Mountain - Alps, Himalayas, Andes | Britannica

mountain

Table of Contents

Introduction
Geomorphic characteristics
Tectonic processes that create and destroy mountain belts and their components
- Mechanisms that support elevated terrains
- Tectonic processes that produce high elevations
  - Volcanism
  - Crustal shortening
  - Heating and thermal expansion
- Tectonic processes that destroy elevated terrains
Major types of mountain belts
- Mountain belts associated with volcanism
  - Mid-ocean ridges and rises
  - Volcanic structures along subduction zones
  - Landforms associated with hot spot volcanism
- Mountain belts associated with crustal shortening
  - Alpine- (or Himalayan-)type belts
  - Andean-type belts
  - Intracontinental mountain belts
Major mountain belts of the world
- The Circum-Pacific System
  - The Andes
  - The Caribbean chains
  - The North American Cordillera
  - Volcanoes and island arcs surrounding the northwest Pacific basin
- The Alpine-Himalayan, or Tethyan, System
  - The Himalayan chain
  - The Zagros and Bitlis mountains
  - The western segment of the system
- Residual mountain ranges and thermally uplifted belts
Selected world mountains

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

Mount Sir
Donald

Mount Triumph, Washington

Bearhat Mountain

Understand how the age of mountains determine their types; young mountains and old mountains

continental collision

cross section of the Himalayas

world's highest mountains

Mount Fuji, Japan.

Aymara Indian poling a reed boat on Lake Titicaca

For Students

Karakoram Range: K2 (Mount Godwin Austen)

mountain summary

Read Next

Mount Everest (Mt. Everest, mountains, Himalayas).

Is Mount Everest Really the Tallest Mountain in the World?

Bear Hat Mountain above Hidden Lake on a crest of the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park, Montana

Exploring 7 of Earth’s Great Mountain Ranges

Discover

Solar Eclipse, Eclipse, Solar Flare, Outer Space, Astronomy

What Causes Lunar and Solar Eclipses?

Two chicks near an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, chickens, birds).

What Do Eggs Have to Do with Easter?

Pluto. The Changing Faces of Pluto. Most detailed view to date of the entire surface of the dwarf planet Pluto, as constructed from multiple NASA Hubble Space Telescope photographs taken from 2002 to 2003.

10 Important Dates in Pluto History

Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson

Vietnam War Timeline

Adolf Hitler (Nazi, nazism, German leader).

9 Things You Might Not Know About Adolf Hitler

Aphrodite. Greek mythology. Sculpture. Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty.

12 Greek Gods and Goddesses

Albert Einstein in Washington, D.C. c. 1921-1923. Physicist

The Solar Eclipse That Made Albert Einstein a Science Celebrity

A list of selected world mountains is provided in the table. ...(100 of 11921 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.