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Appalachian Mountains

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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Fluvial terraces are elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and fluvial valleys all over the world. They consist of a relatively level strip of land, called a "tread", separated from either an adjacent floodplain, other fluvial terraces, or uplands by distinctly steeper strips of land called "risers". These terraces lie parallel to and above the river channel and its floodplain. Because of the manner in which they form, fluvial terraces are underlain by fluvial sediments of highly variable thickness. River terraces are the remnants of earlier floodplains that existed at a time when either a stream or river was flowing at a higher elevation before its channel downcut to create a new floodplain at a lower elevation. Changes in elevation can be due to changes in the base level (elevation of the lowest point in the fluvial system, usually the drainage basin) of the fluvial system, which leads to headward erosion along the length of either a stream or river, gradually lowering its elevation. For example, downcutting by a river can lead to increased velocity of a tributary, causing that tributary to erode toward its headwaters. Terraces can also be left behind when the volume of the fluvial flow declines due to changes in climate, typical of areas which were covered by ice during periods of glaciation, and their adjacent drainage basins. (Full article...)

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Mount Olympus' peaks in daytime

Mount Olympus (/oʊˈlɪmpəs, əˈlɪm-/, Greek: Όλυμπος, romanized: Ólympos, IPA: [ˈoli(m)bos]) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, between the regional units of Larissa and Pieria, about 80 km (50 mi) southwest from Thessaloniki. Mount Olympus has 52 peaks and deep gorges. The highest peak, Mytikas (Μύτικας Mýtikas), meaning "nose", rises to 2,917.727 metres (9,572.60 ft). It is one of the highest peaks in Europe in terms of topographic prominence.

In Greek mythology, Olympus is the home of the Greek gods, on Mytikas peak. The mountain has exceptional biodiversity and rich flora. It has been a National Park, the first in Greece, since 1938. It is also a World Biosphere Reserve. (Full article...)

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In volcanology, a pyroclastic shield or ignimbrite shield is an uncommon type of shield volcano. Unlike most shield volcanoes, pyroclastic shields are formed mostly of pyroclastic and highly explosive eruptions rather than relatively fluid basaltic lava issuing from vents or fissures on the surface of the volcano. They typically display low-angle flank slopes and often have a central caldera caused by large eruptions. Lava is commonly extruded after explosive activity has ended. The paucity of associated Plinian fall deposits indicates that pyroclastic shields are characterized by low Plinian columns.

Pyroclastic shields are commonly known to form in the Central Andes of South America, as well as in Melanesia (the island of Bougainville alone has two). There are also pyroclastic shields in Africa, such as Emi Koussi in Chad. (Full article...)

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Traditional climber leading a route in Indian Creek, Utah.

Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations or indoor climbing walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and mentally demanding sport, one that often tests a climber's strength, endurance, agility and balance along with mental control. Knowledge of proper climbing techniques and the use of specialized climbing equipment is crucial for the safe completion of routes.

Because of the wide range and variety of rock formations around the world, rock climbing has been separated into several different styles and sub-disciplines, such as scrambling, bouldering, sport climbing, and trad (traditional) climbing. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

Selected skiing article

The Tour of Anchorage is a point-to-point cross-country ski race held annually on the first Sunday in March in Anchorage, Alaska. Established in 1989, it is part of the American Ski Marathon Series. (Full article...)

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