What is Meant by a Mountain Range?
A hill range or mountain range is acknowledged as a series of hills or mountains that remain ranged in lines. The mountain ranges remain linked by high ground. A mountain belt or a mountain system is considered a group containing mountain ranges that have huge similarities in structure, alignment, and form that arose from the same cause, commonly an orogeny. The mountain ranges get formed by various geological processes, though the majority of the ones on Earth happen because of plate tectonics.
People will find a list of major mountain range of the world on several planetary-mass objects present in the Solar System that feature many terrestrial planets. Commonly, mountain ranges happen to be segmented by mountain passes, valleys, and highlands, and individual mountains that are present in the same mountain range don’t possess the same petrology or geologic structure. If you observe the list of major mountain range of the world, you might discover combinations of various terranes and orogenic expressions, like uplifted blocks, thrust sheets, volcanic landforms, and fold mountains that result in different rock types.
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What is the Climate of the Mountain Ranges?
The position of a mountain range affects climate, like snow or rain. If air masses move over and up the mountains, then the air cools the orographic precipitation, which means snow or rain. The descending of the air on the leeward side makes it warm again. Again, it becomes drier, too, as it strips its moisture. Most often, a rain shadow ends up affecting the leeward side of the range. Due to this, huge mountain ranges, like the Andes, classify continents into some distinct climate regions.
What is the Erosion of the Mountain Ranges?
Mountain ranges remain subjected to erosional forces all the time, and they do tear them down. After this, the basins that remain adjacent to the eroding mountain ranges get filled with sediments. They are then buried before being changed into sedimentary rock. When the mountains get uplifted, then the erosion remains at work until the time mountains turn into plains and low hills.
An instance happens to the previous Cenozoic uplift of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. As the uplift happened, some 3000 m or 10,000 feet of Mesozoic sedimentary strata got removed by erosion. Because the range was undergoing uplift actively, this heap of rock was removed, and the removal of this mass caused further uplift because the region got accustomed isostatically as a response to the detached weight.
Commonly, rivers are known to be the chief cause of the erosion of the mountain range. They do this when they cut bedrocks and transport sediment.
Some Mountain Range Examples
Mountain ranges are sequential series or chains of hills or mountains, and some of them are mentioned below:
The Himalayan Mountain Range – The Himalaya or the Himalayas are a well-known form of a mountain range in Asia. This separates the Indian subcontinent plains from the Tibetan Plateau. This is a young fold mountain that falls in the tertiary period that folds over the Tethys Sea because of the inter-continental crash. The Himalayan Mountain Range extends for nearly 2500 kilometres between Brahmaputra and Indus in an arc-shaped method. This plays a vital role that determines the climate that surrounds the Indian sub-continent. The Himalayan Mountain Range has huge potential for different metallic minerals, such as Zinc, Nickel, Cobalt, Bismuth, Antimony, and Copper.
Karakoram Mountains – The Karakoram is meant black gravel, and it is the mountain range of Pakistan that marks the western end of the mountain chain of the Greater Himalayas. It comprises the highest concentration of higher peaks on earth. The Karakoram is considered a mountain desert, and it is a huge region of ice and barren rock. It has got gravel-covered glaciers too, where various jeep roads do cut through remote villages to valley systems.
The Alps Mountain Range – This mountain range is considered the most extensive, highest, and the important mountain range of Europe. It stretches nearly 1200 km, which is 750 m all across 8 Alpine countries, beginning from Switzerland, France, Monaco, Italy, Austria, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, and Germany. The Alps Mountain Range also plays a vital role in determining the European climate.
Andes Mountains – If you ask what is the highest mountain range in the world, then the Andes Mountains will be your answer. This mountain range is considered the largest mountain range in the world, and they are also the highest mountain ranges outside Asia. These mountains run 7000 miles, beginning from Colombia to South America. The Andes Mountains are different from the Asian mountain ranges that have resulted from various collisions that happened between continents. Since the period of the Cretaceous ocean, crusts are constantly sliding down below, and they are continuously melting, sinking, and also causing volcanoes. The Andes happens to be the portion of “Rim of Fire”, and it surrounds the Pacific, that is marked by earthquake zones, deep ocean trenches, and volcanoes. The snowfields and glaciers present in the Andes do supply water to the dry coast of South America besides the Amazon Basin.
