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Appalachian Mountains

A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher than a hill, typically rising at least 300 metres (980 ft) above the surrounding land. A few mountains are isolated summits, but most occur in mountain ranges.

Mountains are formed through tectonic forces, erosion, or volcanism, which act on time scales of up to tens of millions of years. Once mountain building ceases, mountains are slowly leveled through the action of weathering, through slumping and other forms of mass wasting, as well as through erosion by rivers and glaciers.

High elevations on mountains produce colder climates than at sea level at similar latitude. These colder climates strongly affect the ecosystems of mountains: different elevations have different plants and animals. Because of the less hospitable terrain and climate, mountains tend to be used less for agriculture and more for resource extraction, such as mining and logging, along with recreation, such as mountain climbing and skiing.

The highest mountain on Earth is Mount Everest in the Himalayas of Asia, whose summit is 8,850 m (29,035 ft) above mean sea level. The highest known mountain on any planet in the Solar System is Olympus Mons on Mars at 21,171 m (69,459 ft). (Full article...)

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A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice sheet. It may consist of partly rounded particles ranging in size from boulders (in which case it is often referred to as boulder clay) down to gravel and sand, in a groundmass of finely-divided clayey material sometimes called glacial flour. Lateral moraines are those formed at the side of the ice flow, and terminal moraines were formed at the foot, marking the maximum advance of the glacier. Other types of moraine include ground moraines (till-covered areas forming sheets on flat or irregular topography) and medial moraines (moraines formed where two glaciers meet). (Full article...)

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The Bull Run Mountains are a mountain range of the Blue Ridge Mountains in northern Virginia in the United States. Located approximately 20 miles (32 km) east of the main chain, across the Loudoun Valley. The Bull Run Mountains, together with Catoctin Mountain in Virginia and Maryland, make up the easternmost front of the Blue Ridge.

The mountain range is the home of the Virginia Outdoors Foundation's Preserve at Bull Run Mountains, which is a state-designated Natural Area Preserve dedicated to the scientific and educational potential of the region. The Preserve at Bull Run Mountains has over seven miles of trails that are open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays - year round. (Full article...)

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Belki (Russian: белки; Khakas: Taskhyl), also known as Belogorye (Russian: белогорье), is a type of mountain summit in Southern Siberia. (Full article...)

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A hex is an item of rock-climbing equipment used to protect climbers from falls. They are intended to be wedged into a crack or other opening in the rock, and do not require a hammer to place. They were developed as an alternative to pitons, which are hammered into cracks, damaging the rock. Most commonly, a carabiner will be used to join the hex to the climbing rope by means of a loop of webbing, cord or a cable which is part of the hex.

Hexes are a type of nut, a hollow eccentric hexagonal prism with tapered ends, usually threaded with webbing, a swaged cable, or a cord. They are manufactured by several firms, with a range of sizes varying from about 10–100 millimetres (0.4–4 in) wide. Climbers select a range of sizes to use on a specific climb based on the characteristics of the cracks in the rock encountered on that particular climb. Sides may be straight or curved although the functioning principles remain the same no matter which shape is selected; the lack of sharp corners on curved models may make them easier to remove from the rock. (Full article...)

