Jargon 39: Anatomy of a Mountain

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Mountains rarely conform to the version a child might draw of a simple inverted cone. Instead, they often sprawl in many directions and are rumpled with lumps and divots, like an unmade bed. The very highest of the lumps is the summit, which may be part of the humped or domed mass of mountain, or it may rest at the tip of a sharp point, in which case it's also a peak. A single mountain may have multiple peaks, but only one summit. The summit and peaks are often aligned along a sharp spine of land called a ridge or crest. Particularly sharp, jagged ridges which formed at the divide between two glaciers are known...

In our latest jargon installment, @AndreaL details the definitions behind different parts of mountains and mountain ranges, from summits to arêtes, to buttresses and piedmont. Take a look at the link below in Issue 39:

Jargon: Anatomy of a Mountain

Issue 39 Page 1