Mountains

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A mountain is a complex landscape form of the earth, which is characterized by a mass elevation of the earth's surface clearly protruding from the low plane, as well as terrain forms with different slopes, corresponding exposures (angles of incidence of sunlight, sun and shades) and various relief forms.

Basically, a distinction is made between central mountains (rather rounded peaks, open rock only locally, vegetation form differs only gradually from the low plain) and high mountains (rather rugged peaks, landscape-defining rock regions, significantly different vegetation forms compared to the surrounding area). Determination of the two forms by altitude above sea level depends on regional conditions and is therefore not universal. Only in older literature can one find definitions that (also) refer to the absolute height, such as for Norbert Krebs and Alfred Philippson 1500 m (for mountains of the temperate zone) as the lower limit of the high mountains. All mountain types are among the great landforms that form the macro-relief of the earth.

37.4% of the Earth's land surface is between 1000 and 2000 m above sea level. Mountains are common from the polar regions to the tropics. The largest mountains in the world are located in the west of the American double continent, in a continuous mountain arch from southwest to central and south Asia to east Asia, in the Mediterranean and in east Africa.

The formation of mountains – in particular due to the displacements of the continental plates – occurred in the history of the earth in several epochs. After each elevation, a phase of ablation followed up to extensive levelling. Therefore, the mountains that exist today are primarily a consequence of the recent formation phase (Alpidian Orogenesis). Today's (truncated) mountains, which are counted as older phases, are strictly speaking the result of a renewed elevation, while the unfolding of the high mountains is still partly not completed.

Practically all mountains on earth were heavily affected by icing in the Pleistocene, so the shape of today's mountains is not due to the current climatic conditions. Most mountains, and especially the highest among them, are also among the tectonic active zones of the earth, and elevations are in some cases greater than erosion and denudation rates.

Definition and use of language
A mountain is understood in common usage
A group of more or less connected mountains as a mountain group or mountain range
A mountainous geographical region, a mountainous country

The word “mountain”, on the other hand, has a regionally different perception. Elevations such as the Wilseder Berg, with only the highest point in the vicinity of Lüneburg, would be described in Alpine countries at best as hills. Generally, “mountain” refers to a single peak or comb