What are the different Forms of Mountains?

(i) Mountain ridge:

A mountain ridge is relatively long and narrow steep-sided high hill or spur. Generally one side of a ridge is steep, but the other side has a moderate slope. However, there are many ridges which have symmetrical slopes on their both sides. Blue Ridge mountains, U.S.A. is a classical example.

(ii) Mountain range:

It is a system of mountains and hills having several ridges, peaks, summits and valleys. It is a linear system of mountains and hills.

Even though the mountain and hill belong to the same age, there are structural variations is individual hill or Mountain. The Himalayas Mountain range is the best example of a mountain ridge.

(iii) Mountain Chain:

A mountain chain comprises several parallel long and narrow mountains of different periods.

(iv) Mountain system:

A mountain system comprises different mountain ranges of the same periods. Of course, the mountain ranges are separated by valleys.

(v) Mountain group:

A mountain group is an assemblage of several patterns of different mountain systems. Appalachian is the fine example.

(vi) Cordillera:

Cordillera is a Spanish term which means a major system or group of mountains. It includes not only the parallel mountain ranges, but also the intervening valleys, plateaus, intermountain basins, etc.

It usually refers to an orogenic belt at a continental scale. The Western Cordillera of the U.S.A. is a typical example. It includes all the ranges between the Pacific Ocean and the Great Plains, although individual mountain systems are also called cordilleras.

In fact, cordillera is a community of mountains having different ridges, ranges, mountain chains and mountain systems.

The relatively young mountains along the western margins of the North and South American plates stretch from the tip of Tierra del Fuego to the massive peaks of Alaska, and the cordilleran system.