What low mountains are there? Types and types of mountains. What types of mountains are there? Domed mountain peaks

Mountains vary in height, shape, age, origin, geographical location, etc. The article provides a description of the listed types of mountains.

Mountains by height

Lowlands

Low mountains or low mountains - mountain heights up to 800 meters above sea level.

Peculiarities:

• The tops of the mountains are round, flat,
• The slopes are gentle, not steep, covered with forest,
• Characteristically, there are river valleys between the mountains.

Examples: Northern Urals, spurs of the Tien Shan, some ridges of Transcaucasia, Khibiny Mountains on the Kola Peninsula, individual mountains of Central Europe.

Srednegorye

Middle mountains (medium or mid-altitude mountains) - the height of these mountains is from 800 to 3000 meters above sea level.

Medium-altitude mountains are characterized by altitudinal zonation, i.e. change of landscape with change in altitude.

Examples of medium mountains: Mountains of the Middle Urals, Polar Urals, mountains of the island of Novaya Zemlya, mountains of Siberia and the Far East, mountains of the Apennine and Iberian Peninsulas, Scandinavian mountains in northern Europe, Appalachians in North America, etc.

Highlands

Highlands (high mountains) - the height of these mountains is more than 3000 meters above sea level. These are young mountains, the relief of which is intensively formed under the influence of external and internal processes.

Peculiarities:

• The mountain slopes are steep, high,
• The peaks of the mountains are sharp, peak-shaped, and have a specific name - “Carlings”,
• The mountain ridges are narrow, jagged,
• It is characterized by altitudinal zones from forests at the foot of the mountains to icy deserts at the tops.

Examples: Pamir, Tien Shan, Caucasus, Himalayas, Cordillera, Andes, Alps, Karakoram, Rocky Mountains, etc.

Mountains by shape

According to the nature of the summit endings, mountains are: peak-shaped, dome-shaped, plateau-shaped, etc.

Peaked mountain peaks

Peaked mountains are pointed mountain peaks that are shaped like peaks, hence the name of this type of mountain peak. They are characteristic mainly of young mountains with steep rocky slopes, sharp ridges and deep crevices in river valleys.

Examples of mountains with peaked peaks:

• Peak Communism (mountain system - Pamir, height 7495 meters)
• Pobeda Peak (Tian Shan mountain system, height 7439 meters)
• Mount Kazbek (mountain system - Pamir, height 7134 meters)
• Pushkin Peak (mountain system - Caucasus, height 5100 meters)

Domed mountain peaks

The dome-shaped, that is, rounded, shape of the top can be taken by:

• Laccoliths are unformed volcanoes in the form of a hill with a magma core inside,
• Extinct ancient heavily destroyed volcanoes,
• Small areas of land that have undergone a dome-shaped tectonic uplift and, under the influence of erosion processes, have taken on a mountainous appearance.

Examples of mountains with a dome-shaped peak:

• Black Hills (USA). The area was subject to dome uplift and much of the sedimentary cover was removed by further denudation and erosion. As a result, the central core was exposed. It consists of metamorphic and igneous rocks.
• Ai-Nikola (Ukrainian Ai-Nikola, Crimean tat. Ay Nikola, Ai Nikola) is a domed outlier mountain, the southeastern spur of Mount Mogabi near the western outskirts of the village of Oreanda. It is composed of Upper Jurassic limestones. Height - 389 meters above sea level.
• Kastel (Ukrainian Kastel, Crimean Catholicate. Qastel, Kaastel) is a mountain 439 m high on the southern outskirts of Alushta, behind the Professor’s Corner. The dome of the mountain is covered with a forest cap, and chaos has formed on the eastern slope - boulders of stone, sometimes reaching 3-5 m in diameter.
• Ayu-Dag or Bear Mountain (Ukrainian Ayu-Dag, Crimean Catholicate. Ayuv Dağ, Ayuv Dag) is a mountain on the southern coast of Crimea, located on the border of Big Alushta and Big Yalta. The height of the mountain is 577 meters above sea level. This is a classic example of a laccolith.
• Kara-Dag (Ukrainian Kara-Dag, Crimean Catholicate. Qara dağ, Kаara dag) is a mountain-volcanic massif, Crimea. Maximum height - 577 m (Mount Holy). It is a heavily destroyed volcanic form with a dome-shaped top.
• Mashuk is a remnant magmatic mountain (laccolith mountain) in the central part of Pyatigorye on the Caucasian Mineral Waters, in the northeastern part of the city of Pyatigorsk. The height is 993.7 m. The peak has a regular dome shape.

