What makes mountains unique

The Rockies rose up when two tectonic plates crashed, buckled, and folded, pushing rock upward. Some of them are volcanoes but not all volcanoes are mountains. Some of them are underwater —like the mountains of the Mid-Ocean Ridge, a massive undersea system that forms the largest and longest mountain range on the planet, as well as the longest chain of volcanoes.

They do weird things to the weather. Ever seen the Sierra Nevadas on a map? Notice how the west side is thick forest and the east side is desert? As it descends, it warms up and sucks all the moisture from the environment. They have gorgeous lakes and rivers. Jumping in a cool, blue mountain lake is the best interlude for a long hike. The name of this mountain is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu. Also known as the Rocky Mountain goat, this mammal is indigenous to North America.

Mountain goats have cloven hooves and toes that enable them to cover wide steps. Plus, the bottom of each toe has a hard pad that gives them a solid grip. It is believed that mountain goats can climb mountains better than even the most skilled human mountaineers. There are enormous mountains underwater.

Undersea mountains were formed as a result of volcanic activity under the sea. After these volcanic eruptions were over, the mountains which were first above land were submerged in the oceans. Most of these mountains carry a lot of nutrients and prove to be a rich source of food for various sea creatures.

It is kind of like a hill, but much bigger. To be classified as a mountain, the land formation must be at least 2, feet about meters high.

The highest mountain in the world is Mount Everest at 29, feet tall. When mountains are formed next to each other, it is called a mountain range. Mountains form over millions of years in several different ways. Some mountains form when volcanoes erupt over and over again. These types of mountains are called volcanoes, of course.

Sometimes these vents are at the bottom of the ocean, and sometimes they are in the middle of a landmass, like a continent. When lava erupts, it cools and forms a rock layer. This happens over and over again over millions of years until finally the mountain becomes an island. They are called tectonic plates and they are kind of like 17 gigantic puzzle pieces that make up the crust.

They are always moving, but just very, very slowly. When two plates collide, or bump into each other, rock gets pushed up, and up, and up until a whole mountain is formed.

They take millions and millions of years of tectonic plates pushing against each other. The Himalayan mountains began forming this way about 55 million years ago. Sometimes they are moving away from each other forming faults. This is how block mountains are formed.