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General images

The following are images from various mountain-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A subalpine lake in the Cascade Range, Washington, United States (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 2A stand of mountain birch at around 750 m in Trollheimen, typical of Scandinavian subalpine forests (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 3The northern Urals at high latitude and elevation have an alpine climate and barren ground. (from Mountain)
Image 4This 1848 "Sketch showing the actual elevation of the Snow Line in different Latitudes" by Alexander Keith Johnston shows the snow lines of mountains in America, Europe and Asia (from Snow line)
Image 5Climber approaching the summit of Manaslu at 8,163 metres (from Mountaineering)
Image 6Mountaineers climbing in South Tyrol (from Mountain)
Image 7Edward Whymper (1840–1911), painting by Lance Calkin (from Mountaineering)
Image 8Mountaineers proceed across snow fields on South Tyrol; other climbers are visible further up the slopes. (from Mountaineering)
Image 9Iranian oak scrub in the Zagros Mountains (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 10Pirin Mountain, Bulgaria, part of the fault-block Rila-Rhodope massif (from Mountain)
Image 11Chimborazo, Ecuador, whose summit is the point farthest away from the Earth's center (from Mountain)
Image 12Choppering out the injured – with Mt. Forbes in the background (from Mountain rescue)
Image 13Alpine flora near Cascade Pass (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 14Car of Horská služba (Czech Republic) (from Mountain rescue)
Image 15Mountain rescue team members and other services attend to a casualty in Freiburg Germany. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 16The Catskills in Upstate New York represent an eroded plateau. (from Mountain)
Image 17Antique climbing tools (from Mountaineering)
Image 18Mount Everest, Earth's highest mountain (from Mountain)
Image 19Everest is highest from sea level (green), Mauna Kea is highest from its base (orange), Cayambe is farthest from Earth's axis (pink) and Chimborazo is farthest from Earth's centre (blue) (from Mountain)
Image 20An alpine mire in the Swiss Alps (from Mountain)
Image 21The Namcha Barwa Himal, east part of the Himalayas as seen from space by Apollo 9 (from Mountain range)
Image 22Waimea Canyon, Hawaii, is known for its montane vegetation. (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 23The city of La Paz reaches up to 4,000 metres (13,000 ft) in elevation. (from Mountain)
Image 24British mountaineer William Cecil Slingsby became known as the father of Norwegian mountaineering and contributed greatly to its popularization with his classic book Norway, the Northern Playground (from Mountaineering)
Image 25Temperate montane forest in Bavaria, Germany (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 26A mountain rescue team in Iran moving a casualty. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 27Winter campers bivouaced in the snow (from Mountaineering)
Image 28Edelweiss, a plant associated with mountain sports (from Mountaineering)
Image 29Montes Apenninus on the Moon was formed by an impact event. (from Mountain range)
Image 30Stretcher box in Cumbria, England, prepositioned equipment saves mountain rescue teams having to trudge up mountains with it. (from Mountain rescue)
Image 31Alpine landscape below Malyovitsa Peak, Rila Mountain, Bulgaria (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 32Mountaineers, c. 1900 (from Mountaineering)
Image 33Fuji volcano (from Mountain)
Image 34Tropical montane forest at around 2,000 m in Malaysia (from Montane ecosystems)
Image 35Illustration of mountains that developed on a fold that has been thrust (from Mountain)
Image 36Cabane du Trient, a mountain hut in the Swiss Alps (from Mountaineering)
Image 37The Ocean Ridge, the world's longest mountain range (chain) (from Mountain range)
Image 38Fixed lines and ladders are distinguishing characteristics of expedition style mountaineering (from Mountaineering)
Image 39The Andes, the longest mountain range on the surface of the Earth, have a dramatic impact on the climate of South America (from Mountain range)
Image 40Climbers ascending Mount Rainier looking at Little Tahoma Peak (from Mountaineering)

Selected skiing article

Photokeratitis or ultraviolet keratitis is a painful eye condition caused by exposure of insufficiently protected eyes to the ultraviolet (UV) rays from either natural (e.g. intense direct or reflected sunlight) or artificial (e.g. the electric arc during welding) sources. Photokeratitis is akin to a sunburn of the cornea and conjunctiva.

The injury may be prevented by wearing eye protection that blocks most of the ultraviolet radiation, such as welding goggles with the proper filters, a welder's helmet, sunglasses rated for sufficient UV protection, or appropriate snow goggles. The condition is usually managed by removal from the source of ultraviolet radiation, covering the corneas, and administration of pain relief. Photokeratitis is known by a number of different terms including: snow blindness, arc eye, welder's flash, bake eyes, corneal flash burns, flash burns, niphablepsia, or keratoconjunctivitis photoelectrica. (Full article...)

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