Mountains

A mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area, usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill.

A mountain range or mountain belt is a geographic area containing numerous geologically related mountains. A mountain system or system of mountain ranges, sometimes is used to combine several geological features that are geographically (regionally) related.

A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit*, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit.

(*In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it.) The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is generally somewhat lower and less steep than a mountain.

There are three main types of mountains: 

1. Volcanic
2. Fold
3. Block

All three types are formed from plate tectonics: when portions of the Earth's crust move, crumple, and dive.

• Volcanoes are formed when a plate is pushed below another plate, or at a mid-ocean ridge or hotspot.
• Fold mountains occur when two plates collide: shortening occurs along thrust faults and the crust is over thickened.
• Block mountains are caused by faults in the crust: a seam where rocks can move past each other. When rocks on one side of a fault rise relative to the other, it can form a mountain.

Famous Mountain Ranges:- 

• The Alps are one of the great mountain range systems of Europe stretching approximately 1,200 kilometers (750 mi) across eight Alpine countries from Austria and Slovenia in the east, France, Switzerland,Liechtenstein, and south east Germany, to the west. Monaco and Italy to the south.
• The Rocky Mountains, commonly known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 3,000 miles (4,830 km) from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States. 
• The Andes is the longest continental mountain range in the world. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. The Andes extend from north to south through seven South American countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
• The Atlas Mountains  is a mountain range across the northwestern stretch of Africa extending about 2,500 km (1,600 mi) through Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The highest peak is Toubkal, with an elevation of 4,165 meters (13,665 ft) in southwestern Morocco. The Atlas ranges separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert. 
• The Himalayas, or Himalaya,is a mountain range in South Asia separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau.