Overview
Mountains form as a result of intense tectonic forces. Mountain chains such as the Andes and the Himalayas rise from the collisions of continental plates, as rocks are folded, uplifted, and faulted.
Mountains
Mountains have peaks that are at higher elevation than the surrounding land. The definition of a mountain usually includes the height of the peak as well as the slope of the elevation leading up to the peak. The lowest mountains may only be 300 meters higher than the surrounding land but have a steep elevation to the peak. A mountain with a peak at 1000 meters has a slope greater than 5 degrees, a mountain with a peak of 1500 meters has a slope greater than 2 degrees, and a mountain with a peak of 2500 meters will have a slope greater than 1 degree. By comparison, Mount Everest is 8,848 meters above sea level.
Types of Tectonic Forces
Tectonic plates collide to form most mountain chains. Trapped magma forced to the surface creates volcanic ridges and chains such as the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” Rock layers can be folded by intense pressure from either side. Faults raise and lower blocks of the earth’s crust, sometimes violently in earthquakes. Those blocks can be tilted and reversed as they are further deformed.
The Andes
The Andes Mountains, in western South America, were formed as a result of collisions between oceanic plates and continental plates a hundred million years ago. Magma erupted to create volcanoes as the oceanic plate dove under the continental plate. Some of the igneous rock was further transformed by faulting and folding into sedimentary and metamorphic rock.
The Himalayas
The Himalaya Mountains, between India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, China, and Pakistan, were formed as a result of collisions between continental plates, roughly 75 million years ago. Scientists believe that the Eurasian and Indian plates collided. However, the rocks forming continental plates were at the same density, so one could not dive under the other. They faulted and folded instead, creating a mountain range with some of the tallest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest and K2. The entire region is at a very high elevation.
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