Mountains and their POINT?

[WEASY]

Why do mountains always grow into a point?

[Gnu]

Mountains are formed by tectonic plates pushing against each other, forcing the rock upwards. They then wear over millions of years through the various processes of erosion, and these (along with the structure of the rock) determine the shape.

[brachiopod]

Hmmm.... *thinks* Table Mountain.... not very pointy at all.

[heathfield]

Pointy mountains are new mountains, still rising. As Gnu says, the rock gets pushed up. Once they're high enough, ice and frost attack the sides, cracking the rock, and glaciers gouge out valleys and sweep the debris away. As the rock keeps breaking away from the sides in the cold, you're left with a pointy top. Dig away all round the sides of a pile of damp sand and you'll see this effect. Examples are found in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, etc.

But mountains in Britain are rounded. That's because they were formed differently. Take the Grampian Mountains in Scotland. Once upon a time they were a fairly smooth uplifted plateau that had stopped rising. But then the Ice Age came and glaciers formed and started gouging out deep valleys. Eventually the ice became thick enough to become an ice sheet, completely covering the mountains. When this ice sheet flowed over the tops, it rounded them off.

[mr_pointment]

how did ayers rock end up in the outback? is (that) a mountain? mind boggles again

boggle boggle boggle

[qapmoc]

Geologists who try to explain the origin of Ayers Rock say its sand came from the Musgrave mountain range 60 miles to the north and was dumped by water at its present spot. Later, they say, erosion carved out its present shape. However, most geologists admit they do not know the origin of Ayers Rock.

Ayers Rock is a huge liquefaction mound. Many large water vents, through which the water in the liquefied sediments drained out of the mound, are found in the sides of Ayers Rock. These vents resemble shallow caves.

[AGENT X]

the Ayers rock are most likly the result of the process of the point where pressure is relessed is the point of least resistance, even though there are great distances from point of pressure to the point of least resistance ore also known as the exit location of the said pressure. these pressure trails can traverce up down weaving back and forth cutting paths until it finds a place to exit. if the distance is great enough by the time it reaches it's final destination in may have formed from its original shape, (example) vapor into water water into vapor or entirly different elements to the tempeture or chemical/mineral elements it ha s passed through or by actually determands its final chemical ranking