A mountain is known as the natural elevation of the land and is the product of tectonic forces, usually more than 700 meters above its base. These elevations of the terrain are generally grouped into ridges or mountains, and can be as short as several miles long. Since the beginning of humanity has always wondered How are mountains formed.
For this reason, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you how mountains are formed, their characteristics and geological processes.
what is a mountain
Mountains have captured human attention since ancient times, often culturally associated with elevation, proximity to God (heaven), or as a metaphor for a continual effort to gain greater or better perspective. Indeed, mountaineering is a physically demanding sporting activity of immense importance in our consideration of the known percentage of our planet.
There are many ways to classify mountains. For example, depending on the height it can be divided into (from smallest to largest): hills and mountains. Likewise, they can be classified according to their origin as: volcanic, folding or folding-faults.
Finally, the groups of mountains can be classified according to their interlocking shape: if they are joined longitudinally, we call them mountains; if they are joined in a more compact or circular way, we call them massifs. Mountains cover a large part of the earth's surface: 53% from Asia, 25% from Europe, 17% from Australia and 3% from Africa, for a total of 24%. Since approximately 10% of the world's population lives in mountainous areas, all river waters necessarily form on mountaintops. You can learn more about this in our article on the most important mountains in Spain and how they relate to the local climate.
How are mountains formed
The formation of mountains, known as orogeny, is subsequently influenced by external factors such as erosion or tectonic movements. Mountains arise from deformations in the earth's crust, usually at the junction of two tectonic plates, which, when they exert forces on each other, cause the lithosphere to fold, with one vein going down and the other up, creating a ridge of varying degrees of elevation.
In some cases, this impact process causes a layer to sink into the subsurface, which melts due to the heat to form magma, which then rises to the surface to form a volcano. This latter process is related to volcanic activity, which you can learn more about in our article on underwater volcanoes and how they compare to mountain volcanoes.
To make it easier, we are going to explain how mountains are formed through an experiment. In this experiment, we will explain how mountains are formed in a simple way. To make it happen, we just need: Plasticine of different colors, a few books and a rolling pin.
First, to understand how mountains are formed, we'll run a simple simulation of Earth's land layers. For this we will use colored plasticine. In our example, we chose green, brown, and orange.
The green plasticine simulates the continental crust of the Earth. In fact, this crust is 35 kilometers thick. If the crust had not formed, the Earth would be completely covered by the global ocean.
The brown plasticine corresponds to the lithosphere, the outermost layer of the terrestrial sphere. Its depth fluctuates between 10 and 50 kilometers. The movement of this layer is that of the tectonic plates whose edges are where geological phenomena are formed.
Finally, the orange clay is our asthenosphere, which lies beneath the lithosphere and is the upper part of the mantle. This layer is subjected to so much pressure and heat that it behaves plastically, allowing the lithosphere to move. Learn about orographic clouds can help us better understand the climate surrounding these formations.
parts of the mountain
Mountains are usually made up of:
- The bottom of the foot or base formation, usually on the ground.
- Summit, peak or cusp. The upper and last part, the end of the hill, reaches the highest possible height.
- hillside or skirt. Join the lower and upper sections of the slope.
- The portion of the slope between two peaks (two mountains) that form a small depression or depression.
Climate and vegetation
Mountain climates generally depend on two factors: your latitude and the altitude of the mountain. The temperature and air pressure are always lower at higher altitudes, normally at 5 °C per kilometer of altitude.
The same occurs with rainfall, which is more frequent at higher altitudes, so it is possible that wetter areas can be found on the tops of the mountains than on the plains, especially where the large rivers are born. If you continue to climb, the moisture and water will turn to snow and eventually ice.
Mountain vegetation is highly dependent on climate and the location of the mountain. But it usually happens gradually in a staggered fashion as you go up the slope. Therefore, in the lower floors, near the foot of the mountain, the surrounding plains or montane forests are rich in vegetation, densely forested, and tall.
But as you ascend, more resilient species take over, taking advantage of the water reserves and abundant rainfall. Above wooded areas, oxygen is lacking, and vegetation is reduced to meadows with shrubs and small grasses. It's also interesting to note that mountains can influence cloud formation, which in turn affects the climate. To better understand how the clouds associated with these formations form, visit our article on the causes of cloud formation.
The five highest mountains
The five tallest mountains in the world are:
- Mount Everest. At 8.846 meters high, it is the highest mountain in the world, located at the top of the Himalayas.
- K2 mountains. One of the most difficult mountains to climb in the world, at 8611 meters above sea level. It lies between China and Pakistan.
- Kachenjunga. Located between India and Nepal, at an altitude of 8598 meters. Its name translates as "five treasures among the snows."
- Aconcagua. Located in the Argentine Andes in the province of Mendoza, this mountain rises to 6.962 meters and is the highest peak in the Americas.
- Snowy Ojos del Salado. It is a stratovolcano, part of the Andes Mountains, located on the border between Chile and Argentina. It is the highest volcano in the world with a height of 6891,3 meters.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about how mountains are formed and their characteristics.