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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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A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arisen from the same cause, usually an orogeny. Mountain ranges are formed by a variety of geological processes, but most of the significant ones on Earth are the result of plate tectonics. Mountain ranges are also found on many planetary mass objects in the Solar System and are likely a feature of most terrestrial planets.

Mountain ranges are usually segmented by highlands or mountain passes and valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geologic structure or petrology. They may be a mix of different orogenic expressions and terranes, for example thrust sheets, uplifted blocks, fold mountains, and volcanic landforms resulting in a variety of rock types. (Full article...)

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Scenic view of the Lochsa River in the Clearwater Forest of Idaho (United States)

The Clearwater Mountains are part of the Rocky Mountains, located in the panhandle of Idaho in the Western United States. The mountains lie between the Salmon River and the Bitterroot Range and encompass an area of 8,499 square miles (22,012 km²). (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

A static rope is a low-elongation rope that is designed to stretch minimally when placed under load, typically less than 5%. In contrast, a dynamic rope is designed to stretch up to 40%. Static ropes have a wide variety of uses, for instance in fire rescue operations and caving.

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

Selected skiing article

Telemark skiing is a skiing technique that combines elements of Alpine and Nordic skiing, using the rear foot to keep balance while pushing on the front foot to create a carving turn on downhill skis with toe-only bindings. Telemark skiing is named after the Telemark region of Norway, where the discipline originated. Sondre Norheim is often credited for first demonstrating the turn in ski races, which included cross country, slalom, and jumping, in Norway around 1868. Sondre Norheim also experimented with ski and binding design, introducing side cuts to skis and heel bindings (like a cable). (Full article...)

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