Science Common Sense

977 - How are mountains formed?

Imagine the Earth's surface as a big puzzle with huge plates that fit together. When these plates move and collide, the ground gets pushed up, creating mountains. This process is called 'plate tectonics.' Here's how it works:

1. The Earth's plates move very slowly (a few centimeters per year).
2. Sometimes, the plates crash into each other, and their edges buckle and rise up.
3. Over millions of years, the ground continues to rise, creating mountains.

There are other ways mountains form too, such as volcanoes erupting and spewing lava that cools and hardens into mountains. But plate tectonics is the main way mountains are made.