Mountains
Formation
Earth's Movement
Composition
Earth's Surface and Topography
100

This mountain in the Himalayas is the highest point on Earth's surface above sea level.

Mount Everest


100

These mountains form when layers of rock bend into arches and troughs under pressure.

Fold mountains

100

This upward arch in folded rock layers resembles an upside-down bowl.

Anticline

100

This process wears away rock and moves sediment from one place to another.

Erosion

100

This term describes the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points in an area.

Relief

200

This term describes the height of a mountain peak above mean sea level.

Elevation

200

This type of mountain forms when blocks of Earth's crust move along faults, creating steep cliffs and elevated blocks.

Fault-block mountains

200

This downward, trough-shaped fold in rock layers is the opposite of an anticline.

Syncline

200

This pile of broken rock collects at the base of a cliff as rocks fall and accumulate.

Talus

200

On a topographic map, contour lines that are very close together indicate this type of slope.

Steep slope

300

This is the world's longest and most extensive mountain system, stretching across the ocean floor.

Mid-Atlantic Ridge

300

This large, flat area of elevated land is higher than the surrounding area and often has steep sides.

Plateau
300

This type of landform forms when rock layers bend into a single step rather than a series of arches and troughs.

Monocline

300

This mixture of unsorted sediment is deposited directly by a glacier.

Till

300

A mountain peak rises 2,300 meters above sea level, while its base lies 200 meters below sea level. What is the mountain's actual height from base to peak?

2,500 meters

400

This mountain range in California has gentle western slopes and steep eastern cliffs, making it a classic example of this type of mountain


Fault-block mountains
400

This type of landform forms when rock layers sink downward, sometimes because underground magma has moved away.

Basin

400

This process occurs when Earth's crust sinks or settles downward, creating features such as basins.

Subsidence

400

These ridges of rock and sediment are deposited by glaciers as they move or melt.

Moraines

400

This principle describes how Earth's crust balances the weight of rocks, water, and ice against the upward push of the mantle.

Isostasy

500

This geological process describes the origin and formation of mountains over time.

Orogeny

500

This isolated hill or mountain remains standing after surrounding rock has been worn away by erosion.

Monadnock

500

At this type of plate boundary, tectonic plates move apart, potentially creating rift valleys and new crust.

Divergent boundary

500

These narrow, steep-sided landforms—such as buttes, pinnacles, and fins—can remain after erosion wears away the surrounding rock.

Erosional remnants

500

An extinct underwater volcano that rises from the ocean floor but does not reach the ocean's surface is known by this name.

Seamount