P.1+Mountains+Page

__**Mountain Page - (Madeline, Kristine, Sarah, & Paulina.)**__


A mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. The study of mountains is called Orography.

The highest mountain on earth is the Mount Everest, 29,029 ft. The highest known mountain in the Solar System is Olympus Mons on the planet Mars at 69,459 ft.

There is no accepted definition of a mountain. Elevation, volume, relief, steepness, spacing and continuity has been used as criteria for defining a mountain. In the Oxford English Dictionary a mountain is defined as "a natural elevation of the earth surface rising more or less abruptly from the surrounding level and attaining an altitude which, relatively to the adjacent elevation, is impressive or notable."

How are mountains made? Easy. High mountains, as well as those located close to the Earth's poles, reach into the colder layers of the atmosphere. They are subject to glaciers and erosion through frost action. Such processes produce the peak shape. Some of these mountains have glacial lakes, created by melting glaciers. Mountains can be eroded and weathered, altering their characteristics over time. Plate tectonics is also involved in this process, pushing land up over a long time period making it possible for mountains to form.