Mountains average: height and examples. Classification of mountains

Mountains are different: old and young, rocky and flat, dome-shaped and piciform. Some of them are covered with dense forests, others - lifeless stone placers. But in this article we will talk about their height. Which mountains are average, and which are considered high?

Mountain as a form of relief

First of all, it is worth answering the question about what a mountain is. This is a positive form of relief, characterized by a sharp and isolated elevation of the terrain. In any grief, three basic elements can be clearly seen:

• vertex;
• Foot;
• slope.

Any mountain system of the planet is nothing more than a complex system of valleys (valleys) and ridges, consisting of dozens of individual peaks. All of them are external manifestations of internal (endogenous) forces of the Earth - tectonic movements of the earth's crust and volcanism.

The mountains create beautiful and unique landscapes on the surface of our planet. They are distinguished by a peculiar soil cover, unique flora and fauna. But people live in the mountains extremely reluctantly. According to statistics, about 50% of the earth's population lives at altitudes not exceeding 200 meters above sea level.

Classification of mountains in geomorphology. Mountains are medium, low and high

In geomorphological science, mountains are classified according to a number of features: by age, height, geographical location, genesis, the shape of the peaks, and so on.

They can be tectonic, denudational or volcanic in origin, old or young by age. And young is considered the mountain system, the formation time of which does not exceed 50 million years. By geological standards this is a very small age.

According to the shape of its peak, the mountains are:

• Piciform;
• Domed;
• Plateau ("table").

Geographically, elevations above sea level give rise to mountains:

• Low;
• Average;
• High.

Sometimes in the literature one can also find intermediate high-altitude types, for example, medium-high or medium-mountain mountains. It should be noted right away that mountains of medium height can be found in any part of the world. However, most of them are in Europe and Asia.

Middle mountains: examples and height

8848 meters - such a mark reaches the highest peak of the world - Jomolungma, or Everest. The absolute height of the middle mountains is much more modest: from 1 to 3 km above the ocean level.

The most famous examples of such mountain systems are the Carpathians, Appalachians, Tatras, Apennines, Pyrenees, Scandinavian and Drakensberg mountains, Australian Alps, Stara Planina. There are mountains of medium and within Russia. These are the Ural Mountains, East Sayan, Kuznetsk Alatau, Sikhote-Alin (in the photo below) and others.

An important feature of the middle mountains is the presence of high altitude zonality. That is, vegetation and landscapes here change with height.

Carpathians

The Carpathians - the largest mountain system in Europe, covering eight countries. Linguists, explaining the origin of its name, came to the conclusion that this toponym has a root of the Indo-European roots and is translated as "stone", "rock".

The Carpathians stretched an arc of one and a half thousand kilometers, from the Czech Republic to Serbia. And the highest point of this mountain system is in the territory of Slovakia (Gerlachowski-Stit, 2654 m). A curious fact: between the Alps and the easternmost spurs of the Carpathians - only 15 kilometers.

Carpathians - young mountains. They formed in the Cenozoic. However, their outlines are smooth, gently sloping, which is more characteristic of old age geological structures. This can be explained by the fact that the Carpathians are mainly composed of soft rocks (chalk, limestones and clays).

The mountain system is divided into three conventional parts: Western, Eastern (or Ukrainian) and Southern Carpathians. It also includes the Transylvanian plateau. The Carpathian mountains are distinguished by a fairly high seismicity. Here is the so-called Vrancea zone, which "produces" earthquakes of 7-8 points.

Appalachian Mountains

Geomorphologists often call the Appalachians an identical twin of the Carpathians. In appearance, they differ little from each other. The Appalachian mountains are located in the eastern part of North America, within two states (the USA and Canada). They stretch from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Gulf of Mexico in the south. The total length of the mountain system is about 2500 kilometers.

If the European Carpathians are young mountains, then the American Appalachians are a product of the earlier Hercynian and Caledonian folds. They formed about 200-400 million years ago.

Appalachians are rich in various mineral resources. Here coal, asbestos, oil, and iron ore are mined. In this regard, this mountain region is also very often called the historical "industrial belt" of the United States.

The Australian Alps

It turns out that the Alps are not only in Europe. The inhabitants of the smallest and most dry continent can also go camping in the real Alps. But only in the Australian!

This mountain system is located in the southern part of the continent. It is here that the highest point of all of Australia is Kosciusko Mountain (2228 m). And on the slopes of these mountains the longest mainland river, Murray, originates.

The Australian Alps are stunningly diverse in the landscape. In these mountains you can meet and snow-capped peaks, and deep green valleys, and lakes with the purest water. The slopes of the mountains are decorated with bizarre rocks. In the Australian Alps, there are several picturesque national parks and excellent ski resorts.

Finally

Now you know which mountains are medium and which are high. Geomorphologists distinguish three types of mountain systems in height. The middle mountains have a height of 1000 to 3000 meters above sea level. Carpathians, Appalachians, Australian Alps - these are the most striking examples of such mountain systems in the world.