Earth is speckled with mountains, from the slight Mount Wycheproof, rising 482 feet (147 meters) above sea level in Victoria, Australia, to the highest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest, standing 29,032 feet (8,849 meters) tall. But how do these puny to gigantic peaks form?
Mountains are born in a number of ways, many of which are linked to Earth's tectonic plates. When these giant slabs of rocks collide, their edges can buckle and fold, which forces rock up to form a mountain range. The Himalayas, which are home to Mount Everest, formed in this manner.