Plateau-shaped mountain peaks

Mountain peaks that are flat in shape are called plateau-shaped.

• Front Range Front Range) is a mountain range in the southern Rocky Mountains of the United States, adjacent to the Great Plains to the west. The ridge stretches from south to north for 274 km. The highest point is Mount Grays Peak (4349 m). The ridge is composed mainly of granites. The peaks are plateau-shaped, the eastern slopes are gentle, the western slopes are steep.
• Khibiny (Kild. Umptek) is the largest mountain range on the Kola Peninsula. Geological age is about 350 million years. The peaks are plateau-shaped, the slopes are steep with isolated snowfields. However, not a single glacier was discovered in the Khibiny Mountains. The highest point is Mount Yudychvumchorr (1200.6 m above sea level).
• Amba (translated from Amharic as Mountain Fortress) is the name of the flat-topped hills and mesas in Ethiopia. They consist mainly of horizontal sandstones and layers of basalt. This determines the flat-topped shape of the mountains. Ambas are located at an altitude of up to 4,500 m.

Mountains by age

By age, mountains are divided into:

• Young mountains,
• Old (ancient) mountains.

Young mountains formed over the last 50 million years. In these mountain systems, internal processes are very actively developing, accompanied by the formation of mountains, earthquakes, and sometimes even volcanic activity. The youngest mountains on Earth are those belonging to the continental and island rings of the Pacific Ocean. The Caucasus Mountains are recognized as the youngest mountains in Russia. Here is the highest mountain in Russia - Elbrus (5642 m). (In the picture on the left: The Himalayas are young mountains, geological age about 38 million years)

Features of the young mountains:

• the process of growth of young mountains is still ongoing,
• the relief is sharp, highly dissected,
• the peaks of the ridges are sharp,
• the mountain slopes are steep and high,
• high absolute altitudes,
• significant height amplitude,
• the valleys of numerous rivers are presented in the form of gorges, gorges,
• Young mountains are characterized by the development of glaciers.

Examples of young mountains are:

• Alps,
• Caucasus Mountains,
• Carpathians,
• Kopet-Dag,
• Pamir,
• Mountains of Kamchatka.

Old (ancient) mountains are several hundred million years old. They differ in that the internal processes in them have long since died down, while the external processes that influence the destruction of the mountains are still active. This will continue until the relief is completely leveled. On many modern plains there are areas where, by all indications, there were once ancient mountains. From these mountains, only roots remained in the depths, covered with a thick layer of sedimentary rocks.

Features of old (ancient) mountains:

• were heavily damaged,
• have less contrasting relief,
• the elevation differences are small,
• gentle slopes,
• The river valleys are well developed.

Examples of old (ancient) mountains are:

• Ural mountains,
• Timan,
• Yenisei Ridge,
• Khibiny (Kola Peninsula, geological age approximately 350 million years).

By origin

Tectonic mountains are formed as a result of the collision of moving sections of the earth's crust - lithospheric plates. This collision causes folds to form on the surface of the earth. This is how folded mountains arise. When interacting with air, water and under the influence of glaciers, the rock layers that form folded mountains lose their plasticity, which leads to the formation of cracks and faults. Currently, folded mountains have been preserved in their original form only in certain parts of the young mountains - the Himalayas, formed during the era of Alpine folding.

With repeated movements of the earth's crust, hardened folds of rock are broken into large blocks, which, under the influence of tectonic forces, rise or fall. This is how folded block mountains arise. This type of mountains is typical for old (ancient) mountains. An example is the Altai mountains. The emergence of these mountains occurred during the Baikal and Caledonian eras of mountain building; in the Hercynian and Mesozoic eras they were subject to repeated movements of the earth's crust. The type of folded-block mountains was finally adopted during the Alpine folding.

