What are mountains?

Mountains can be defined as landforms that are elevated in comparison to their surroundings, appearing to rise rather abruptly from the landscape.  They can be formed either through tectonic forces or volcanism, with three main types of mountains being volcanoes, fold mountains, and fault block mountains.


Image (right): Denali, the highest mountain in North America.  
Image source:
https://www.britannica.com/place/Denali