Curious About Mountains

PODCAST 233: CURIOUS ABOUT MOUNTAINS

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, MARCH 19TH, 2023

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST.  OLIVIA AND I LIVE IN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY.  IN NEW JERSEY, WE DO HAVE A FEW MOUNTAINS.  THE HIGHEST POINT IN NEW JERSEY IS A MOUNTAIN PEAK THAT’S FITTINGLY CALLED HIGH POINT, WITH A PEAK ELEVATION OF 1,803 FEET.  EVEN THOUGH NEW JERSEY HAS SOME BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS, IT ISN’T REALLY CONSIDERED TO BE A VERY MOUNTAINOUS STATE.  I’VE VISITED OTHER STATES, LIKE COLORADO AND NEVADA, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT HAVE ABSOLUTELY BREATHTAKING MOUNTAINS.  AS WE WILL LEARN IN A FEW MINUTES, MOUNTAINS CAN LITERALLY TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY.  HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED HOW MOUNTAINS FORM?  THE SCIENCE BEHIND MOUNTAIN FORMATION IS SUPER INTERESTING, SO LET’S LEARN MORE. 

O:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

D:  TRIPLE-MAILBAG!

“HI JACOB AND OLIVIA,

MY NAME IS CHRIS AND I LIVE IN DALLAS, TEXAS.  I HAVE THREE CURIOUS KIDS AND WE LOVE YOUR PODCAST.  YOU GUYS DO A GREAT JOB, AND WE APPRECIATE HOW HARD YOU WORK TO PUT OUT GREAT EPISODES.  JOE, BO, AND ADDIE ARE CURIOUS ABOUT MOUNTAINS.  THEY WOULD LOVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEM ON ONE OF YOUR PODCASTS.”

“HI OLIVIA AND JACOB,

MY NAME IS ISLA, AND I’M 9 YEARS OLD.  I’M CURIOUS ABOUT MOUNTAINS.  I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW HOW THEY ARE MADE AND WHY THEY ARE SO TALL.  I LOVE YOUR PODCAST AND LISTEN TO IT LOTS, ESPECIALLY WHEN I’M ON HOLIDAY.

-ISLA OF GISBORNE, NEW ZEALAND”

“HI JACOB AND OLIVIA,

I LOVE LISTENING TO YOUR PODCAST ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL IN THE MORNINGS.  SOME THINGS I AM CURIOUS ABOUT AND WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO TALK ABOUT ARE: MOUNTAINS, COFFEE, AND STREET SIGNS.  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THAT YOU BOTH DO!

KIERAN, 5 YEARS OLD, OF ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA”

O:  WOWSERS.  THOSE WERE THREE INCREDIBLE EMAILS FROM AMAZING LISTENERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.  WE CAN’T WAIT TO LEARN ALL ABOUT MOUNTAINS THIS WEEK FOR JOE, BO, ADDIE, ISLA, AND KIERAN.  THE WORLD IS SO BEAUTIFUL, AND ONE OF IT’S MOST BEAUTIFUL FEATURES MIGHT JUST BE IT’S MAJESTIC MOUNTAINS.  

D:  MOUNTAINS ARE AWESOME, AND THERE IS SO MUCH TO LEARN ABOUT THEM, SO LET’S KICK THINGS OFF WITH THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.

O:  THE TALLEST MOUNTAIN IN THE WORLD AND THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN THE WORLD ARE TWO DIFFERENT MOUNTAINS.  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS HOW CAN THAT BE, AND WHICH MOUNTAINS ARE THEY?

D:  THAT QUESTION IS SUPER FASCINATING.  IT ALMOST SEEMS LIKE A RIDDLE.  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT THE ANSWER, LET’S LEARN WHAT MOUNTAINS ARE.

O:  MOUNTAINS ARE PART OF THE LAND, BUT THEY RISE UP ABOVE EVERYTHING AROUND IT.  THE DICTIONARY DEFINES MOUNTAINS AS SIMPLY BEING “HIGHER AND STEEPER THAN A HILL.”  MOUNTAINS CAN USUALLY BE FOUND CLOSE TO OTHER MOUNTAINS.  A GROUP OF MOUNTAINS IS CALLED A MOUNTAIN RANGE.  

