Science Common Sense

249 - How do mountains form?

Mountains are formed when the Earth's surface gets pushed together or pulled apart by the movement of huge plates called tectonic plates.

There are three main ways mountains form:

1. Collisions: When two tectonic plates collide, they push up the Earth's surface to form mountains, like when you push playdough together.
2. Volcanic eruptions: When volcanoes erupt, they spit out lava that cools and forms new land. Over time, this land can grow into mountains.
3. Upheaval: When the Earth's surface is stretched or pulled apart, rocks can be pushed upwards to form mountains.

These processes can take millions of years to create the beautiful mountains we see today.