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Mountain Ranges

A mountain is a landform that rises abruptly above the surrounding area. A mountain range is a set of mountains spaced closely together. Mountains and mountain ranges cover 1/5 of the earth’s surface. The highest mountain above ground is Mount Everest, at 29,029 feet. The highest mountain that runs from the bottom of the ocean to above ground is Mount Keal in Hawaii that beats Everest by 4,436 feet. Mountain ranges are formed when two plates collide and buckle upwards. The force of this buckling pushes each plate up against the other. Once the plates are done moving, a mountain range is formed. Then over time the mountains are gradually worn down by erosion due to wind, rain, glaciers, and avalanches. This is why some mountain ranges are rocky and pointy, like the Rockies, and some are rounded and lower, like the Appalachians.

 

 

Most people think mountains are stationary but they are constantly growing, eroding away, and shifting. The Appalachian Mountains formed when North America collided with Africa.  500 million years ago this mountain range was the highest in the world, but due to erosion they are now a great deal smaller.

 

When plates or continents collide it is like a head on car crash. The cars get smaller in length and the hoods buckle upwards. This is exactly how mountain ranges form when plates collide.

 

Today the Himalayas are the highest mountain range in the world. The word Himalaya actually means land of snow. It formed when India and Eurasia collided 75 million years ago. This Mountain range is around 1,500 miles long and runs through Pakistan, India, Tibet, Nepal, Sikkim, and Bhutan. The Himalayas are a relatively new mountain range so this is why they are so high. Over 30 mountains in the Himalayas are over 25,000 feet tall. Millions of years into the future this mountain range will be eroded down like the Appalachians and there will be a new set of mountains that can be called the tallest in the world.

 

TYPES OF MOUNTAINS

 

*A folded mountain is caused by extreme force pushing from both sides of the plates. This great pressure causes mountain to break, bend, and fold

 

*A block fault mountain is created when a mountain rises from the earth.  When the mountain rises pressure causes the rock to crack and slide.  This creates sharp and distinctive faces on the mountain. 

 

*A dome mountain is formed when melted rock is pushed up through the earths crust without folding or faulting creating a dome like shape of the mountain

 

*A volcanic mountain is formed when melted rock rises from the earth and builds up over time on the earth’s surface. This is how Mount St. Helens was formed.

 

Here are some mountains with their formation ages and types:

 

MOUNTAIN                     FORMATION DATE                         TYPE                       CONTINENT

Himalayas                      around 75 million years ago        folded/block         Asia

    Urals                               around 300 million years ago      folded                    Europe

Appalachians                 around 500 million years ago      folded                    North America

Rockies                          around 140 million years ago      block/fault            North America

Alps                                 around 25 million years ago        folded                     Europe

       

       

       

        Above is a set of young mountains that        Above is a set of old mountains that have

          have not been eroded yet. As you can           become eroded over time. 500 million years

          see these mountains are tall, pointy, and     ago these mountains probably looked like the

have sharp edges.                                             ones in the picture on the left. As you can see

                                                                                      these mountains are low and rounded.