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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). The tallest mountain including submarine terrain is Mauna Kea in Hawaii from its underwater base at 9,330 m (30,610 ft) and some scientists consider it to be the tallest on earth. (Full article...)

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A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migration throughout history. At lower elevations it may be called a hill pass. A mountain pass is typically formed between two volcanic peaks or created by erosion from water or wind. (Full article...)

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Chaparral, riparian, and grassland habitats.

The Laguna Mountains are a mountain range of the Peninsular Ranges in eastern San Diego County, California. The mountains run in a northwest/southeast alignment for approximately 35 miles (56 km).

The mountains have long been inhabited by the indigenous Kumeyaay people. (Full article...)

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A peak's line parent is the closest higher peak on the highest ridge leading away from the peak's "key col". A col is the lowest point on the ridge between two summits and is roughly synonymous with pass, gap, saddle and notch. The highest col of a peak is its key col. If there is more than one ridge which can be followed to a higher peak then the line parent is the peak closest to the key col. Usually, a line parent must meet some prominence criteria, which might vary depending on the author and the location of the peak.

There are at least two other kinds of peak parentage. Island parentage, which is also referred to as encirclement or topographic parentage; and source parentage. (Full article...)

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A hitch is a type of knot used to secure a rope to an object or another rope. Hitches are used in a variety of situations, including climbing, sailing, and securing loads. They are classified based on their ability to be tightened or released, their resistance to slipping, and their strength. Some common types of hitch knots include the clove hitch, the timber hitch, and the round turn and two half-hitches. (Full article...)

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General images

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

Image 1Mountaineers, c. 1900 (from Mountaineering)
Image 2A stand of mountain birch at around 750 m in Trollheimen, typical of Scandinavian subalpine forests (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 3The Dolomite Mountains, Italy, in summer. The climate of the Dolomites is characterized by short but warm and mild summers, while winters are long and very cold. (from Mountain)
Image 4A subalpine lake in the Cascade Range, Washington, United States (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 5The 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 6Temperate montane forest in Bavaria, Germany (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 7The Ocean Ridge, the world's longest mountain range (chain) (from Mountain range)
Image 8Winter campers bivouaced in the snow (from Mountaineering)
Image 9Everest 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 10British 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 11Chimborazo, Ecuador, whose summit is the point farthest away from the Earth's center (from Mountain)
Image 12Climbers ascending Mount Rainier looking at Little Tahoma Peak (from Mountaineering)
Image 13The city of La Paz reaches up to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) in elevation. (from Mountain)
Image 14Alpine flora near Cascade Pass (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 15Antique climbing tools (from Mountaineering)
Image 16An alpine mire in the Swiss Alps (from Mountain)
Image 17The Namcha Barwa Himal, east part of the Himalayas as seen from space by Apollo 9 (from Mountain range)
Image 18This 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 19Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain (from Mountain)
Image 20Mountaineers climbing in South Tyrol (from Mountain)
Image 21Alpine landscape below Malyovitsa Peak, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 22Illustration of mountains that developed on a fold that has been thrust (from Mountain)
Image 23Pirin Mountain, Bulgaria, part of the fault-block Rila-Rhodope massif (from Mountain)
Image 24Climber approaching the summit of Manaslu at 8,163 metres (from Mountaineering)
Image 25Mountaineers proceed across snow fields on South Tyrol; other climbers are visible further up the slopes. (from Mountaineering)
Image 26Edelweiss, a plant associated with mountain sports (from Mountaineering)
Image 27Waimea Canyon, Hawaii, is known for its montane vegetation. (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 28Stretcher box in Cumbria, England, prepositioned equipment saves mountain rescue teams having to trudge up mountains with it. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 29Edmund Hillary (left) and Tenzing Norgay after successfully completing the first ascent of Mount Everest, 29 May 1953
Image 30Car of Horská služba (Czech Republic) (from Mountain rescue)
Image 31The Catskills in Upstate New York represent an eroded plateau. (from Mountain)
Image 32Fixed lines and ladders are distinguishing characteristics of expedition style mountaineering (from Mountaineering)
Image 33Distribution of mountains by location and elevation (from Mountain)
Image 34The northern Urals at high latitude and elevation have an alpine climate and barren ground. (from Mountain)
Image 35Montes Apenninus on the Moon was formed by an impact event. (from Mountain range)
Image 36Mont Blanc in Aosta Valley, Italy, the highest point in the European Union (from Mountain)
Image 37Tropical montane forest at around 2,000 m in Malaysia (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 38Fuji volcano (from Mountain)
Image 39Cabane du Trient, a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps (from Mountaineering)
Image 40Edward Whymper (1840–1911), painting by Lance Calkin (from Mountaineering)
Image 41Choppering out the injured – with Mt. Forbes in the background (from Mountain rescue)
Image 42Iranian oak scrub in the Zagros Mountains (from Montane ecosystems)