Volcanic mountains are formed during the process of volcanic eruptions. They are usually located along fault lines in the earth's crust or at the boundaries of lithospheric plates.

There are two types of volcanic mountains:

Volcanic cones. These mountains acquired their cone-shaped appearance as a result of the eruption of magma through long cylindrical vents. This type of mountain is widespread throughout the world. These are Fuji in Japan, Mount Mayon in the Philippines, Popocatepetl in Mexico, Misti in Peru, Shasta in California, etc.
Shield volcanoes. Formed by repeated outpouring of lava. They differ from volcanic cones in their asymmetrical shape and small size.

In areas of the globe where active volcanic activity occurs, entire chains of volcanoes can form. The most famous is the chain of Hawaiian Islands of volcanic origin, more than 1600 km long. These islands are the tops of underwater volcanoes, whose height from the surface of the ocean floor is more than 5500 meters.

Erosion (denudation) mountains

Erosion mountains arose as a result of the intensive dissection of stratified plains, plateaus and plateaus by flowing waters. Most mountains of this type are characterized by a table shape and the presence of box-shaped and sometimes canyon-type valleys between them. The last type of valley occurs most often when a lava plateau is dissected.

Examples of erosional (denudation) mountains are the mountains of the Central Siberian Plateau (Vilyuisky, Tungussky, Ilimsky, etc.). Most often, erosion mountains can be found not in the form of separate mountain systems, but within mountain ranges, where they are formed by the dissection of rock layers by mountain rivers.

By geographical location

On this basis, it is customary to group mountains into mountain systems, ridges, mountain ranges and single mountains.

Mountain belts are the largest formations. There are the Alpine-Himalayan mountain belt, stretching across Europe and Asia, and the Andean-Cordilleran mountain belt, passing through North and South America.

Mountainous country - many mountain systems.

Mountain system - mountain ranges and groups of mountains that are similar in origin and have the same age (for example, the Appalachians)

Mountain ranges are interconnected mountains stretched out in a line. For example, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (North America).

Mountain groups are also mountains connected to each other, but not elongated in a line, but forming a group of indefinite shape. For example, Mount Henry in Utah and Bear Paw in Montana.

Solitary mountains are mountains that are not connected to other mountains, often of volcanic origin. For example, Mount Hood in Oregon and Rainier in Washington.

• - Peak-shaped mountain peaks;
• - Plateau-shaped mountain peaks;
• - Dome-shaped mountain peaks.

• - Mountain belts;
• - Mountain countries;
• - Mountain systems;
• - Mountain ranges;
• - Mountain groups;
• - Single mountains.

Let's consider all the listed types and types of mountains in more detail.

Types and types of mountains by height:

The main feature by which mountains are classified is the height of the mountains. So, according to the height of the mountains there are:

Lowlands (low mountains) – mountain heights up to 800 meters above sea level.

Features of low mountains:

• The tops of the mountains are round, flat,
• The slopes are gentle, not steep, covered with forest,
• Characteristically, there are river valleys between the mountains.

Examples: Northern Urals, spurs of the Tien Shan, some ridges of Transcaucasia, Khibiny Mountains on the Kola Peninsula, individual mountains of Central Europe.

Medium mountains (medium or mid-altitude mountains) – the height of these mountains is from 800 to 3000 meters above sea level.

Features of the middle mountains:

• Medium-altitude mountains are characterized by altitudinal zonation, i.e. change of landscape with change in altitude.

Examples of medium mountains: The mountains of the Middle Urals, the Polar Urals, the mountains of the island of Novaya Zemlya, the mountains of Siberia and the Far East, the mountains of the Apennine and Iberian Peninsulas, the Scandinavian mountains in northern Europe, the Appalachians in North America, etc.

