Why mountains are there

Post general questions and discuss issues related to climbing.
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Baarb

 
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Why mountains are there

by Baarb » Thu Oct 08, 2009 9:49 am

I just started wondering how many climbers/mountaineers there are out there that find themselves interested in how the thing they are climbing got there in the first place. For me as someone with a background in geology/geophysics I habitually muse on things like the motion of tectonic plates, deposition, uplift, erosion, volcanism etc. Do other people do this when they're out and about or do such things normally take a back seat to more pressing matters like the actual climbing?

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Diego Sahagún

 
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by Diego Sahagún » Thu Oct 08, 2009 10:33 am

Sometimes and I'd like to know more about those processes

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Bruno

 
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by Bruno » Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:16 am

Why mountains are there?


Because it is there... might George Mallory have said

Being of scientific background too, I sometimes muse about plate tectonics while climbing mountains. But once caught in the action of climbing, I usually forget all about it, and just enjoy the effort and the landscape.

However, while going down steep scree slopes with stones rolling all around me, I often surprise myself dissertating on how (in)significant my contribution to erosion is… :)

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Hotoven

 
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by Hotoven » Thu Oct 08, 2009 4:18 pm

If I'm hiking up, my mind wonders, and yes, I do think of it. Along with other random thoughts like, how many of these spiders are on this Mountain, or how much surface area could all the snow cover if it were laid out over a major city.

When I'm climbing, I tend to stay focused and only think of when I'm going to take my next break, and how nice it will be to eat my frozen snickers bar :D

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Luciano136

 
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by Luciano136 » Thu Oct 08, 2009 4:50 pm

I do get reminded when everything in my office starts shaking every once in a while :D . Means they're still growing, right ;)

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lcarreau

 
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by lcarreau » Thu Oct 08, 2009 5:51 pm

I don't know how anybody can NOT think about geology when they're climbing a peak.

I mean, you'd have to be very "narrow-minded" to focus completely on the summit, without

looking at the nearby peaks and valleys and how they fit together with each other.


Don't get me WRONG - there's nothing wrong with being GOAL-orientated, but geology is a

REAL part of our existence here on the "Third Rock from The Sun."

8)

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Luciano136

 
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by Luciano136 » Thu Oct 08, 2009 7:55 pm

Living in Cali, it's definitely hard not to think about it. Old lava fields, volcanoes, earthquakes, fault lines that are right in your face, etc.

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SpiderSavage

 
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by SpiderSavage » Thu Oct 08, 2009 9:10 pm

I'm into the formation as well as the chemical breakdown and astrophysical and metaphysical origins. Climbing is just a physical expression of my passion towards a bonding with the physical universe. (I am the son of a geologist and have a good grasp of geoscience.)

These atoms and molecules have been around for a long time. Yet they vibrate newly in each moment with the force of the creator.

The great secret question of life is: Who is the creator?

Few dare to ask. Fewer still really know.

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Luciano136

 
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by Luciano136 » Thu Oct 08, 2009 9:18 pm

SpiderSavage wrote:The great secret question of life is: Who is the creator?


For religious people, that answer is simple.

I just leave it open to science as something we don't know for sure (yet) since I don't really believe in any 'higher powers'.

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TheOrglingLlama

 
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by TheOrglingLlama » Thu Oct 08, 2009 9:21 pm

Who is the creator?

Few dare to ask. Fewer still really know.


Image

:mrgreen:

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MarthaP

 
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by MarthaP » Thu Oct 08, 2009 9:28 pm

Dingus Milktoast wrote:I live on an active plate margin and have studied the local ophiolites quite a bit. I enjoy the 'big picture' of geology - exactly as you state; how did it get here and get like this. I really enjoy understanding the narrative.

Here in northern California we have some great opportunities to 'do geology' in this casual way.

Roadside Geology series is excellent for this.

DMT


DMT - is an ophiolite anything like an Oompa Loompa? :wink:

I had the opportunity to go caving in the Marble Mountains before I left CA. What was really fascinating was seeing a mountain from the inside out. I still prefer feeling the summit breezes, though.

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dan2see

 
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by dan2see » Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:34 pm

TheOrglingLlama wrote:
Who is the creator?

Few dare to ask. Fewer still really know.


Image

:mrgreen:


On top of spaghetti,
All covered with cheese,
I lost my poor meatball,
When somebody sneezed.

Yes, we've always known, but not realized it: THAT's why the mountains are there!

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radson

 
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by radson » Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:42 pm

I just assumed mountains are the bits that got crinkled when God wrapped the land and seas around the earth.

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Bruno

 
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by Bruno » Fri Oct 09, 2009 3:32 am

The great secret question of life is: Who is the creator?
IMHO, the question is irrelevant and out of topic (title of this thread: why mountains are there).

The great secret question
Why secret?

The great secret question of life
Unless allegorically speaking, mountains are not living in a strict sense.

Who is the creator?
For those believing in a creator, the answer is contained in the question: the creator is the creator... whatever you name it: invisible pink unicorn, god, zeus, the flying spaghetti monster, etc, etc.

Instead of "Who is the creator?" you might reformulate: "Is there a creator?" or "Is there a need for a creator?". And for sure, you will not find a positive answer to this question in plate tectonics, erosion or volcanism...


Oops, sorry for maintaining the digression in this thread... :oops:

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Dan Shorb

 
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Re: Why mountains are there

by Dan Shorb » Fri Oct 09, 2009 4:08 am

Baarb wrote:I just started wondering how many climbers/mountaineers there are out there that find themselves interested in how the thing they are climbing got there in the first place. For me as someone with a background in geology/geophysics I habitually muse on things like the motion of tectonic plates, deposition, uplift, erosion, volcanism etc. Do other people do this when they're out and about or do such things normally take a back seat to more pressing matters like the actual climbing?


I found a great resource for Teton geology, and it proves Pikes Peak is older:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyDAr-hjw80

But one of my faves is Austin Post's Glacier Ice book:

Image

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