Types of Mountains and the World’s Most Amazing Peaks
Mountains cover about a quarter of Earth's land surface, and no two are exactly alike. Besides the ranges built by moving tectonic plates, there are volcanic mountains, flat-topped table mountains, sharp pyramidal peaks and lonely inselbergs, and each type forms in its own way.
What are the main types of mountains?
Volcanic mountains grow from layer after layer of lava, ash and rock piling up around an opening in Earth’s crust. Table mountains, like the tepuis of South America, have flat tops and steep sides because wind and rain cut them off from a larger plateau. Pyramidal peaks, such as the Matterhorn, were carved by glaciers grinding into them from several sides. Inselbergs, like Uluru in Australia, rise alone from flat land because their hard rock resists erosion.
Key facts
- The summit of Mount Everest is only about 28 m², about the size of a small room.
- Up to 300,000 people climb Mount Fuji every year.
- Marine fossils found on Everest show that it was once under the sea.
Which mountain has five climate zones?
Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the highest mountain in Africa and the world’s tallest free-standing mountain. On one climb you pass from tropical rainforest, home to black-and-white colobus monkeys, through moorland with giant lobelias, all the way to glacial tundra near its 5,895 m summit.
Which mountains are the toughest and the strangest?
K2, at 8,611 m the second-highest mountain in the world, is called “The Savage Mountain” because of its steep slopes and severe climate, and many climbers consider it the hardest to climb. Mount Erebus in Antarctica is a snow-covered volcano with a bubbling lava lake inside its crater. And Mount Thor in Canada has the world’s greatest vertical drop: its cliff plunges about 1,250 m.
Where can I read the full story?
This is a short version of “Mountains: Giants of Every Shape” from OYLA Junior #15 (October 2026). The full article in OYLA Junior visits eight legendary peaks, from Kilimanjaro to Mount Thor in Canada.
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