Mountains, plateaus and plains

Content

• Examples of mountains
• Examples of plateaus
• Examples of plains

The mountains, the plateaus and the plains they are common topographic features in the earth's crust and present to varying degrees on the five continents. They are distinguished from each other by the height reached and by the specific shape of their reliefs.

Themountains They are natural elevations of the terrestrial terrain, higher than 700m with respect to its base and capable of grouping into mountains, mountain ranges or volcanoes. The origin of these elevations is due to folds of the earth's crust due to tectonic dynamics, later outlined by the exogenous action of time and erosion. Together, mountains occupy 24% of the lithosphere and cover 53% of the Asian continent, 58% of the American continent, 25% of the European one, 17% of Oceania and 3% of Africa. It is estimated that 10% of the human population lives in mountains and all the world's rivers originate from them.

PlateausOn the other hand, or plateaus, they are a kind of combination between mountains and plains. Located at more than 500m above sea level, they are extensive and elevated plains that owe their origin to tectonic movements and erosive processes in weak materials, which give rise to the plain. In many cases it is due to the emergence of submarine volcanic plateaus. Plateaus usually have various landforms that are given different local names, such as the altiplano, the butte or the chapada.

The plainsFinally, they are large areas of flat land or with very slight undulations, usually at the bottom of valleys, at the top of plateaus or plateaus, or at sea level, generally never above 200 meters. Many plains are economically important for humanity, since in them crops and pastures take place since the accessibility of their surface facilitates the transit and the population of the same.

Examples of mountains

1. Mount Éverest, in the Himalayas. The highest mountain on Earth, at 8,848 meters above sea level, is located on the border between China and Nepal, and constitutes a mountainous massif along with other neighboring peaks such as Lhotse (8516 m), Nuptse (7855 m) and Changtse (7580 m ). Climbing it is one of the great challenges in the life of professional mountaineers and it was not until 1960 that a team of Chinese mountaineers reached the top on its northern ridge.
2. Cerro el Ávila National Park. Also called Waraira-repano, its original indigenous voice, and located in the northern part of the Venezuelan city of Caracas, capital of the country, this mountain separates the city from the Caribbean Sea and the coast, surrounding it and becoming a recognizable symbol of the city. It is a National Park equipped with a funicular and numerous hiking routes, as well as peaks that vary from 120 to 2765 meters above sea level.
3. Aconcagua. Located in the province of Mendoza, Argentina, and forming part of the frontal mountain range of the Andes, it has an altitude of 6,960.8 meters above sea level and is the highest peak in America, and the highest in the world after the Himalayas. On January 1, 2000, from its peak, the Italian-Argentine actress and journalist Victoria Manno sent a message to humanity of peace, solidarity and defense of the weak, known as the “Humanity Call for Attention”.
4. The Chimborazo volcano. It is the highest mountain and volcano in Ecuador, and the furthest point from the center of the earth that exists, that is, the closest to outer space, due to the characteristics of the Earth's diameter at that latitude. Its last eruption is estimated to have been in 550 AD and is located in the central Andes, 150 km from the Ecuadorian capital. Its height above sea level is 6263.7 m. About this mountain, Simón Bolívar wrote his famous “My delirium about Chimborazo”.
5. The Huascarán. Snowy massif of the Peruvian Andes that has three peaks: north (6655 masl), south (6768 masl) and east (6354 masl). The southern summit is the highest point in all of Peru and the South American intertropical zone, which makes it the fifth highest mountain on the continent and, incidentally, the place on earth with the least gravitational attraction that exists.
6. The Cotopaxi. Another of the most famous volcanoes in Ecuador, it has an elevation of 5,897 meters above sea level and is one of the most active in the world. It is located 50 km south from Quito and its last major recorded eruption was in 1877. Its name, in the indigenous language, means "Throne of the moon."
7. Mont Blanc. The “white mountain” is a granite mountain of 4810 meters above sea level, the highest in all of Europe and the highest point of the Alps mountain range. It is surrounded by valleys with numerous glaciers and is part of a homonymous massif, on the border between Italy and France. It is a privileged tourist destination for snowboarding, skiing and hiking, and since 1965 it has been crossed by the 11.6 km long Mont Blanc tunnel.
8. The Kanchenjunga. The third highest mountain in the world, at 8586 meters high, is the highest in India and second in Nepal. It has five peaks of similar height, hence its name translates "The five treasures of the snows", which according to tradition represent the sacred repositories of God: gold, silver, gems, cereal and sacred books.
9. Kilimanjaro. Located northwest of Tanzania and composed of three dormant volcanoes: Shira (to the west, 3962 meters above sea level), Mawenzi (to the east, 5149 meters above sea level) and Kibo (to the center, 5892 meters above sea level), these mountains are famous for their perpetual ice which, since the middle of the 20th century, have presented a dramatic reduction in thickness. Its peak was reached in 1889, being the highest point in all of Africa. Since 1975 it is a National Park,
10. Mount Shinn. This mountain of more than 4661 meters high is located in Antarctica, in the international zone. It was discovered in 1958 during reconnaissance flights and named after Lieutenant Commander Conrad S. Shin, who made the first landing at the Geographic South Pole.

