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A '''mountain''' is a mass of land that is taller than its surroundings. Most mountains are made by the collisions of thick portions of the [[Earth]]'s crust. We call the upper part of the crust and the upper mantle a plate. The [[Earth]] has about a dozen plates that move slowly sideways, bouncing into each other and sometimes sliding down under one another. During many of the plate collisions part of the Earth's crust gets shoved up into the air creating mountains. All of the major mountain chains - such as the [[Rockies]], the [[Himalayas]] and [[Alps]] - were made this way. Without [[plate]]s there would be far fewer mountains.

A '''mountain''' is a mass of land that is taller than its surroundings. While there is no technical definition between the two, a mountain is generally regarded to be much larger than a [[hill]]. Mountains commonly form as a result of [[convergent zones]], where two [[Tectonic Plate|tectonic plates]] collide. These are called complex mountains, and example of which is the [[Himalayas]]. Other types of mountains, such as fault-block mountains, are a result of faults pushing sections of land up higher than the surrounding areas.

 

Young mountains tend to be larger than older ones. The typical rugged appearance of a mountain is caused by [[Glacier|glacial]] action, pinching the rock of the mountain into faces and horns.

[[Category:Geology]]

[[Category:Geology]]