A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arisen from the same cause, usually an orogeny . Mountain ranges are formed by a variety of geological processes, but most of the significant ones on Earth are the result of plate tectonics . Mountain ranges are also found on many planetary mass objects in the Solar System and are likely a feature of most terrestrial planets .
31-770: The Vanoise massif is a mountain range of the Graian Alps , located in the Western Alps . After the Mont Blanc Massif and the Écrins Massif it is the third-highest massif in France, reaching a height of 3,885 m at the summit of Grande Casse . It lies between Tarentaise Valley to the north and the Maurienne Valley in the south. The range is the site of France's first national park, established in 1963, Vanoise National Park . The ski resorts of Tignes and Val-d'Isère and
62-654: A planet or moon that is covered in ice . Ice caps form because high- latitude regions receive less energy as solar radiation from the sun than equatorial regions, resulting in lower surface temperatures . A desert is a landscape form or region that receives very little precipitation . Deserts usually have a large diurnal and seasonal temperature range, with high or low, depending on location daytime temperatures (in summer up to 45 °C or 113 °F), and low nighttime temperatures (in winter down to 0 °C or 32 °F) due to extremely low humidity . Many deserts are formed by rain shadows , as mountains block
93-534: A location's latitude. Modern climate classification methods can be broadly divided into genetic methods, which focus on the causes of climate, and empiric methods, which focus on the effects of climate. Examples of genetic classification include methods based on the relative frequency of different air mass types or locations within synoptic weather disturbances. Examples of empiric classifications include climate zones defined by plant hardiness , evapotranspiration, or associations with certain biomes , as in
124-513: A mean temperature of 10 °C (50 °F) or higher; D temperate —4 to 7 months have a mean temperature of 10 °C or higher; and E boreal climate —1 to 3 months have a mean temperature of 10 °C or higher. Otherwise, the tropical climates and polar climates remained the same as the original Köppen climate classification. Devised by the American climatologist and geographer C. W. Thornthwaite , this climate classification method monitors
155-801: A variety of rock types . Most geologically young mountain ranges on the Earth's land surface are associated with either the Pacific Ring of Fire or the Alpide belt . The Pacific Ring of Fire includes the Andes of South America, extends through the North American Cordillera , the Aleutian Range , on through Kamchatka Peninsula , Japan , Taiwan , the Philippines , Papua New Guinea , to New Zealand . The Andes
186-573: A year. They are widespread on Africa , and are found in India , the northern parts of South America , Malaysia , and Australia . The humid subtropical climate zone where winter rainfall (and sometimes light snowfall ) is associated with storms that the westerlies steer from west to east at the time of low sun (winter). In summer, high pressure dominates as the westerlies move north. Most summer rainfall occurs during thunderstorms and from occasional tropical cyclones . Humid subtropical climates lie on
217-688: Is 7,000 kilometres (4,350 mi) long and is often considered the world's longest mountain system. The Alpide belt stretches 15,000 km across southern Eurasia , from Java in Maritime Southeast Asia to the Iberian Peninsula in Western Europe , including the ranges of the Himalayas , Karakoram , Hindu Kush , Alborz , Caucasus , and the Alps . The Himalayas contain the highest mountains in
248-525: Is at work while the mountains are being uplifted until the mountains are reduced to low hills and plains. The early Cenozoic uplift of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado provides an example. As the uplift was occurring some 10,000 feet (3,000 m) of mostly Mesozoic sedimentary strata were removed by erosion over the core of the mountain range and spread as sand and clays across the Great Plains to
279-527: Is drier, having been stripped of much of its moisture. Often, a rain shadow will affect the leeward side of a range. As a consequence, large mountain ranges, such as the Andes, compartmentalize continents into distinct climate regions . Mountain ranges are constantly subjected to erosional forces which work to tear them down. The basins adjacent to an eroding mountain range are then filled with sediments that are buried and turned into sedimentary rock . Erosion
310-597: The Mithrim Montes and Doom Mons on Titan, and Tenzing Montes and Hillary Montes on Pluto. Some terrestrial planets other than Earth also exhibit rocky mountain ranges, such as Maxwell Montes on Venus taller than any on Earth and Tartarus Montes on Mars . Jupiter's moon Io has mountain ranges formed from tectonic processes including the Boösaule , Dorian, Hi'iaka and Euboea Montes . Climate regions Climate classifications are systems that categorize
