Mountains

Earthquakes occur when tectonic plates suddenly move, releasing stored energy as seismic waves. The intensity of an earthquake depends on how much energy is released and the depth of the focus. Earthquakes are most common at plate boundaries.

Fold mountains are formed when tectonic plates collide and compress layers of rock, causing them to buckle and fold upward. They form the world's longest and highest mountain ranges, including the Himalayas and the Andes.

Mountains are large landforms that rise high above the surrounding land. They form through tectonic processes — mainly the collision and movement of the huge plates that make up Earth's crust.

Earth's crust is broken into large pieces called tectonic plates that slowly move on the semi-molten mantle beneath. Their interactions cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building — creating most of Earth's major landforms.

A volcano is an opening in Earth's crust through which magma, gases, and ash erupt onto the surface. Volcanoes form at plate boundaries and above hot spots, building characteristic cone-shaped mountains over time.