Mountains
Mountains are areas of land that are much higher than the land surrounding them. They are higher and usually steeper than a hill and are generally over 600 metres high. They are often found together in a group called a mountain range.
Some well-known mountain ranges in the four countries that make up the UK include:
- the Cairngorms in Scotland
- the Pennines in England
- the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland
- Snowdonia in Wales
How are mountains formed?
The highest mountain ranges are created by tectonic plates pushing together and forcing the ground up where they meet. This is how the mountains of the Himalayas in Asia were formed.
Tectonic plates are also at work under the Atlantic Ocean, but instead of forcing the ground up, the two plates in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean are actually moving apart in opposite directions. This causes lava to erupt out of the gap that is left. As it cools down, the lava creates a long line of mountains - the longest mountain range on Earth.
Other mountains - usually those that stand on their own - are created by ancient volcanoes. Ben Nevis in Scotland was once a very large active volcano. It last erupted millions of years ago and the eruption was so violent that it caved in on itself.
The highest mountains in the UK are:
- Ben Nevis in Scotland (also the highest in the UK)
- Scafell Pike in England
- Slieve Donard in Northern Ireland
- Snowdon in Wales
Mount Everest Facts
1. The officially recognised height of Mount Everest is 29,029ft (8,848m), based on a 1954 ground-based measurement. A disputed satellite-based measurement in 1999 suggested it was six feet taller.
2. There are two main routes to the summit: the south-east ridge from Nepal and the north ridge from Tibet.
4. At least one person has died on Everest every year since 1969, except in 1977.
5. Sir Edmund Hillary's son, Peter, has climbed Everest five times. His first summit was in 1990.
6. Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay reached the 29,035-foot summit of Everest on May 29, 1953, becoming the first people to stand atop the world's highest mountain.
7. Tenzing Norgay unsuccessfully tried to get to the top of Everest six times before reaching it with Hillary.
8. Winds on the mountain have been recorded at more than 200mph.
9. One in 10 successful climbs to the summit ends in death.
10. The fastest descent was made in 11 minutes: Frenchman Jean-Marc Boivin paraglided down in 1988.
11. There are estimated to be 120 dead bodies on the mountain.
12. The youngest person to reach the top is Jordan Romero, who made it, aged 13, in 2010.
13. The Nepalese call it Sagarmatha, meaning "Forehead (or Goddess) of the Sky". In Tibet it is known as Chomolungma, "Mother Goddess of the Universe".
14. Temperatures on the mountain can get as low as minus 60C.
15. Climbers have left an estimated 120 tons of litter on the mountain, including oxygen tanks, tents and other kit.
Mountain Resources
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How do animals and people affect the mountain landscape? |
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Class Clips - An introduction to mountain ranges around the world |
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BBC Bitesize - Mountain Rescue in the Torridon mountains |
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BBC Two - Mountain |
| Documentary series revealing the extraordinary animals and remarkable people who make a home on the iconic mountain ranges of the world - Rockies, Himalaya and Andes. | |
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How hydroelectricity plants have changed the landscape |
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Planet Earth - Mountains |
| This episode looks at mountains, beginning with the birth of a mountain and ending at the summit of Everest. | |
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BBC Teach - Zoom In, Zoom Out - Mountains |
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NGK Blue Ridge Mountains page 1 | [pdf 10MB] |
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NGK Blue Ridge Mountains page 2 | [pdf 14MB] |
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The RGS - The Formation of Mountains | [ppt 3MB] |
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