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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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 were 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...)

Selected mountain range

Cape Breton Highlands in Nova Scotia

The Cape Breton Highlands (French: Plateau du Cap-Breton, Scottish Gaelic: Àrd-thalamh Cheap Bhreatainn), commonly called the Highlands, refer to a highland or mountainous plateau across the northern part of Cape Breton Island in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

Considered a subrange of the Appalachian mountain chain, the Highlands comprise the northern portions of Inverness and Victoria Counties. (Full article...)

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Belki (Russian: белки; Khakas: Taskhyl), also known as Belogorye (Russian: белогорье), is a type of mountain summit in Southern Siberia. (Full article...)

Selected climbing article

The Sticht plate was the first mechanical rope brake, named after its designer, Fritz Sticht. It consists of a small metal plate with a slot that allows a bight of rope to pass through to a locking carabiner and back out. This locking carabiner is clipped to the belayer who is then able to lock the rope at will.

Some plates had two slots for double ropes. The slots could also be different sizes for different diameter ropes e.g. 9 mm and 11 mm. A wide wire spring may be attached on one side to help keep the plate away from the brake carabiner to ease feeding and taking in rope. A smaller hole is often present for accessory cord to carry the device. Sticht plates are typically forged from aluminium alloy in a round disc shape, although other shapes such as rounded rectangles were also made. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1A climber taking the final few steps to the 6,160 m (20,210 ft) summit of Imja Tse (Island Peak) in Nepal, 2004 (from Mountaineering)
Image 2Waimea Canyon, Hawaii, is known for its montane vegetation. (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 3Cabane du Trient, a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps (from Mountaineering)
Image 4Everest 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 5Fuji volcano (from Mountain)
Image 6Stretcher box in Cumbria, England, prepositioned equipment saves mountain rescue teams having to trudge up mountains with it. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 7Mountaineers climbing in South Tyrol (from Mountain)
Image 8The Namcha Barwa Himal, east part of the Himalayas as seen from space by Apollo 9 (from Mountain range)
Image 9Fixed lines and ladders are distinguishing characteristics of expedition style mountaineering (from Mountaineering)
Image 10Temperate montane forest in Bavaria, Germany (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 11An alpine mire in the Swiss Alps (from Mountain)
Image 12Edward Whymper (1840–1911), painting by Lance Calkin (from Mountaineering)
Image 13Alpine flora near Cascade Pass (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 14Iranian oak scrub in the Zagros Mountains (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 15Alpine landscape below Malyovitsa Peak, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 16Car of Horská služba (Czech Republic) (from Mountain rescue)
Image 17Chimborazo, Ecuador, whose summit is the point farthest away from the Earth's center (from Mountain)
Image 18The 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 19Winter campers bivouaced in the snow (from Mountaineering)
Image 20Pirin Mountain, Bulgaria, part of the fault-block Rila-Rhodope massif (from Mountain)
Image 21Antique climbing tools (from Mountaineering)
Image 22Mountaineers, c. 1900 (from Mountaineering)
Image 23The northern Urals at high latitude and elevation have an alpine climate and barren ground. (from Mountain)
Image 24A stand of mountain birch at around 750 m in Trollheimen, typical of Scandinavian subalpine forests (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 25The Ocean Ridge, the world's longest mountain range (chain) (from Mountain range)
Image 26Montes Apenninus on the Moon was formed by an impact event. (from Mountain range)
Image 27Mountain climbers ascending Mount Rainier looking at Little Tahoma Peak (from Mountaineering)
Image 28Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain (from Mountain)
Image 29Mountaineers proceed across snow fields on South Tyrol; other climbers are visible further up the slopes. (from Mountaineering)
Image 30Choppering out the injured – with Mt. Forbes in the background (from Mountain rescue)
Image 31Illustration of mountains that developed on a fold that has been thrust (from Mountain)
Image 32The Catskills in Upstate New York represent an eroded plateau. (from Mountain)
Image 33This 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 34British 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 35The city of La Paz reaches up to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) in elevation. (from Mountain)
Image 36A subalpine lake in the Cascade Range, Washington, United States (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 37Edelweiss, a plant associated with mountain sports (from Mountaineering)
Image 38A mountain rescue team in Iran moving a casualty. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 39Mountain rescue team members and other services attend to a casualty in Freiburg Germany. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 40Tropical montane forest at around 2,000 m in Malaysia (from Montane ecosystems)

Selected skiing article

A funitel is a type of cableway, generally used to transport skiers, although at least one is used to transport finished cars between different areas of a factory. It differs from a standard gondola lift through the use of two arms attached to two parallel overhead cables, providing more stability in high winds. The name funitel is a portmanteau of the French words funiculaire and telepherique.

When used to transport skiers, funitels are a fast way to get to a higher altitude. Skis or snowboard have to be taken off and held during the trip. Depending on the configuration, cabins may or may not contain seats. Without seats, funitels can sometimes be uncomfortable for long trips, in the same way other large cable cars can be. Funitels combine a short time between successive cabins with a capacity of around 20 to 30 people per cabin. (Full article...)