The Atlas Mountains Range – The Atlas Mountain Ranges are important mountain ranges of the world. It stretches around 1600 mi or 2500 kilometres through Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. This splits the Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines and gets occupied by Berber populations. The Atlas Mountain Range was created during the Precambrian time.
Alaska Range – This range is a narrow, curved, and long one that crosses the Aleutian Peninsula from Alaska. When it bends in Central Alaska, then it happens to be the North American highest mountain. This is also a 20,237-foot Denali and one of the 7 Summits. Again, the Alaska Range is considered one of the tallest mountains of the world from the bottom to the top. Alaska is created from some strips of continents that emerged from somewhere else. Here, the faults which bound the strips tend to be bent, and it makes Denali get popped up at one corner. This also dominates the nearby peaks, and you can see it from long distances.
The Rockies Mountain range – This mountain range is located in western NA (North America). It stretches above 3,000 miles from the northernmost area of British Columbia to New Mexico. Public parks, as well as forest lands, protect it, and people find it to be an exciting tourist destination, particularly for camping, hiking, fishing, mountaineering, mountain biking, hunting, snowboarding, and skiing.
Some Useful Facts about the Major Mountain Ranges of the World:
Some mountain ranges of the world that you will find on every continent -
Antarctica – Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctic Peninsula – The highest mountain is Vinson Massif that has peaks at 4897 meters.
Africa – Eastern African Highlands, Atlas, and Ethiopian Highlands.
Asia – Taurus, Himalayas, Hindu Kush, Japanese Mountains, and Elburz.
Europe – Alps, Pyrenees, Apennines, Carpathians, Balkan Mountains, and the Urals.
Australia – MacDonnell Mountains
North America – Sierra Nevada, Appalachians, Laurentides, and the Rocky Mountains.
South America – Brazilian Highlands and the Andes
FAQs on Major Mountain Ranges of the World
1) What are the physical characteristics of mountains?
Commonly, mountains have sloping and steep sides. Again, they can have either rounded or sharp ridges besides a higher point, known as a summit or peak. The majority of the geologists class mountains as landforms that rise nearly 300 meters or 1000 feet or above from their surrounding areas. Mountain ranges are chains of a series of mountains that stay close to one another.
2) How are mountains formed?
The crust of the Earth is separated into several sections. This looks similar to eggs whose shells crack severely. Those parts of the crust of the Earth are known as tectonic plates. They float on seas of molten rock or hot magma. When those two plates collide, then one is compelled to stay under the other. This pushes the land upwards, which gradually forms mountains. The interesting thing is the Himalayas mountain ranges are still growing via this method.
A few mountains get formed when volcanoes erupt. Volcanoes happen to be openings that appear in the crust of the earth, and they remain directed downward. At the time of an eruption, a volcano releases gas, solid rock, ash, and lava. A few volcanoes that have discharged huge quantities of molten materials with passing time for reaching impressive heights are known as mountains. In Hawaii, you will find volcanoes that happen to be mountains. Some examples are Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.
3) What are the common benefits of mountains?
Mountains become the source of 60 to 80% of freshwater in the world. According to the UNO, nearly 1 billion people exist in mountain areas, and lots of the human population remains dependent on mountains for nutrition and water. Mountains have been facing huge risks from natural calamities and climate change.
Again, mountains come across climate change too because the global temperature constantly warms, and this ends up disturbing the poorest and starving people worldwide who exist in the mountains. Because of the increased temperature, glaciers that stay in the mountains continue to melt, and it becomes the main reason for floods. Presently, 329 million people who are living in the mountains are facing a scarcity of food.
4) What is the common height of the mountain ranges?
The majority of the mountain ranges do extend for some hundreds or, at times, thousands of miles. The small mountain range might be less than 100 miles long. The Sutter Buttes are the smallest mountain range, and it is present in Northern California.