341-467: The Ocean Ridge forms the longest continuous mountain system on Earth, with a length of 65,000 kilometres (40,400 mi). The position of mountain ranges influences climate, such as rain or snow. When air masses move up and over mountains, the air cools, producing orographic precipitation (rain or snow). As the air descends on the leeward side, it warms again (following the adiabatic lapse rate ) and
SECTION 10
#1733085216055372-595: The 2,770-metre-high Col de l'Iseran are located in the eastern part of the range. The principal summits of the Vanoise massif are: Mountain range Mountain ranges are usually segmented by highlands or mountain passes and valleys . Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geologic structure or petrology . They may be a mix of different orogenic expressions and terranes , for example thrust sheets , uplifted blocks , fold mountains, and volcanic landforms resulting in
403-507: The Earth's landmass is considered either arid or semi-arid, including southwest North America, southwest South America, most of northern and a small part of southern Africa, southwest and portions of eastern Asia, as well as much of Australia. Studies suggest that precipitation effectiveness (PE) within the Thornthwaite moisture index is overestimated in the summer and underestimated in the winter. This index can be effectively used to determine
434-705: The Equator and 25 north and south latitude. A monsoon is a seasonal prevailing wind which lasts for several months, ushering in a region's rainy season. Regions within North America , South America , Sub-Saharan Africa , Australia and East Asia are monsoon regimes. A tropical savanna is a grassland biome located in semi-arid to semi- humid climate regions of subtropical and tropical latitudes , with average temperatures remaining at or above 18 °C (64 °F) all year round, and rainfall between 750 millimetres (30 in) and 1,270 millimetres (50 in)
465-487: The Köppen classification has five primary types labeled A through E. These primary types are A) tropical, B) dry, C) mild mid-latitude, D) cold mid-latitude, and E) polar. Tropical climates are defined as locations where the coolest monthly mean temperature is above 18 C (64.4 F). This tropical zone is further broken down into rainforest, monsoon, and savanna based on seasonal rainfall. These climates are most often located between
496-666: The case of the Köppen climate classification. A common shortcoming of these classification schemes is that they produce distinct boundaries between the zones they define, rather than the gradual transition of climate properties more common in nature. Climate classification systems include: The simplest classification is that involving air masses . The Bergeron classification is the most widely accepted form of air mass classification. Air mass classification involves three letters. The first letter describes its moisture properties, with c used for continental air masses (dry) and m for maritime air masses (moist). The second letter describes
527-644: The climate of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin , parts of western North America , parts of Western and South Australia , in southwestern South Africa and in parts of central Chile . The climate is characterized by hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. A steppe is a dry grassland with an annual temperature range in the summer of up to 40 °C (104 °F) and during the winter down to −40 °C (−40 °F). A subarctic climate has little precipitation, and monthly temperatures which are above 10 °C (50 °F) for one to three months of
558-569: The criteria for an arid or semi-arid climate , are classified as continental. Most climates in this zone are found from 35 latitude to 55 latitude, mostly in the northern hemisphere. An oceanic climate is typically found along west coasts in higher middle latitudes of all the world's continents, and in southeastern Australia , and is accompanied by plentiful precipitation year-round, cool summers, and small annual ranges of temperatures. Most climates of this type are found from 45 latitude to 55 latitude. The Mediterranean climate regime resembles
589-448: The east side of continents, roughly between latitudes 20° and 40° degrees away from the equator . A humid continental climate is marked by variable weather patterns and a large seasonal temperature variance, cold and often very snowy winters, and warm summers. Places with more than three months of average daily temperatures above 10 °C (50 °F) and a coldest month temperature below −3 °C (27 °F) and which do not meet
620-485: The east. This mass of rock was removed as the range was actively undergoing uplift. The removal of such a mass from the core of the range most likely caused further uplift as the region adjusted isostatically in response to the removed weight. Rivers are traditionally believed to be the principal cause of mountain range erosion, by cutting into bedrock and transporting sediment. Computer simulation has shown that as mountain belts change from tectonically active to inactive,
