What kind of mountain is alps

The mountain range stretches approximately miles 1, kilometers in a crescent shape across eight Alpine countries: France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia. Credit: WikiUser Drat The Alps have high habitat diversity, with habitats classified throughout the mountain range.

This mountain range is home to a high level of biodiversity. According to the World Wildlife Foundation WWF , there are over 4, species of plants, bird species, 21 amphibian species, 15 reptile species, and 80 mammal species. Many of these species have made adaptations to the harsh cold conditions and high altitudes. Some of the larger carnivore species found in the Alps include the Alpine ibex, the chamois, the Eurasian lynx, the wolf, and the brown bear.

These populations have been reduced in size or fragmented into small groups. There are also numerous rodent species found in the Alps, such as voles and marmots. There about breeding bird species, as well as an equal number of migratory species, in the Alps.

Peak Lists. Log In. Map of Alps Click on red triangle icons for links to other ranges. Other Ranges: To go to pages for other ranges either click on the map above, or on range names in the hierarchy snapshot below, which show the parent, siblings, and children of the Alps. Sub-peaks are excluded from this list. List may not be complete, since only summits in the PBC Database are included. Monte Bianco di Courmayeur Italian topographic maps clearly show the France-Italy border passing over the summit of Mont Blanc, as specified by treaty.

Click here for larger-size photo. Nordend Nordend from the Dufourspitze Photo by Robert Garneau. Dom The Mischabel massif on a crystal clear day, from the slopes of the Fletschhorn. The J-shaped Adriatic microplate is a remnant of the African plate to the south, and today it carries the eastern Italian Peninsula as well as the entire Adriatic Sea.

Alpine geology includes sedimentary and metamorphic rock, as well as igneous rocks that once were part of the ocean floor and were later uplifted in the process of folding. Not all fold mountains are soaring peaks. Millions of years ago, the Appalachians were taller than the Himalayas!

Millions of years of erosion , however, have taken their toll. Today, some of the highest peaks of the Appalachians are less than a third of the height of Everest. The crust that is now the Appalachians began folding over million years ago, when the North American and African continental plates collided. Plate tectonics created this ancient mountain range, then called the Central Pangean Mountains.

As tectonic activity ripped apart the ancient supercontinent Pangea , the African, Eurasian, and North American plates drifted apart. The Appalachians are just one remnant of the Central Pangean Mountains. The Appalachians stretch from the province of Newfoundland, in southeastern Canada, through the southern state of Alabama in the United States. Fold mountains are defined by complex , vital geologic forms known as folds.

There are many, many different types of folds. Geologists primarily categorize folds by their shape—do they have sharp turns or gentle curves?

Are the folds convex or concave? A fold mountain usually displays more than one type of fold. Anticlines and synclines are the most common up-and-down folds that result from compression.

A syncline is a U-shape, with the youngest rocks in the center of the fold. Domes and basins are often considered types of folds. A dome is a series of symmetrical anticlines, roughly shaped like half a sphere. Like an anticline, the oldest rocks in a dome are found in the center. Like a syncline, a basin has its youngest rocks in its center. Also called a thrust sheet.

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