Asummitis a point on a surface that is higher inelevationthan all points immediately adjacent to it. Thetopographictermsacme,apex,peak(mountain peak), andzenitharesynonymous.
The termtop(mountain top) is generally used only for amountainpeak that is located at some distance from the nearest point of higher elevation. For example, a big, massive rock next to the main summit of a mountain is not considered a summit. Summits near a higher peak, with someprominenceorisolation,but not reaching a certain cutoff value for the quantities, are often consideredsubsummits(orsubpeaks) of the higher peak, and are considered part of the same mountain. Apyramidal peakis an exaggerated form produced by iceerosionof a mountain top.For summits that are permanently covered in significant layers of ice, the height may be measured by the highest point of rock (rock height) or the highest point of permanent solid ice (snow height).
The highest summit in the world isMount Everestwith a height of 8,848.86 m (29,031.7 ft) abovesea level.The first official ascent was made byTenzing NorgayandSir Edmund Hillary.They reached the mountain's peak in 1953.[2][3]
Whether a highest point is classified as a summit, a sub peak or a separate mountain is subjective. TheInternational Climbing and Mountaineering Federation's definition of a 4,000 m peak is that it has a prominence of 30 metres (98 ft) or more; it is a mountain summit if it has a prominence of at least 300 metres (980 ft).[4]Otherwise, it is a subpeak.
Summitmay also refer to the highest point along a line, trail, or route. In many parts of theWestern United States,the termsummitis used for the highest point along a road, highway, or railroad, more commonly referred to as apass.For example, the highest point alongInterstate 80inCaliforniais referred to asDonner Summitand the highest point onInterstate 5isSiskiyou Mountain Summit.This can lead to confusion as to whether a labeled "summit" is a pass or a peak.
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See also
edit- Geoid– Ocean shape without winds and tides
- Hill– Landform that extends above the surrounding terrain
- Nadir (topography)– local minimum of a depression (in geology)
- Summit accordance
- World Mountain Peak Map- Map of mountain peaks higher than 1000m.
References
edit- ^"Nepal Mountaineering Association".2008.Retrieved2 June2011.
- ^Lyons, Kate (2017-05-21)."Mount Everest's Hillary Step has collapsed, mountaineer confirms".The Guardian.ISSN0261-3077.Archivedfrom the original on Dec 31, 2017.Retrieved2017-12-10.
- ^"Everest".National Geographic.Retrieved2017-12-10.
- ^UIAA – International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (22 February 2023)."Mountain Classification: 4000m Summits in Alps".Retrieved2024-01-29.
External links
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- Peak finder
- Summit Climbing Gear List
- peakbagger.comInformation and statistics about the mountain peaks and mountain ranges of the world
- peakbucket.comThe activity tracking website for peakbaggers worldwide
- peakery.comWorldwide peakbagging community with over 300,000 peak summit logs and peak lists
- peakbook.orgInternational peakbagging community with worldwide peak lists
- peakhunter.orgGlobal summit log project with crowd sourced peak data
- hill-bagging.co.ukDatabase and logging of British and Irish hills
