Earth:List of longest mountain chains on Earth
The world's longest above-water mountain range is the Andes,[1][2] about 7,000 km (4,300 mi) long. The range stretches from north to south through seven countries in South America, along the west coast of the continent: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile , and Argentina . Aconcagua is the highest peak, at about 6,962 m (22,841 ft).
This list does not include submarine mountain ranges. If submarine mountains are included, the longest is the global mid-ocean ridge system which extends for about 65,000 km (40,000 mi).[3]
Formation
Mountain chains are typically formed by the process of plate tectonics. Tectonic plates slide very slowly over the Earth's mantle, a lower place of rock that is heated from the Earth's interior. Several huge sections of the Earth's crust are impelled by heat currents in the mantle, producing tremendous forces that can buckle the material at the edges of the plates to form mountains. Usually one plate is forced underneath the other, and the lower plate is slowly absorbed by the mantle. Where the two plates pass one another, heated rock from the mantle can burst through the crust to form volcanoes. The movement of the plates against one another can also cause earthquakes.
List
| Rank | Range | Continent | Country | Coordinates | Approx. length | Approx. width | Max. elevation | Highest point |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andes | South America | Argentina Bolivia Chile Colombia Ecuador Peru Venezuela |
[ ⚑ ] 32°S 70°W / 32°S 70°W | 7,000 km (4,300 mi) |
500 km (310 mi) |
6,962 m (22,841 ft) |
Mount Aconcagua |
| 2 | Southern Great Escarpment | Africa[4][5][6] | Zimbabwe South Africa Eswatini Lesotho Namibia Angola |
[ ⚑ ] 29°S 29°E / 29°S 29°E | 5,000 km (3,100 mi) |
300 km (200 mi) |
3,482 m (11,424 ft) |
Mofadi |
| 3 | Rocky Mountains | North America[7][8][9] | Canada United States |
[ ⚑ ] 39°N 106°W / 39°N 106°W | 4,800 km (3,000 mi) |
300 km (200 mi) |
4,401 m (14,439 ft) |
Mount Elbert |
| 4 | Transantarctic Mountains | Antarctica[10][11][12] | Antarctica | [ ⚑ ] 84°S 166°E / 84°S 166°E | 3,500 km (2,200 mi) |
400 km (250 mi) |
4,528 m (14,856 ft) |
Mount Kirkpatrick |
| 5 | Great Dividing Range | Australia [13][14][15][16] | Australia | [ ⚑ ] 36°S 148°E / 36°S 148°E | 3,500 km (2,200 mi) |
300 km (190 mi) |
2,228 m (7,310 ft) |
Mount Kosciuszko |
| 6 | Himalayas | Asia[17][18][19] | India Pakistan China Bhutan Nepal Afghanistan Myanmar |
[ ⚑ ] 27°N 86°E / 27°N 86°E | 2,600 km (1,600 mi) |
350 km (220 mi) |
8,848 m (29,029 ft) |
Mount Everest |
| 7 | Ural Mountains | Asia and Europe[20] | Russia Kazakhstan |
[ ⚑ ] 60°N 60°E / 60°N 60°E | 2,500 km (1,600 mi) |
150 km (93 mi) |
1,895 m (6,217 ft) |
Mount Narodnaya |
See also
References
- ↑ Andes Mountains by Alan W./Knapp Gregory. 1999 Retrieve 2002
- ↑ Windows to Universe The Andes Mountains by: Julia Genyuk. Retrieve 17 November 2008
- ↑ "What is the longest mountain range on earth?" (in EN-US). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/midoceanridge.html#:~:text=The%20mid-ocean%20ridge%20is%20the%20longest%20mountain%20range%20on%20Earth.&text=Spanning%2040,389%20miles%20around%20the,system%20is%20under%20the%20ocean..
- ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica “Great Escarpment” by: Encyclopædia Britannica(undated)
- ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica Article The Great Escarpment of southern Africa: a new frontier for biodiversity by V. Ralph Clark, Nigel P. Barker and Laco Mucina Retrieve 2015
- ↑ Biodiversity and Conservation
- ↑ USA tourist Rocky Mountain National Park by: Mike Leco(undated)
- ↑ Tour Guide Article Rocky Mountain National Park by John William Uhler Retrieve 2007
- ↑ Encyclopædia BritannicaRocky Mountains By Armand J. Eardley/Richard A. Marston
- ↑ Antarctic Connection The Transantarctic Mountains (undated)
- ↑ Aaron Martin TAM-The Transantarctic Mountains Retrieve 4/7/02.
- ↑ Encyclopædia Britannica.Article-Online|Transantarctic Mountains Retrieve 22 March 2011
- ↑ Australian Explorer Australian Travel Information - Great Dividing Range
- ↑ "Great Dividing Range". World Mountain Encyclopedia. Peakware. 1998. http://www.peakware.com/areas.html?a=334.
- ↑ Encyclopædia BritannicaGreat Dividing Range
- ↑ Great Dividing Range The Columbia Encyclopedia, Retrieve 2008
- ↑ Travel Himalayas The legendary majestic Beauty- Himalayan Mountain Range
- ↑ Himalayan Mountain Himalaya, A dream for all explorers
- ↑ Explore Himalayan Mountain Ranges of Himalayas
- ↑ "Ural Mountains | Location, Map, Highest Peak, & Facts". https://www.britannica.com/place/Ural-Mountains.
External links
- Longest mountain range in the world
- The Andes - Introduction
- Arranging Ranges: Mountain Ranges of the World
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