D:  THERE ARE A FEW WAYS THAT MOUNTAINS CAN FORM.  NO MATTER WHICH WAY A MOUNTAIN FORMS, MOUNTAIN FORMATION TAKES PLACE OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS.  IT’S A VERY SLOW PROCESS.  

O:  THE OUTER LAYER OF THE EARTH IS CALLED THE EARTH’S CRUST.  IT IS MADE UP OF REALLY LARGE PLATES, CALLED TECTONIC PLATES.  TECTONIC PLATES ARE MASSIVE, MUCH BIGGER THAN THE PLATES IN YOUR KITCHEN.  

D:  WE LEARNED A BIT ABOUT TECTONIC PLATES IN THE EPISODE CURIOUS ABOUT VOLCANOES.  THE WAY VOLCANOES FORM IS VERY SIMILAR TO HOW MOUNTAINS FORM.  THE TECTONIC PLATE THAT WE LIVE OVER, HERE IN NEW JERSEY, IS CALLED THE NORTH AMERICAN PLATE.  THE NORTH AMERICAN PLATE IS THE SECOND LARGEST TECTONIC PLATE IN THE WORLD, AND IT IS A WHOPPING 75,900,000 SQUARE KILOMETERS.  OUR LISTENERS FROM NORTH CAROLINA AND TEXAS THAT REQUESTED WE GET CURIOUS ABOUT MOUNTAINS ALSO LIVE OVER THE NORTH AMERICAN PLATE.  

O:  ISLA FROM NEW ZEALAND HAS A MORE INTERESTING TECTONIC PLATE SITUATION.  SHE DOESN’T LIVE OVER THE NORTH AMERICAN PLATE, LIKE WE DO.  NEW ZEALAND IS ACTUALLY AT THE EDGE OF THE AUSTRALIAN AND PACIFIC TECTONIC PLATES.  

D:  NOT ONLY DOES EACH MASSIVE TECTONIC PLATE COVER A LOT OF AREA, BUT THEY ARE ALSO VERY THICK.  TECTONIC PLATES ARE ABOUT 100 KILOMETERS (OR 62 MILES) THICK.  THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF CRUST BASED ON LOCATION.  CONTINENTAL CRUST IS MADE UP MOSTLY OF SILICON AND ALUMINUM.  OCEANIC CRUST IS MADE UP MOSTLY OF SILICON AND MAGNESIUM.

O:  THE MOST COMMON WAY MOUNTAINS FORM IS WHEN TECTONIC PLATES SMASH TOGETHER.  THIS HAPPENS BECAUSE TECTONIC PLATES MOVE SLOWLY OVER TIME.  TECTONIC PLATES MOVE ABOUT AN INCH OR TWO EVERY YEAR.

D:  THANKFULLY THAT’S SUPER SLOW, BUT THINK ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE.  TWO MASSIVE PARTS OF THE EARTH’S CRUST ARE COLLIDING WITH EACH OTHER.  WHEN TECTONIC PLATES COLLIDE LIKE THIS, THERE IS NOWHERE FOR ALL OF THAT CRUST TO GO BUT UP.  WHEN THIS HAPPENS, MOUNTAINS ARE FORMED.  MOUNTAINS FORMED THIS WAY ARE CALLED FOLD MOUNTAINS.  THIS IS THE MOST COMMON WAY THAT MOUNTAINS ARE FORMED.  THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS OF NORTH AMERICA, THE ALPS IN EUROPE, THE ANDES IN SOUTH AMERICA, AND THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS IN ASIA ARE ALL EXAMPLES OF FOLD MOUNTAINS.  

O:  THERE ARE FOUR OTHER WAYS THAT MOUNTAINS CAN FORM.  THERE ARE MOUNTAINS CALLED FAULT-BLOCK MOUNTAINS.  THERE ARE LARGE CRACKS IN THE SURFACE OF THE EARTH CALLED FAULTS.  WE LEARNED ABOUT THEM IN OUR EPISODE ON EARTHQUAKES.  WHEN THOSE CRACKS OPEN UP EVEN FURTHER, CHUNKS OF ROCK CAN BE PUSHED UP OR DOWN.  THE END RESULT CAN BE A MOUNTAIN WITH A LONG SLOPE ON ONE SIDE AND A CLIFF WITH A SHARP DROP ON THE OTHER.  THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS IN THE UNITED STATES ARE AN EXAMPLE OF FAULT-BLOCK MOUNTAINS.

