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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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Satellite image of kettle lakes in Yamal Peninsula (Northern Siberia), adjacent to the Gulf of Ob (right). The lake colors indicate amounts of sediment or depth.

A kettle (also known as a kettle hole, kettlehole, or pothole) is a depression or hole in an outwash plain formed by retreating glaciers or draining floodwaters. The kettles are formed as a result of blocks of dead ice left behind by retreating glaciers, which become surrounded by sediment deposited by meltwater streams as there is increased friction. The ice becomes buried in the sediment and when the ice melts, a depression is left called a kettle hole, creating a dimpled appearance on the outwash plain. Lakes often fill these kettles; these are called kettle hole lakes. Another source is the sudden drainage of an ice-dammed lake and when the block melts, the hole it leaves behind is a kettle. As the ice melts, ramparts can form around the edge of the kettle hole. The lakes that fill these holes are seldom more than 10 m (33 ft) deep and eventually fill with sediment. In acid conditions, a kettle bog may form but in alkaline conditions, it will be kettle peatland. (Full article...)

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View of Cross Mountain, the highest summit of the Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee

The Cumberland Mountains are a mountain range in the southeastern section of the Appalachian Mountains. They are located in western Virginia, southwestern West Virginia, the eastern edges of Kentucky, and eastern middle Tennessee, including the Crab Orchard Mountains. Their highest peak, with an elevation of 4,223 feet (1,287 m) above mean sea level, is High Knob, which is located near Norton, Virginia.

According to the USGS, the Cumberland Mountain range is 131 miles (211 km) long and 20 miles (32 km) wide, bounded by the Russell Fork on the northeast, the Pound River and Powell River on the southeast, Cove Creek on the southwest, and Tackett Creek, the Cumberland River, Poor Fork Cumberland River, and Elkhorn Creek on the northwest. The crest of the range forms the Kentucky and Virginia boundary from the Tennessee border to the Russell Fork River. (Full article...)

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A table or tableland is a butte, flank of a mountain, or mountain, that has a flat top.

This kind of landform has numerous names, including:

Butte
Mesa
Plateau – highland area, usually of relatively flat terrain
Potrero
Tepui
Terrace
Tuya (Full article...)

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The Avon Gorge (grid reference ST560743) is a 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometre) long gorge on the River Avon in Bristol, England. The gorge runs south to north through a limestone ridge 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of Bristol city centre, and about 3 miles (5 km) from the mouth of the river at Avonmouth. The gorge forms the boundary between the unitary authorities of North Somerset and Bristol, with the boundary running along the south bank. As Bristol was an important port, the gorge formed a defensive gateway to the city.

On the east of the gorge is the Bristol suburb of Clifton, and The Downs, a large public park. To the west of the gorge is Leigh Woods, the name of both a village and the National Trust forest it is situated in. There are three Iron Age hill forts overlooking the gorge, as well as an observatory. The Clifton Suspension Bridge, an icon of Bristol, crosses the gorge. (Full article...)

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General images

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

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

Selected skiing article

Frostbitten toes two to three days after mountain climbing

Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when exposed to extremely low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occurs in the hands and feet. The initial symptoms are typically a feeling of cold and tingling or numbing. This may be followed by clumsiness with a white or bluish color to the skin. Swelling or blistering may occur following treatment. Complications may include hypothermia or compartment syndrome.

People who are exposed to low temperatures for prolonged periods, such as winter sports enthusiasts, military personnel, and homeless individuals, are at greatest risk. Other risk factors include drinking alcohol, smoking, mental health problems, certain medications, and prior injuries due to cold. The underlying mechanism involves injury from ice crystals and blood clots in small blood vessels following thawing. Diagnosis is based on symptoms. Severity may be divided into superficial (1st and 2nd degree) or deep (3rd and 4th degree). A bone scan or MRI may help in determining the extent of injury. (Full article...)

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