Mountains are huge. They tower over the surrounding land. The highest mountain peak in the world is Mount Everest. It reaches more than 8,800 m above sea level.

There are four main types of mountains – fault block, upwarped, folded, and volcanic. Each type forms in a different way.

Mountains can be very high with snow on the peaks or they can be rounded with forests and gentle streams.

It depends on whether they are still forming. Some mountains are still growing at a rate of several centimeters per year.

Other mountains stopped forming millions of years ago and are now being eroded by geological processes.

Fault-block mountains are formed when huge blocks of rock are separated from the surrounding rock by faults.

The Sierra Nevada Mountains are an example of fault-block mountains.

The rock layers are pulled from opposite directions and the rock layers slide downwards, creating peaks and valleys.

The Appalachian Mountains are an example of folded mountains.

They are formed when rock layers are pushed together (compression force), causing the rock layers to buckle and fold.

The Adirondack Mountains in New York are examples of upwarped mountains.

They form when forces inside the earth push upward. The sedimentary layers on top erode and the igenous and metamorphic rock layers underneath poke through

The last kind of mountain is the Volcanic Mountains. You should know all about these. They are formed when magma erupts and lava flows onto the Earth’s surface.

The layers build up over time, forming a volcanic mountain. There are many examples of volcanic mountains, but the Hawaiian Islands are the most well known.

These kinds of mountains also form on the ocean floor.

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