More examples of medium mountains (added at the request of visitors):

• more than half the territory of the Altai Mountains (800-2000 meters),
• mid-mountain ridges of the Eastern Sayans,
• Aldan Highlands (height up to 2306 meters),
• medium-altitude ridges of the Chukotka Plateau,
• Orulgan ridge as part of the Verkhoyansk ridge (height - up to 2409 meters),
• Chersky ridge (the highest point is Mount Chingikan with a height of 1644 meters),
• Sikhote-Alin (the highest point is Mount Tordoki-Yani with a height of 2090 meters),
• High Tatras (highest point - Mount Gerlachovsky Štit, 2655 m),
• mid-mountain ridges of Transbaikalia (Daursky (up to 1526 m), Malkhansky (up to 1741 m), Dzhidinsky (up to 2027 m), Olekminsky Stanovik (average ridge height - from 1000 to 1400 m, maximum - 1845 m), Vitim Plateau (height from 1200 up to 1600 m) etc.).

Highlands (high mountains) – the height of these mountains is more than 3000 meters above sea level. These are young mountains, the relief of which is intensively formed under the influence of external and internal processes.

Features of the highlands:

• The mountain slopes are steep, high,
• The peaks of the mountains are sharp, peak-shaped, and have a specific name - “Carlings”,
• The mountain ridges are narrow, jagged,
• It is characterized by altitudinal zones from forests at the foot of the mountains to icy deserts at the tops.

Examples of highlands: Pamir, Tien Shan, Caucasus, Himalayas, Cordillera, Andes, Alps, Karakorum, Rocky Mountains, etc.

Types and types of mountains by origin.

The next characteristic by which mountains are classified is their origin. So, according to the origin of mountains, there are tectonic, volcanic and erosional (denudation):

are formed as a result of the collision of moving sections of the earth's crust - lithospheric plates. This collision causes folds to form on the surface of the earth. This is how they arise fold mountains. When interacting with air, water and under the influence of glaciers, the rock layers that form folded mountains lose their plasticity, which leads to the formation of cracks and faults. Currently, folded mountains have been preserved in their original form only in certain parts of the young mountains - the Himalayas, formed during the era of Alpine folding.

With repeated movements of the earth's crust, hardened folds of rock are broken into large blocks, which, under the influence of tectonic forces, rise or fall. This is how they arise fold-block mountains. This type of mountains is typical for old (ancient) mountains. An example is the Altai mountains. The emergence of these mountains occurred during the Baikal and Caledonian eras of mountain building; in the Hercynian and Mesozoic eras they were subject to repeated movements of the earth's crust. The type of folded-block mountains was finally adopted during the Alpine folding.

formed during volcanic eruptions. They are usually located along fault lines in the earth's crust or at the boundaries of lithospheric plates.

Volcanic there are mountains two types:

Volcanic cones. These mountains acquired their cone-shaped appearance as a result of the eruption of magma through long cylindrical vents. This type of mountain is widespread throughout the world. These are Fuji in Japan, Mount Mayon in the Philippines, Popocatepetl in Mexico, Misti in Peru, Shasta in California, etc.
Shield volcanoes. Formed by repeated outpouring of lava. They differ from volcanic cones in their asymmetrical shape and small size.

In areas of the globe where active volcanic activity occurs, entire chains of volcanoes can form. The most famous is the chain of Hawaiian Islands of volcanic origin, more than 1600 km long. These islands are the tops of underwater volcanoes, whose height from the surface of the ocean floor is more than 5500 meters.

Erosion (denudation) mountains .

Erosion mountains arose as a result of the intensive dissection of stratified plains, plateaus and plateaus by flowing waters. Most mountains of this type are characterized by a table shape and the presence of box-shaped and sometimes canyon-type valleys between them. The last type of valley occurs most often when a lava plateau is dissected.

Examples of erosional (denudation) mountains are the mountains of the Central Siberian Plateau (Vilyuisky, Tungussky, Ilimsky, etc.). Most often, erosion mountains can be found not in the form of separate mountain systems, but within mountain ranges, where they are formed by the dissection of rock layers by mountain rivers.

Need more information? Use Google search!

Selected world news.