D:  ANOTHER TYPE OF MOUNTAIN IS A DOME MOUNTAIN.  THEY USUALLY LOOK SMOOTHER THAN OTHER MOUNTAINS, AND THEY ARE ROUNDED AT THE TOP, LIKE A DOME.  THEY FORM WHEN A LOT OF MAGMA AND MOLTEN ROCK PUSH UP ON THE EARTH’S CRUST.  THE MAGMA NEVER GETS ALL THE WAY TO THE EARTH’S SURFACE, SO IT JUST ENDS UP MAKING THE LAND BUBBLE UP, LIKE A BALLOON, INTO A MOUNTAIN.  THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS IN NEW YORK AND THE BLACK HILLS OF SOUTH DAKOTA ARE BOTH EXAMPLES OF DOME MOUNTAINS.

O:  VOLCANIC MOUNTAINS ARE CREATED BY VOLCANOES.  THAT’S VERY EASY TO REMEMBER.  WHEN MAGMA PUSHES OUT OF THE EARTH AND ERUPTS AS LAVA, ASH, ROCK, AND GAS, THOSE MATERIALS COOL FORMING MOUNTAINS.  THE MOUNTAINS CAN THEN CHANGE OVER TIME WITH MORE ERUPTIONS.  MOUNT FUJI IN JAPAN AND MOUNT RAINER IN THE UNITED STATES ARE EXAMPLES OF VOLCANIC MOUNTAINS.

D:  THE NEXT, AND LAST, TYPE OF MOUNTAIN TYPE IS VERY UNIQUE.  IT’S CALLED A PLATEAU MOUNTAIN.  THEY AREN’T FORMED FROM LAND PUSHING UP FROM THE EARTH’S SURFACE LIKE ALL OF THE OTHER TYPES OF MOUNTAINS.  THEY ARE ACTUALLY FORMED FROM PARTS OF THE EARTH BEING TAKEN AWAY DUE TO SOMETHING CALLED EROSION.  OVER MILLIONS, OR BILLIONS, OF YEARS, RIVERS CAN DIG DOWN INTO A PLATEAU FORMING MOUNTAINS IN THE LAND AROUND THE EROSION.  THE MOUNTAINS OF NEW ZEALAND AND THE CATSKILLS OF NEW YORK ARE EXAMPLES OF PLATEAU MOUNTAINS.  

O:  THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN IS CALLED THE SUMMIT, AND THE BOTTOM IS CALLED THE BASE.  MOUNTAINS CAN GET A LITTLE HIGHER, OR EVEN A LITTLE SHORTER, AS THE YEARS GO BY, JUST LIKE US.  MOUNTAINS ARE VERY ROCKY.  AS A RESULT, MANY THINGS HAVE TROUBLE GROWING ON MOUNTAINS.  THE HIGHER UP A MOUNTAIN YOU GO, THE COLDER IT GETS.  THAT MAKES IT HARD FOR SOME ANIMALS AND PLANTS TO SURVIVE HIGH UP A MOUNTAIN.  AS YOU APPROACH THE TOP OF HIGH MOUNTAINS, IT CAN GET VERY COLD, EVEN IF IT’S COMFORTABLE DOWN AT THE BOTTOM.  IT MAY BE TOO COLD FOR ANYTHING TO GROW, AND THERE CAN ALSO BE A LOT LESS OXYGEN AT THE TOP, MAKING BREATHING VERY DIFFICULT.

D:  MANY OF THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF PLANTS YOU WOULD SEE ON A MOUNTAIN ARE CALLED CONIFERS, WHICH INCLUDE PINE TREES, FIRS, AND SPRUCES.  

O:  ON MANY MOUNTAINS, YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE TREES STOP AT SOME POINT, AND THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN HAS NO TREES.  THAT’S BECAUSE THE CONDITIONS AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN ARE TOO EXTREME FOR TREES TO LIVE.  THE ALTITUDE WHERE THE TREES STOP IS CALLED THE TREE LINE.  

D:  NOT MANY ANIMALS CAN SURVIVE THE HARSH ENVIRONMENT FOUND ON MANY MOUNTAINS.  SOME ANIMALS THAT CAN BE FOUND LIVING ON MOUNTAINS INCLUDE BROWN BEARS, COYOTES, SNOW LEOPARDS, AND WOLVERINES.  OH MY!

