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Summit

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A climber taking the final few steps to the 6,160 m (20,210 ft)[1]summit ofImja Tse(Island Peak) inNepal,2004
View from the summit ofSwitzerland's highest peak,Monte Rosa

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. Summit may also refer to the highest point along a line, trail, or route.

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.

Siskiyou Mountain Summit sign alongInterstate 5,marking the highest point along the highway at 4,310 ft (1,310 m)

In many parts of theWestern United States,the termsummitcan also be 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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The summit ofMount Damavand,Iran
Doso Doyabi,one of the highest peaks entirely withinNevada,United States
Mount Elbrusand its two peaks (Caucasus,Russia)

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Nepal Mountaineering Association".2008.Retrieved2 June2011.
  2. ^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.
  3. ^"Everest".National Geographic.Retrieved2017-12-10.
  4. ^UIAA – International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (22 February 2023)."Mountain Classification: 4000m Summits in Alps".Retrieved2024-01-29.
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