MOUNTAINS
A mountain is a large mass of land that rises to a great height, which is much above the surrounding area. The top of a mountain is the called a peak; the peak may be sharp or rounded. The sides slope down steeply to the base or foothills of the mountain
They generally occur in long chains or ranges, which may stretch for hundreds of kilometers. The Himalayas have three major ranges
Greater Himalayas, Himachal or the middle Himalayas and Shiwalik or the Lower Himalayas. Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa is an example of a single land mass. There are three types of mountains –fold, block and volcanic
FOLD MOUNTAINS
These mountains are formed by the wrapping or folding of the earth’s crust due to compressional forces. Compressional forces generally occur when tectonic plates converge. For example, the Himalayas, the Alps, the Rockies and Andes are young fold mountains. They are high, with steep slopes and sharp, pointed peaks. They consist of parallel ranges. The peaks are snow –covered
BLOCK MOUNTAINS
The earth movements may sometimes result in the formation of cracks and fissures or faults. The earth’s crust breaks along these faults into blocks. The weak zone along which the crust breaks is called a fault line The crustal block may either be uplifted or subsided along the fault line.
Volcanic Mountains
These mountains are a result of volcanic activities. They are formed due to accumulation of magma, ash and cinder, magma or molten material reaches the surface of the earth through a vent when extreme pressure builds up within the earth
Did you know
The process of mountain formation, especially by folding and faulting of the Earth’s crust and by volcanic eruption, is called orogeny.
By,
TEJAS
Grade 6D
Orchids The International School Vivekananda.
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