So you don't confuse them with mountains...
On my recent roadtrip to Huntsville, I made some sort of comment that I enjoy being around mountains. This is an approximation of the remarks that followed:
"You think those are mountains?"
"Those aren't mountains."
"I've SEEN mountains and those aren't mountains!"
Okay. So, you've seen mountains. I guess that you're talking about those rocky, snow-capped things or maybe those rocky, dry, dust-blowy things. But there's no way that a round-topped, tree-covered thing could be a mountain. That must be a hill. Yep, you've seen mountains. Who HASN'T seen a mountain? Any joker with a television has probably seen a western & probably seen some mountains. I'm not claming that those things that fall under the names of Rocky and Appalachian are not mountains, I'm just saying that the term mountain is a little more fluid than that. Many of the things that are said to be hills may, in fact, be mountains.
So, let's do some research...
From Webster.com: mountain defined.
Main Entry: moun·tain
Pronunciation: 'maun-t&n
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French montaigne, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin montanea, from feminine of montaneus of a mountain, alteration of Latin montanus, from mont-, mons
1 a : a landmass that projects conspicuously above its surroundings and is higher than a hill b : an elongated ridge
2 a : a great mass b : a vast number or quantity
Ok, so now we know that mountains & hills are definately seperate entities... but how high is "higher than a hill"? We'll have to continue...
Again from the Web-man. Hill defined.
Main Entry: 1hill
Pronunciation: 'hil
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hyll; akin to Latin collis hill, culmen top
1 : a usually rounded natural elevation of land lower than a mountain
2 : an artificial heap or mound (as of earth)
3 : several seeds or plants planted in a group rather than a row
4 : SLOPE, INCLINE
Grr... "Lower than a mountain." That Webster is a smart-ass. ONWARD!
Here's what Britannica has to say about them mountains...
landform that rises prominently above its surroundings, generally exhibiting steep slopes, a relatively confined summit area, and considerable local relief. Mountains generally are understood to be larger than hills, but the term has no standardized geological meaning. Very rarely do mountains occur individually. In most cases, they are found in elongated ranges…
Alright! Rule Britannica! So the term has no standardized meaning, but they generally do occur in ranges. And those bad boys I was looking at in the Not-So-Cottony-State certainly were not isolated hills. I stand by my statements. Thems was some mountains.
"You think those are mountains?"
"Those aren't mountains."
"I've SEEN mountains and those aren't mountains!"
Okay. So, you've seen mountains. I guess that you're talking about those rocky, snow-capped things or maybe those rocky, dry, dust-blowy things. But there's no way that a round-topped, tree-covered thing could be a mountain. That must be a hill. Yep, you've seen mountains. Who HASN'T seen a mountain? Any joker with a television has probably seen a western & probably seen some mountains. I'm not claming that those things that fall under the names of Rocky and Appalachian are not mountains, I'm just saying that the term mountain is a little more fluid than that. Many of the things that are said to be hills may, in fact, be mountains.
So, let's do some research...
From Webster.com: mountain defined.
Main Entry: moun·tain
Pronunciation: 'maun-t&n
Function: noun
Usage: often attributive
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French montaigne, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin montanea, from feminine of montaneus of a mountain, alteration of Latin montanus, from mont-, mons
1 a : a landmass that projects conspicuously above its surroundings and is higher than a hill b : an elongated ridge
2 a : a great mass b : a vast number or quantity
Ok, so now we know that mountains & hills are definately seperate entities... but how high is "higher than a hill"? We'll have to continue...
Again from the Web-man. Hill defined.
Main Entry: 1hill
Pronunciation: 'hil
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hyll; akin to Latin collis hill, culmen top
1 : a usually rounded natural elevation of land lower than a mountain
2 : an artificial heap or mound (as of earth)
3 : several seeds or plants planted in a group rather than a row
4 : SLOPE, INCLINE
Grr... "Lower than a mountain." That Webster is a smart-ass. ONWARD!
Here's what Britannica has to say about them mountains...
landform that rises prominently above its surroundings, generally exhibiting steep slopes, a relatively confined summit area, and considerable local relief. Mountains generally are understood to be larger than hills, but the term has no standardized geological meaning. Very rarely do mountains occur individually. In most cases, they are found in elongated ranges…
Alright! Rule Britannica! So the term has no standardized meaning, but they generally do occur in ranges. And those bad boys I was looking at in the Not-So-Cottony-State certainly were not isolated hills. I stand by my statements. Thems was some mountains.
posted by C. Houston Longino at Friday, July 22, 2005
7 Comments:
Is the title of your post a lyric from the Shakira song "Whenever, wherever"?
I thought it might be.
It's pretty apropo. Don't you think? Especially since you knock me head over heels...
You're trying to make a mountain out of molehil.
wikipedia knows all...
"Huntsville is located in the Tennessee River Valley. Several mesas and large hills partially surround the city. These mesas are associated with the Cumberland Plateau, and are locally called 'mountains.'"
So they are locally called mountains? Well, you'd better start doing your job & calling those puppies mountains. 'Cause that's what they are.
they are supposed to be the latter stages (fall) of the Appalachian Mtns. so yes they are mountains, just smaller ones.
And a mountain is so many feet above surrounding land or sea level. I just forget what that footage is. There is actually a minimum height though.
In fact, I think there is a little mountain just southwest of starkville on the natchez trace where that convenience store is between tupelo and kosciusko.
Actually, to clarify, the only place people consider in MS to be a mountain is Woodall Mtn. which is 807 feet high above sea level, the highest point in MS. The part on the Trace i mentioned is just a pretty hill (Jeff Busby).
"Now, Some authorities define a mountain as a peak with a topographic prominence over an arbitrary value: for example, the Encyclopædia Britannica requires a prominence of 2,000 feet (610 m)." -wikepedia-
Oh, and the tallest known mountain in the solar system is Olympus Mons, located on Mars.
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