Examples of plateaus

1. Jujuy Puna. This high plateau in northern Argentina, in part of the provinces of Jujuy, Salta and Catamarca, is part of the Andean highlands from which it is fractured by a series of mountains and depressions. It rises from about 3700 meters above sea level to 3200.
2. The Andean Altiplano. Also known as Meseta del Titicaca or Meseta del Collao, it is a great high plain (3800 meters above sea level) in the Andean mountain range, which extends between part of the territories of Bolivia, Argentina, Chile and Peru. In this place, various ancient civilizations originated, such as the Tiahuanaco and it is part of the region known as Puna.
3. Auyantepuy. Its name in the Pemón language means "Devil's Mountain" and it is the largest tepui (it is at 2535 meters above sea level and has 700 km² surface) and famous of the Canaima National Park in southern Venezuela. The tepuis are plateaus of variable height and hollow interior, within which an ecosystem evolutionarily different from the surroundings takes place, which is why they are considered jewels of tropical biodiversity. The largest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls, also falls from the surface of the Auyantepuy.
4. Puna de Atacama. Desert plateau at 4500 meters above sea level that extends over an area of ​​80,000 km², on the Argentine-Chilean border. It is crossed by several low elevations with respect to the plateau, among which several volcanoes stand out. It has a diverse relief and numerous rivers that, for the most part, do not reach the sea.
5. Tibet Plateau. Known as the Tibetan-Qinghai Plateau, it is an arid steppe that occupies much of the Tibet Autonomous Region, as well as part of India and China. It occupies an area of ​​1000km wide by 2500 long, at an average elevation of 4500 meters above sea level, which is why it is considered the highest existing plateau: the "roof" of the world.
6. The central plateau. Most of the Iberian Peninsula (almost 400,000 km²) Spanish is located on this plateau 600 meters above sea level, the oldest relief unit in the region. It slopes very slightly towards the Atlantic Ocean and has a continentalized Mediterranean climate. It is subdivided into north and south by a mountain range called the Central System.
7. Brasilia Massif. Together with the Guiana massif, it is a gigantic continental plateau, one of the oldest on the planet, of the three that make up South America (along with the Patagonian massif). Located in the center-east of the continent, this plateau has a warm and humid climate, and the Amazon and the Plata rivers run through its fault lines.
8. Guiana Massif. Also called the Guiana Shield, it is an extremely ancient continental plateau that extends to the northwest of the South American continent in part of the territory of Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil and French Guyana. Its limits are the Orinoco River to the north, and the Amazon rainforest to the south, being one of the regions with the greatest biodiversity in the world.
9. Atherton Plateau. Upland located in Australia, with an area of ​​32,000 km² extremely conducive to livestock activity. With an average height between 600 and 900 meters above sea level, its volcanic soil and irrigation by Lake Tinaroo (dammed by the Barron River), is a very fertile place with rich tin deposits.
10. Altiplano cundiboyacence. Covering an area of ​​25,000 km² At an average altitude of 2,600 meters above sea level, the city of Bogotá, the country's capital, is located on this Colombian plateau.

Examples of plains

1. Plain of Dōgo. This coastal floodplain was formed by the action of the Shigenobu and Ishte rivers, on the Japanese island of Shikoku. It stretches about 20 km east-west and 17 north-south, inhabited by the cities of Matsuyama and Toon.
2. Eastern European Plain. Also known as the Russian plain, it covers about 4,000,000 km² At an average of 170 meters above sea level, it forms the Great European Plain, together with the North European plain, the freest area of ​​mountains in the entire region. It involves the territories of numerous countries: Germany, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova and the European part of Kazakhstan.
3. North European plain. The other component of the Great European Plain, spans from the Baltic Sea and North Sea to the Central European highlands. The elevation of its terrain varies between 0 and 200 meters above sea level, shared between Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Germany and Poland, as well as the entire Czech Republic.
4. Pampas region. A gigantic plain that extends between part of the territories of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. It is one of the most fertile regions on the planet, given its high water irrigation and its absence of forests. Its name comes from the Quechua word for "plain between mountains."
5. Sandur or Outwash glacial. These are sedimentary plains whose strata come from the melting of glaciers in the basins associated with the region. They usually contain gravel and other materials washed away by the meltwater, so they can reach 100 m in thickness and extend for many kilometers around. An example of this is the Skeiðarársandur in Iceland.
6. Lelant plain. A fertile plain on the Greek island of Euboea, the scene of the 8th century BC. of the Lelantine wars for their possession. Such was its recognition that during the Middle Ages it was referred to in documents as Lilanto, the plain that leads to Attica.
7. Llanos region. Located in the central zone of Venezuela and of great livestock and agricultural importance, this region played a key economic role in the country prior to the start of oil exploitation in 1917, when the rural exodus left it abandoned. It is currently a sparsely populated rural region that extends through the provinces of Guárico and Apure (about 142,900 km²).
8. Abyssal plains. Covering 40% of the ocean floor, these underwater plains are found at depths equal to or less than 200 m, from the coast and towards regions of little solar activity, low presence of nutrients and high pressures, known as abyssal trenches. They are the main sedimentation zones of the planet and cover the oceanic crust.
9. The Great Plains. Located in North America, on a wide and high plateau that extends between the states of Coahuila (Mexico), Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba (Canada) and New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Dakota South and North Dakota (United States). It is a region of livestock and agricultural exploitation, rich in hydrocarbons such as coal and oil, which suffers from severe droughts and sandstorms every 25 years or so.
10. Plain of Kur-Araz. It is a vast depression in the territory of Azerbaijan defined by the valleys of the Kur and Aras rivers, west of the Caspian Sea and north of the Talysh Mountains. It extends in the Lenkoran plain to the territory of Iran.

It can serve you:

• Examples of Forests
• Examples of Jungles
• Examples of Deserts