock, formed above the surface of the crust. (Full article...)

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Selected climbing article

Spotting is a technique used in climbing, especially in bouldering, where the climbers are close to the ground and ropes are not normally used. The spotter stands below the climber, with arms raised or at the ready. If the climber falls, the spotter does not catch the climber, but redirects the climber's fall to land safely on a bouldering mat. At the very least the spotter ensures that the climber's head and back do not strike the ground directly. If the climber jumps down, the spotter can also help prevent stumbles and injuries on uneven ground. The spotter should stand with fingers together (known as "using spoons") to avoid broken fingers.

A spotter should always be used for accident prevention. A climbing spotter will typically stand with arms held up with hands in a supporting position for more or less vertical climbs. If the climber falls, the spotter's hands lightly hold the climber's hips or lower back, near the climber's center of gravity. This allows the spotter to help guide the climber's fall effectively, helping keep the center of gravity over the feet. When on steeper, past vertical climbs, the spotter will hold the climber's arms out in a cradling position. If the climber falls, the spotter supports the upper and middle back, helping the climber land on his or her feet. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

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...)

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