163
Mont Blanc can rise The icy summit of
16 m (52 ft) above its
The frosty crags of Vinson highest rocky peak
Massif pierce the thick
snow and ice shrouding
its slopesHeavy snowfall feeds
two glaciers that flow
down Aoraki’s flanks(^3) MOUNT MCKINLEY
Rising 6,194 m (20,321 ft) above sea level,
Mount McKinley in Alaska is the highest peak
of the North American Western Cordillera. Its
isolation and bulk make it one of the world’s
most spectacular mountains.
(^4) MOUNT KILIMANJARO
The highest mountain in Africa, Kilimanjaro is
actually a colossal volcano with three volcanic
cones. The highest peak on the tallest cone,
Kibo, rises 5,895 m (19,340 ft) above sea level.
The other volcanic cones are Mawenzi and Shira.
(^7) MONT BLANC
The folded ridges of the European Alps have
been raised by the northward movement of
Africa. Mont Blanc is the highest peak at
4,808 m (15,774 ft), but since its summit is a
dome of ice its height varies from year to year.
(^8) AORAKI (MOUNT COOK)
The highest peak in New Zealand, Aoraki’s
name means “cloud piercer” in the native Maori
language. The mountain is also known as Mount
Cook. Now 2,744 m (12,284 ft) high, Aoraki was
10 m (33 ft) higher before a landslide in 1991.
(^5) MAUNA KEA
The highest point on Hawaii is the top of a
huge volcano that rises 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
from the Pacific Ocean floor. So although its
peak is only 4,205 m (13,796 feet) above sea
level, it is the biggest mountain on Earth.
(^6) VINSON MASSIF
The most remote mountains on Earth lie on the
frozen continent of Antarctica. Overlooking
the vast mass of the Ronne Ice Shelf, Vinson
Massif in the Ellsworth range is the highest
point at 4,897 m (16,067 ft).
Mount Kilimanjaro’s cone,
Kibo, has a 2.4-km (1.5-mile)
wide crater on its summit
4
6
(^78)
5
The vast bulk of Mauna
Kea is slowly sinking as
the ocean floor sags
beneath its weight
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