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When does a hill become a mountain?
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What is criteria for this please?
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Seems to be a vague ......but two sources seem to be around 300 odd metres or 1000 feet.
From the film "The Englisnman That Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain"
...... "that it is only a hill because it is slightly short of the required 1000 feet".
and the other info says....
As far as geologists are concerned, you could call just about any sort
of positive topographic feature a mountain and probably get away with
it (within reason, of course). Geographers, on the other hand, who's
primary interests often concern topographic anomalies like mountains
and basins, usually reserve the term "mountain" for a positive
topographic feature which rises to a height of at least 305 meters
above the surrounding terrain. Anything less than 305 meters in
height is considered a hill, and anything considerably less than 305
meters is termed a "hillock." Why 305 meters is the magic number, I
do not know. I would guess that it was chosen as the result of a
statistical study of hill/mountain heights and was consequently made
the standard by which all hills/mountains would be judged.
From the film "The Englisnman That Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain"
...... "that it is only a hill because it is slightly short of the required 1000 feet".
and the other info says....
As far as geologists are concerned, you could call just about any sort
of positive topographic feature a mountain and probably get away with
it (within reason, of course). Geographers, on the other hand, who's
primary interests often concern topographic anomalies like mountains
and basins, usually reserve the term "mountain" for a positive
topographic feature which rises to a height of at least 305 meters
above the surrounding terrain. Anything less than 305 meters in
height is considered a hill, and anything considerably less than 305
meters is termed a "hillock." Why 305 meters is the magic number, I
do not know. I would guess that it was chosen as the result of a
statistical study of hill/mountain heights and was consequently made
the standard by which all hills/mountains would be judged.
305 m is 1000 feet to the nearest metre, so that's why it's that strange number. they've chosen to stick with the original threshold but just use metric units.
if they'd chosen to 'round it down' to 300 metres no doubt there be uproar amongst people local to those between 300 and 305 that were 'downgraded'. people are funny about that sort of thing.
if they'd chosen to 'round it down' to 300 metres no doubt there be uproar amongst people local to those between 300 and 305 that were 'downgraded'. people are funny about that sort of thing.
In Britain, the Ordnance Survey uses whatever the local name is to describe high lands. Throughout England, Wales and Ireland, it is agreed that those above 2,000 feet qualify as �mountains'.
Some people maintain, however, that a mountain must have a specific �peak'; on that basis, Kinder Scout - the highest area of Derbyshire's Peak District at 2,087 feet - is just moorland rather than mountain, despite the area's name!
In Scotland, there are various names for different mountain-heights...2,000 - 2,499 feet are Grahams, 2,500 - 2,999 feet are Corbetts and 3000 feet plus are Munros. The last of these is now also applied to mountains in England, Wales and Ireland.
Some people maintain, however, that a mountain must have a specific �peak'; on that basis, Kinder Scout - the highest area of Derbyshire's Peak District at 2,087 feet - is just moorland rather than mountain, despite the area's name!
In Scotland, there are various names for different mountain-heights...2,000 - 2,499 feet are Grahams, 2,500 - 2,999 feet are Corbetts and 3000 feet plus are Munros. The last of these is now also applied to mountains in England, Wales and Ireland.
Although it is allegedly possible to make a mountain out of a molehill I�m not conversant on the procedure whereby this is accomplished but the practice is apparently generally frowned upon.
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