(Courtesy National Geographic) Downloaded & Compiled By

8/14/2019 (Courtesy National Geographic) Downloaded & Compiled By

1/11


2/11

Mountains-Highest Points on EarthMountains are the wrinkles of age and pimples of youth on Earth's crusty outer skin. They rise upas the crust collides, cracks, crumbles, folds, and spews. By definition, they dominate their

surroundings with towering height.

The mighty chunks rise all over the world, including the oceans. They usually have steep, sloping

sides and sharp or rounded ridges. The highest point is called the peak or summit. Most geologistsclassify a mountain as a landform that rises at least 1,000 feet (300 meters) or more above itssurrounding area. A mountain range is a series or chain of mountains that are close together.

The world's tallest mountain ranges form when pieces of Earth's crustcalled platessmashagainst each other, in a process called plate tectonics, and buckle up like the hood of a car in ahead-on collision. The Himalaya in Asia formed from one such massive wreck that started about

55 million years ago. Thirty of the worlds highest mountains are in the Himalaya. The summit ofMount Everest, at 29,035 feet (8,850 meters), is the highest point on Earth.

The tallest mountain measured from top to bottom is Mauna Kea, an inactive volcano on the

island of Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean. Measured from the base, Mauna Kea stands33,474 feet (10,203 meters) tall, though it only rises 13,796 feet (4,205 meters) above the sea.

Mountains often serve as geographic features that define natural borders of countries. Theirheight can influence weather patterns, stalling storms that roll off the oceans and squeezing water

fromthe clouds. The other side is often much drier. The rugged landscapes even provide refugeand protectionfor fleeing and invading armies.


3/11

Types of Mountains

Volcanic mountains form when molten rock from deep inside the Earth

erupts through the crust and piles up on itself. The island chain of Hawaiiis actually the tops of volcanoes. Well-known volcanoes on land includeMount St. Helens in Washington State and Mount Fuji in Japan.

Sometimes volcanic eruptions break down mountains instead of buildingthem up, like the 1980 eruption that blew the top off Mount St. Helens.

When magma pushes the crust up but hardens before erupting onto thesurface, it forms so-called dome mountains. Wind and rain pummel thedomes, sculpting peaks and valleys. Examples include the Black Hillsof South Dakota and the Adirondack Mountains of New York. Plateaumountains are similar to dome mountains, but form as colliding tectonic

plates push up the land without folding or faulting. They are then shaped

by weathering and erosion.

Other types of mountains form when stresses within and between the

tectonic plates lead to cracking and faulting of the Earth's surface, whichforces blocks of rock up and down. Examples of fault-block mountains

include the Sierra Nevada in California and Nevada, the Tetons in

Wyoming, and the Harz Mountains in Germany.


4/11

Fog obscures the summit of Malaysia's Mount Kinabalu, a 13,455-foot (4,101-meter) peak in northwestern East Malaysia.Formerly known as St. Peter's Mount, Kinabalu is the highest mountain in the Malay Archipelago.


5/11

A towering trail of steam and smoke issues from Mount Semeru in the distance while gapingMount Bromo (middle left) quietly simmers in East Java, Indonesia. The Indonesian governmentestimates that during the last 400 years, 129 of the country's volcanoes have become active.


6/11

The snow-mantled rock face of the colossal Mont Blanc Massif, located between France and Italy, dwarfs apale twilight moonrise in the background. At 15,771 feet (4,807 meters), Mont Blanc is the highest peak in the

Alps and a frequent point of contention between the two countries. Each alternately claims it as its own.


7/11

Clouds encircle the summit of Nanga Parbat, a steep-walled mountain in the western Himalaya. At 26,660 feet (8,126 meters) high,Nanga Parbat, which means "naked mountain" in Sanskrit, is the ninth-highest mountain in the world.

S d l M E i h i h K2 h d f li b i i h 28 251 f (8 611 ) k


8/11

Second only to Mount Everest in height, K2 attracts hordes of climbers intent on conquering the 28,251-foot (8,611-meter) peakin the Himalaya. Also called Mount Godwin Austen, Dapsang, and Chogori, K2 is part of the Himalaya's Karakoram Range.

A rising sun illuminates the snow shrouded peak of Mount Everest Everest's summit at 29 035 feet (8 850 meters)


9/11

A rising sun illuminates the snow-shrouded peak of Mount Everest. Everest's summit, at 29,035 feet (8,850 meters),is the highest point on Earth. Thirty of the world's highest mountains are in the Himalaya range.

At 14 494 feet (4 418 meters) above sea level California's Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the lower 48 states


10/11

At 14,494 feet (4,418 meters) above sea level, California's Mount Whitney is the highest peak in the lower 48 states.Whitney is part of the Sierra Nevada, a fault-block mountain range formed when shifting tectonic plates led to the

cracking and faulting of the Earth's surface.

Overcast skies and mossy peaks overlook a lone hiker on Scotland's Ben Nevis mountain trail Made up of ancient schist


11/11

Overcast skies and mossy peaks overlook a lone hiker on Scotland s Ben Nevis mountain trail. Made up of ancient schistplated with volcanic rock, Ben Nevis is the highest mountain of the British Isles, at 4,406 feet (1,343 meters).

Documents

(Courtesy National Geographic) Downloaded & Compiled By