Descriptionary

adret French term referring to the side of a moun­tain that receives the most sunlight and warmth, used in the Alps. See also ubac.

aiguille a needlelike peak or pinnacle.

alpenglow a peak's rosy glow before sunrise or just after sunset.

alpenhorn a very long, wooden horn used to con­vey signals in the Alps or other mountainous regions.

alpine any lofty or towering mountain comparable to an alp. Also used to describe the elevation above 4,800 feet, where vegetation grows in a stunted fash­ion or not at all.

alpinist a mountain climber.

avalanche a dangerous fall or slide of a large mass of snow, ice, or rocks down the side of a mountain.

avalanche wind a powerful and sometimes danger­ous wind generated by an avalanche.

banner cloud a stationary cloud seen frequently over the lee side of some mountains, such as the Mat- terhorn.

basin a U-shaped bowl created by a glacier.

butte a steep-sided mountain usually having a level top.

cairn a trail marker built of piled rocks, often used near summits.

cirque a large bowl-like or amphitheater-like hol­low in the side of a mountain, carved out by snow, ice, and glacier activity.

col a saddle or low pass between two summits.

cordillera a group of parallel mountain ranges.

cornice an overhanging mass of snow or ice; it resembles an ocean wave and is known to collapse and cause avalanches.

couloir a deep. wide gully that acts as a funnel for falling snow, ice, or rocks. Also known as a coulee.

crag a steep and weathered mass of rock.

dome a type of mountain formed by the upwelling of molten rock through a crack in the Earth, causing surface mounding or bulging; when the surface crust is eventually eroded away, a dome of hardened lava remains.

escarpment a sheer cliff, a scarp.

faulted block mountain mountain formed by a massive uplifting of the Earth.

folded mountain a geological term describing a mountain formed by corrugation and compression of the Earth.

glacial erratics boulders left by glaciers that differ from native rocks, frequently seen near mountainous areas.

flank the side of a mountain.

hogback any sharp ridge or ridges with steeply slop­ing sides.

inselberg a vestigial mountain reduced by erosion to a rocky nubbin or isolated "island," found in ancient desert areas.

Krumholz "crooked wood"; the stunted vegetation caused by severe cold and wind at high elevations. The Krumholz zone is found wherever alpine vegeta­tion has been twisted and dwarfed by the elements, usually above 4,800 feet.

massif a mountain that forms a mass of peaks.

matterhorn a sharp, steeply descending peak, usu­ally formed by glacial erosion.

monadnock a massive rock that has resisted erosion better than surrounding rock and therefore remains standing as a large hill or small mountain.

mountain sickness an illness brought on by oxygen deprivation at high altitudes; the symptoms include headaches, nausea, and general weakness.

nunatak a mountain surrounded by glacial ice.

oread in Greek mythology, a mountain nymph.

orography the study of mountains.

piedmont pertaining to the foot of a mountain, as a piedmont glacier.

pinnacle the top or peak.

piton French term for a pointed peak.

plateau an elevation with a broad, flat top; mesa; tableland.

rain shadow the leeward side of a mountain, which receives far less rain than the windward side.

rarefied of or relating to the thinner air supply at high elevations.

ridgeback the lengthwise crest of any ridge.

rime ice a freezing fog found at high altitudes that settles on rocks and vegetation. Also known as verglas.

saddle the lowest point between two summits.

scree loose slopes of rock fragments and boulders.

seamount a mountain under the sea.

shoulder a humpback or false ridge.

sierra a mountain range or chain.

skirt the skirting of trees around the mountain below the alpine line.

specter of the brocken greatly enlarged shadow of a climber seen projected on a cloud or mist near a summit; named after a peak in Germany.

spur a lateral ridge projecting from a mountain.

table mountain a mesa, plateau.

talus collective term for the boulders, rocks, and gravel fragments often found at the base of cliffs and steep slopes.

tarn a mountain lake, often occupying a cirque.

tundra the barren area where little vegetation grows, above 4,800 feet.

ubac French term for the side of a mountain that is coldest because it receives the least amount of sunlight.

precipitation