10 Mountain Facts Which Totally Rock!
If you love rock trivia, then mountain facts will make you feel on top of the world!
Phil E.S Dogg's Beanotown visit gets more and more exciting every week. Only a while ago, a trip to the train station was exciting, and now he's climbing Mount Beano for fun! Now he's back, he decided to research everything he could about mountains. Here are his findings. Thanks, Phil!
1. Mount Everest is over 60 million years old!
Mount Everest – also known as Sagarmatha or Chomolungma – is in the Himalayas, and was formed when Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates pushed together to create its peak. This didn't happen overnight, though. Even though it's around 60 million years old, geologists say this is quite young for a mountain.
2. Mountains can be split into three categories!
Mountains can be listed in three categories: fold mountains, fault-block mountains, and volcanic mountains. Fold mountains occur when tectonic plates – large surfaces of the Earth – push together to form a peak. Fault-block mountains happen when large pieces of rock are pushed up or down. Volcanic mountains are created when molten lava erupts, cools, hardens and happens over and over again.
3. There's a strict rule about mountains!
If a hill is over 1000 feet, then it can be considered a mountain. It's like one of those height charts at a fairground to see if you're allowed on the ride. But for mountains.
4. There's a place called Beano Mountain in Canada!
Not to be confused with Mount Beano, Beano Mountain is located in British Columbia and measures 1221 metres tall!
5. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the UK!
Ben Nevis is the largest mountain in the UK! This Scottish rock star measures 1344 metres high. It's not named after the made-up mountaineer Benjamin Nevis, but is a Scottish Gaelic name Beinn Nibheis which is loosely translated as ‘mountain of heaven’.
6. Mars has a mountain which makes Mount Everest look like a hill!
Olympus Mons is an extinct volcano on Mars and measures 16 miles high! That's about three times the height of Mount Everest!
7. There's a mountain in New Zealand with a really long name!
Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu is a 1001-footer near Porangahau in New Zealand. Its name is made up of 85 letters and is recognised by the Guinness World Records as the longest place name. It makes Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch look short! According to Wikipedia, this name means "The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the slider, climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his kōauau (flute) to his loved one".
8. Mountains provide us with drinking water!
Research has shown that mountains give us around 80% of freshwater. Think of them as giant water coolers. Thanks, mountains!
9. Asia is home to lots of the world's tallest mountains!
The Himalayas in Asia is home to 10 of the world's highest mountain peaks (over 8000 metres), including Mount Everest, K2, Kanchenjunga and Lhotse! There's over 50 peaks over 7000 metres. In summary: quite mountainy!
10. The oldest mountains are three billion years old!
Mountains are old and that's a fact. The Barberton Greenstone Belt – or Makhonjwa Mountains – in South Africa has rocks which are said to be around 3.2 and 3.6 billion years old. If you think that's old – which it is – Western Greenland's Isua Greenstone Belt is even older and is estimated to be around 3.7 and 3.8 billion years old.
