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Information on Mountains
rises farthest from its base is Mauna Kea on Hawaii, whose peak is over 9,000 m above its

base on the floor of the Pacific Ocean.

Even though Everest is the highest mountain on Earth today, there have been much taller
mountains in the past. During the Precambrian era, the Canadian Shield once had enormous
mountains 12,000 m in height that are now eroded down into rolling hills. These enormous
mountains formed by the collision of plate tectonics much like the Himalaya and the Rocky
Mountains.

At 26 km (Fraknoi et al., 2004), the tallest known mountain in the solar system is Olympus

Mons, located on Mars.

Characteristics

The altitude of mountains means that the tops exist in higher cold layers of the atmosphere.
They are consequently often subject to glaciation and erosion through frost action. This
produces the classic mountain peak shape. Some mountains have glacial lakes, created by
melting glaciers; for example, there are an estimated 3,000 in Bhutan.

The Mythical Mount Olympus in Greece.

Sufficiently tall mountains have very different climatic conditions at the
top than at the base, and will thus have different life zones at different altitudes on their

slopes. The plants and animals of a zone are somewhat isolated when the zones above and
below are inhospitable, and many unique species occur on mountainsides as a result.
Extreme cases are known as sky islands. Cloud forests are forests on mountain sides which
attract moisture from the air, creating a unique ecosystem. Very tall mountains may be
covered in ice or snow.

Mountains are not generally favored for human habitation; the weather is harsher, less food

is available, and there is little level ground suitable for farming. At very high altitudes, there
is less oxygen in the air, and less protection against solar radiation (UV). Acute mountain
sickness (caused by hypoxia - a lack of oxygen in the blood) affects over half of lowlanders
who spend more than a few hours above 3,500 metres. Despite some biological adaptation

by peoples who have lived on mountains for hundreds or thousands of years, babies' average
birthweight is reduced by 100 grams for every 1,000-metre gain in altitude. Thus, many
stores lining the many mountain ranges known to cause these sicknesses provide oxygen
tanks and higher SPF sunscreens.

Most mountains of the world have been left in their natural state, and are today primarily
used for recreation. Some mountains are very difficult to climb, and offer spectacular views.

(God's Amazing Landscapes) 8