When does a really big hill become a mountain?

Question

Is there a specific height before earth becomes a mountain, If so what is the lowest Mountain in the world

Answer 1

Earth that is higher than 600m is a mountain. However, raised flat land are plateaus even if they are over 600m in height.

Answer 2

There is a film (movie) about that. Some government surveyors turn up at a village. I think it was in Wales - it was a very old film! Anyway, they measure the nearby mountain and it's now quite high enough to be called a mountain - just a hill. So the villages decide to go up to the top and make it higher! The surveyors end up helping them. It's a film about human emotions, I suppose. The people's pride in where they live. The defeat of bureaucracy. It was probably made in the late 1940's or maybe the 50's - it will probably be shown on TV again at sometime. I think the actor who played the surveyor was John Alderton, I not certain. he rose to fame playing a school teacher in a TV series called "Please sir" in the 60's. They also made a movie of it. That was on TV a few weeks ago! LOL

Answer 3

A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. A mountain is generally higher and steeper than a hill, but there is considerable overlap, and usage often depends on local custom. Some authorities define a mountain as a peak with a topographic prominence over a defined value: for example, the Encyclopædia Britannica requires a prominence of 610 m (2,000 ft).

Answer 4

There is no precise, definitive, answer to this question. A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill, but there is no universally accepted standard definition for the height of a mountain or a hill although a mountain usually has an identifiable summit. Some authorities define a mountain as a peak with a topographic prominence over a defined value: for example, according to the Britannica Student Encyclopedia, the term "generally refers to rises over 2,000 feet (610 metres)". The Encyclopædia Britannica, on the other hand, does not prescribe any height, merely stating that "the term has no standardized geological meaning". In England and Wales the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has defined "mountain" (as a mass noun) as all land over 600 metres, for the purposes of right to roam legislation. This is a close metric equivalent of 2,000 feet (610 meters). The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 does not appear to draw this distinction, and in Scotland the term "mountain" is more subjective, often being used for hills exceeding 3,000 feet (914.4 m) listed as Munros. In the United Kingdom the term "hill" is commonly used for all hills and mountains, regardless of height.

Answer 5

In the UK, a mountain is 609.6 metres (2000ft) high or more. In the Netherlands, where we are more acquinted with true mountains (lol) we speak of Low Mountains (500-750m), Middle Mountains (750-1500m) and High Mountains or Highlands (1500m and upwards). So, by UK standards you'd be looking for a mountain of 610m exactly, while by European standards you'd be looking for a 500m high peak. And googling for peaks of exactly 500 or 609.6 metres is neigh on impossible. You'll have to check your atlas, sorry.

As a funny sideline, Taipei 101, a Taiwanese skyscraper completed in 2004 has 101 stories and is 509 metres tall. Currently, it's the talles building in the world and the only one to qualify as a mountain by the aforementioned European standards. It's triggered two earthquakes when it was built, so incredibly you could even call it a vulcano. See the link below for an article on it. Mind you there is one fault in the text I think, talking about how much pressure it puts on the ground: an immense 4.7 bar. Considering I put 8 bar of air pressure in my bicycle tubes, I'm not impressed.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/story/0,3605,1655977,00.html

Lastly, the Burj Dubai tower that will be completed in 2008, will stand 800 metres tall and therefore qualify as a mountain by UK standards too.

Answer 6

in the UK a mountain must be over 600m to be called a mountain unless there is a sudden change in the topography of the land where a change of more than 300m quickly can also be called a mountain.
the best difference though is that under most circumstances a mounain has a definate summit.

Answer 7

It depends from country to country... I guess.
In Europe a hill is considered a mountain when it reaches 1000 meters.

Answer 8

Wacth The Englishman who went up a hill and came down a moutain, Very informative!!

Answer 9

hills are covered in ground layers or sand but mountains are usually bare,

Answer 10

More importantly when is an island just a submerged mountain?