651-1007: The ground below it, it is labeled w. While air mass identification was originally used in weather forecasting during the 1950s, climatologists began to establish synoptic climatologies based on this idea in 1973. Based upon the Bergeron classification scheme is the Spatial Synoptic Classification system (SSC). There are six categories within the SSC scheme: Dry Polar (similar to continental polar), Dry Moderate (similar to maritime superior), Dry Tropical (similar to continental tropical), Moist Polar (similar to maritime polar), Moist Moderate (a hybrid between maritime polar and maritime tropical), and Moist Tropical (similar to maritime tropical, maritime monsoon, or maritime equatorial). The Köppen classification depends on average monthly values of temperature and precipitation. The most commonly used form of
SECTION 20
#1733085216055682-566: The middle latitudes to be closer to vegetation zoning and genetic climate systems. The Trewartha climate classification changes were seen as most effective on the large landmasses in Asia and North America , where many areas fall into a single group ( C ) in the Köppen–Geiger system. For example, under the standard Köppen system, Washington and Oregon are classed into the same climate zone ( Csb ) as parts of Southern California , even though
713-419: The number of herbivore and mammal species numbers within a given area. The index is also used in studies of climate change. Thermal classifications within the Thornthwaite scheme include microthermal, mesothermal, and megathermal regimes. A microthermal climate is one of low annual mean temperatures, generally between 0 °C (32 °F) and 14 °C (57 °F) which experiences short summers and has
744-520: The path of moisture and precipitation to the desert. The Trewartha climate classification (TCC) or the Köppen–Trewartha climate classification (KTC) is a climate classification system first published by American geographer Glenn Thomas Trewartha in 1966. It is a modified version of the Köppen–Geiger system , created to answer some of its deficiencies. The Trewartha system attempts to redefine
775-617: The rate of erosion drops because there are fewer abrasive particles in the water and fewer landslides. Mountains on other planets and natural satellites of the Solar System, including the Moon , are often isolated and formed mainly by processes such as impacts, though there are examples of mountain ranges (or "Montes") somewhat similar to those on Earth. Saturn 's moon Titan and Pluto , in particular, exhibit large mountain ranges in chains composed mainly of ices rather than rock. Examples include
806-780: The soil water budget using evapotranspiration. It monitors the portion of total precipitation used to nourish vegetation over a certain area. It uses indices such as a humidity index and an aridity index to determine an area's moisture regime based upon its average temperature, average rainfall, and average vegetation type. The lower the value of the index in any given area, the drier the area is. The moisture classification includes climatic classes with descriptors such as hyperhumid, humid, subhumid, subarid, semi-arid (values of −20 to −40), and arid (values below −40). Humid regions experience more precipitation than evaporation each year, while arid regions experience greater evaporation than precipitation on an annual basis. A total of 33 percent of
837-410: The thermal characteristic of its source region: T for tropical , P for polar , A for Arctic or Antarctic, M for monsoon , E for equatorial , and S for superior air (dry air formed by significant downward motion in the atmosphere). The third letter is used to designate the stability of the atmosphere . If the air mass is colder than the ground below it, it is labeled k. If the air mass is warmer than
868-434: The two regions have strikingly different weather and vegetation. Another example was classifying cities like London or New York in the same climate group ( C ) as Brisbane or New Orleans , despite great differences in seasonal temperatures and native plant life. Trewartha's modifications to the 1899 Köppen climate system sought to reclass the middle latitudes into three groups: C ( subtropical )—8 or more months have
899-512: The world's climates . A climate classification may correlate closely with a biome classification, as climate is a major influence on life in a region. One of the most used is the Köppen climate classification scheme first developed in 1884. There are several ways to classify climates into similar regimes. Originally, climes were defined in Ancient Greece to describe the weather depending upon
930-528: The world, including Mount Everest , which is 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) high. Mountain ranges outside these two systems include the Arctic Cordillera , Appalachians , Great Dividing Range , East Siberians , Altais , Scandinavians , Qinling , Western Ghats , Vindhyas , Byrrangas , and the Annamite Range . If the definition of a mountain range is stretched to include underwater mountains, then
961-411: The year, with permafrost in large parts of the area due to the cold winters. Winters within subarctic climates usually include up to six months of temperatures averaging below 0 °C (32 °F). Tundra occurs in the far Northern Hemisphere , north of the taiga belt, including vast areas of northern Russia and Canada . A polar ice cap , or polar ice sheet, is a high- latitude region of