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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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An outwash plain, also called a sandur (plural: sandurs), sandr or sandar, is a plain formed of glaciofluvial deposits due to meltwater outwash at the terminus of a glacier. As it flows, the glacier grinds the underlying rock surface and carries the debris along. The meltwater at the snout of the glacier deposits its load of sediment over the outwash plain, with larger boulders being deposited near the terminal moraine, and smaller particles travelling further before being deposited. Sandurs are common in Iceland where geothermal activity accelerates the melting of ice flows and the deposition of sediment by meltwater. (Full article...)

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The Sierra de San Borja, also known as Sierra La Libertad is a mountain range on the Baja California Peninsula of Mexico. It is one of the Peninsular Ranges which form the backbone of Baja California. The Sierra de San Borja is located between 28° North latitude (the border of the states of Baja California and Baja California Sur) and 29° North latitude (Highway 12). The highest point of the Sierra is Cerro La Sandia, 1,775 metres (5,823 ft) in elevation located at .

The Sierra de San Borja is nearly uninhabited. Desert vegetation prevails with only a few water sources. Tourists visit the San Francisco Borja Mission (founded 1762) and the extensive prehistoric rock art scattered throughout the mountains. (Full article...)

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Sarmatian Kurgan, 4th century BC, Fillipovka, South Urals, Russia. A dig led by Russian Academy of Sciences Archeology Institute Prof. L. Yablonsky excavated this kurgan in 2006. It is the first kurgan known to have been completely destroyed and then rebuilt to its original appearance.

A kurgan is a type of tumulus constructed over a grave, often characterized by containing a single human body along with grave vessels, weapons and horses. Originally in use on the Pontic–Caspian steppe, kurgans spread into much of Central Asia and Eastern, Southeast, Western and Northern Europe during the 3rd millennium BC.

The earliest kurgans date to the 4th millennium BC in the Caucasus, and some researchers associate these with the Indo-Europeans. Kurgans were built in the Eneolithic, Bronze, Iron, Antiquity and Middle Ages, with ancient traditions still active in Southern Siberia and Central Asia. (Full article...)

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Site of the Fort de Buoux

Buoux [bju̟ːks] is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.

Located on the north side of the Luberon, the town is known for the high cliffs that surround it, making it a popular venue for rock-climbing enthusiasts, as well as the ruins of a medieval fort that was built in the 13th century and destroyed in 1660. The town's population peaked in the mid 19th century with 244 inhabitants in 1836 before falling to only 44 people in 1961. The population has since rebounded some to 122 in 2006. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

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Biathletes in the shooting area of a competition

The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not timed per se, but depending on the competition, missed shots result in extra distance or time being added to the contestant's total. (Full article...)

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