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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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Selected mountain-related landform

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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The Pinaleño Mountains (in Yavapai: Walkame—"pine mountains" or in Western Apache: Dził Nnilchí' Diyiléé—"pine-burdened mountain"), are a remote mountain range in southeastern Arizona, near Safford (Ich'į' Nahiłtį́į́), Arizona. The mountains have over 7,000 feet (2,100 m) of vertical relief, more than any other range in the state. The mountains are surrounded by the Sonoran-Chihuahuan Desert. Subalpine forests cover the higher elevations. According to The Nature Conservancy, they traverse five ecological communities and contain "the highest diversity of habitats of any mountain range in North America." The highest point is Mount Graham (Western Apache: Dził Nchaa Sí'an—"Big Seated Mountain") at 10,720 feet (3,267 m). Locals often refer to the whole mountain range as "Mount Graham", in which case the peak is referred to as "High Peak". The mountains cover 300 square miles (780 km²) and are part of the Coronado National Forest, Safford ranger district.

The Pinaleño/Pinal Band (Spanish term: "Pinery People", Western Apache: Tiis Ebah Nnee—"Cottonwoods Gray in the Rocks People") of the San Carlos Apache (Tsékʼáádn—"Metate People"), one of the subgroups of the Western Apache people and their kin and close allies, the Hwaalkamvepaya/Walkamepa Band ("Pine Mountains People") of the Guwevkabaya/Kwevkepaya ("Southern People"), one of the three Yavapai regional groupings were either named after the Pinaleño Mountains or the mountains were named after them (both people used this range as primary source for pine nuts, which have long been a staple food for many Native American tribes). (Full article...)

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Extrusive rock refers to the mode of igneous volcanic rock formation in which hot magma from inside the Earth flows out (extrudes) onto the surface as lava or explodes violently into the atmosphere to fall back as pyroclastics or tuff. In contrast, intrusive rock refers to rocks formed by magma which cools below the surface.

The main effect of extrusion is that the magma can cool much more quickly in the open air or under seawater, and there is little time for the growth of crystals. Sometimes, a residual portion of the matrix fails to crystallize at all, instead becoming a natural glass or obsidian. (Full article...)

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A snow anchor (also called a snow pro) is a type of natural or artificial protection used in mountaineering, alpine climbing and ice climbing as an anchor. Two common artificial devices are the snow fluke and snow picket. A snow anchor is used both for climbing and for securing tents and other camping gear, that is designed for use in sand and snow.

A snow fluke is a bent square or rectangle, approximately 8 by 10 inches (20 by 25 cm), and is made of aluminum or other metal, with a cable attached at two points on the upper surface. A fluke correctly used is buried in the snow, tip pointed down, approximately 40° from the angle of the mountain slope. Flukes can deflect or dislodge in harder-packed or dry snow, and are therefore more reliably used in heavy, moist snow. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

Selected skiing article

This is a list of skiing deaths of notable people, in chronological order, and includes skiers and snowboarders both professional and recreational whose deaths are due to accidents or avalanches.

All cases in the list below are from alpine or downhill skiing activities; no skiers have been known to have died during any cross-country event, or in any major international ski jumping competitions (e.g. FIS Ski Jumping World Cup, FIS Ski Jumping Continental Cup, FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, and the Olympic Games), though many ski jumpers have died during practice or in national events (nb:Skader og dødsulykker i skihopping). (Full article...)

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