List of longest mountain chains on Earth

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The world's longest above-water mountain range is the Andes,^[1] 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).^[2]

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 / -32; -70	7,000 km (4,300 mi)	500 km (310 mi)	6,962 m (22,841 ft)	Mount Aconcagua
2	Southern Great Escarpment	Africa^[3]^[4]^[5]	Zimbabwe South Africa Eswatini Lesotho Namibia Angola	29°S 29°E / 29°S 29°E / -29; 29	5,000 km (3,100 mi)	300 km (200 mi)	3,482 m (11,424 ft)	Mofadi
3	Rocky Mountains	North America^[6]^[7]^[8]	Canada United States	39°N 106°W / 39°N 106°W / 39; -106	4,800 km (3,000 mi)	300 km (200 mi)	4,401 m (14,439 ft)	Mount Elbert
4	Transantarctic Mountains	Antarctica^[9]^[10]^[11]	Antarctica	84°S 166°E / 84°S 166°E / -84; 166	3,500 km (2,200 mi)	400 km (250 mi)	4,528 m (14,856 ft)	Mount Kirkpatrick
5	Great Dividing Range	Australia^[12]^[13]^[14]^[15]	Australia	36°S 148°E / 36°S 148°E / -36; 148	3,500 km (2,200 mi)	300 km (190 mi)	2,228 m (7,310 ft)	Mount Kosciuszko
6	Appalachian Mountains	North America^[16]	United States	36°N 81°W	3,200 km (2,000 mi)	70 km (43 mi)	2,037 m (6,684 ft)^[17]	Mount Mitchell
7	Himalayas	Asia^[18]^[19]^[20]	India Pakistan China Bhutan Nepal Afghanistan Myanmar	27°N 86°E / 27°N 86°E / 27; 86	2,600 km (1,600 mi)	350 km (220 mi)	8,848 m (29,029 ft)	Mount Everest
8	Ural Mountains	Asia and Europe^[21]	Russia Kazakhstan	60°N 60°E / 60°N 60°E / 60; 60	2,500 km (1,600 mi)	150 km (93 mi)	1,895 m (6,217 ft)	Mount Narodnaya
8	Atlas Mountains	Africa	Morocco Tunisia Algeria		2,500 km (1,600 mi)	113km (70 mi)		Djebel Toubkal

References

^ Andes Mountains by Alan W./Knapp Gregory. 1999 Archived 29 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine Retrieve 2002
^ "What is the longest mountain range on earth?". oceanservice.noaa.gov. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
^ 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^[usurped](undated)
^ Aaron Martin TAM-The Transantarctic Mountains Archived 2 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine 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. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
^ Encyclopædia BritannicaGreat Dividing Range
^ Great Dividing Range The Columbia Encyclopedia, Retrieve 2008
^ "Appalachian Mountains | Definition, Map, Location, Trail, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 19 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
^ "Mount Mitchell (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
^ 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".

External links

Categories:

Hidden categories:

Formation

List

See also

References

External links