Mountains

How and why do mountains form?

All mountains are old. Some are older than others. There is a process to mountain building. The process takes a very long time. Some mountains are still getting taller. Others have reached their peak. Others are being worn down by another process. Why do mountains form?

The Earth’s crust is made of many plates. These plates are in constant motion. Areas of the crust get pushed up. This happens when Earth’s plates are moving towards each other. These areas are called mountain ranges. Mountain ranges contain many mountains.

Earth’s plates move very slowly. They move only centimeters per year. Scientists use special tools to measure this change. Mountain ranges are pushed up very slowly. It can take a long time for them to form.

Some mountains are very tall. You may have heard of the Himalayan Mountains. It is the tallest mountain range in the world. You may have heard of Mt. Everest. It is the tallest mountain in the world. This area has many other tall peaks.

The Himalayan Mountain Range is still growing. It is very young. The range sits between two of Earth’s plates. These plates are moving towards each other. The Indian plate is moving to the north. It is colliding with the Asian plate. The collision is causing Earth’s crust to be pushed up.

People from all over come to this area. They want to climb these tall peaks. Only the best climbers in the world can climb Mt. Everest. Mt. Everest gets taller every year. Do you know why?

Other mountains around the globe are much easier to climb. They are not nearly as tall as Mt. Everest. Why are they not as tall?

In some places the collision of plates has stopped. The plates have stopped moving towards each other. The mountains are no longer getting taller. Another process now takes over. Over time, the mountains get smaller. They are worn away by rain, snow and ice. Their tall peaks get more round.

It takes a long time for mountains to be built. It also takes a long time for them to be worn away. Earth’s processes never stop. There is always change happening. This change may be too slow for us to notice.