ALRIGHT OLIVIA, LET’S ANSWER THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK.  THE TALLEST AND HIGHEST MOUNTAINS IN THE WORLD ARE TWO DIFFERENT MOUNTAINS.  HOW CAN THAT POSSIBLY BE, AND WHICH TWO MOUNTAINS ARE THEY?

O:  IN ORDER TO MEASURE HOW HIGH A MOUNTAIN IS, YOU NEED TO MEASURE THE MOUNTAIN FROM SEA LEVEL TO THE SUMMIT, OR TIPPY TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN.  BY THIS DEFINITION, THE HIGHEST MOUNTAIN IN THE WORLD IS MOUNT EVEREST IN NEPAL.  MOUNT EVEREST IS 29,032 FEET (OR 8,849 METERS) TALL.  

IN ORDER TO MEASURE HOW TALL A MOUNTAIN IS, YOU NEED TO MEASURE THE MOUNTAIN FROM BASE TO SUMMIT.  IN OTHER WORDS, YOU NEED TO MEASURE THE MOUNTAIN FROM IT’S BOTTOM TO IT’S TOP.  IF YOU ASKED PEOPLE WHAT THE TALLEST MOUNTAIN IN THE WORLD IS, MANY WOULD PROBABLY SAY MOUNT EVEREST, BUT IT’S NOT THE CASE.  THE TALLEST MOUNTAIN IN THE WORLD IS MOUNA KEA IN HAWAII.  MOUNT EVEREST IS 8,850 METERS TALL, WHICH IS SUPER TALL, BUT GUESS WHAT?  MOUNA KEA IN HAWAII IS OVER 10,000 METERS TALL, WHICH IS ACTUALLY A LOT TALLER THAN MOUNT EVEREST.  THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT MOUNA KEA IS THAT IT’S BASE IS BELOW SEA LEVEL, SO YOU CAN’T SEE A LOT OF THE MOUNTAIN, BECAUSE IT IS SUBMERGED IN THE SEA.  BUT, IF YOU SOMEHOW PULLED MOUNA KEA OUT OF THE OCEAN SO THE BASE WAS AT SEA LEVEL, AND THEN SOMEHOW PUT IT SIDE TO SIDE WITH MOUNT EVEREST, YOU WOULD DEFINITELY SEE THAT MOUNA KEA IS TALLER, BY A LOT.  

D:  IF THAT FACT ISN’T CRAZY ENOUGH, BUCKLE UP FOR THE NEXT FACT I’M ABOUT TO DROP ON YOU.  THE TALLEST MOUNTAIN IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM ISN’T ON EARTH, IT’S ACTUALLY ON MARS.  THAT MOUNTAIN IS CALLED OLYMPUS MONS.  MOUNT EVEREST IS ABOUT 5.5 MILES TALL.  OLYMPUS MONS IS SO BIG, IT MAKES EVEREST LOOK LIKE A LITTLE BABY MOUNTAIN IN COMPARISON.  OLYMPUS MONS IS 15.5 MILES TALL, ALMOST THREE TIMES TALLER THAN MOUNT EVEREST.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  233 - MOUNTAINS

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB JOE, BO, ADDIE, ISLA, AND KIERAN FOR THE EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION THAT HAD ALL OF OUR INTERESTS PEAKED.  BEFORE WE GO, WE HAVE SOME AMAZING PEOPLE TO THANK.

O:  WE WANT TO THANK OUR NEWEST PATREON SUPPORTERS, AMELIA AND OLIVER S., TARA L., AND MATT B.  

D:  THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT.  WE HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING ALL OF THE EXTRA ACCESS YOU GET TO THE PODCAST.  

O:  WE ALSO WANT TO THANK XANDERSMAMA FOR THE REVIEW.

D:  IT SAYS “AMAZING AND AWESOME!!!! 5 STAR REVIEW!”

O:  THAT REVIEW IS SHORT, BUT SUPER SUPER SWEET.

D:  PEOPLE ASK US ALL THE TIME WHAT THEY CAN DO TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST.  THERE ARE TWO THINGS YOU CAN DO THAT ARE QUICK AND EASY.  ONE OF THOSE THINGS IS TO LEAVE A 5 STAR REVIEW.  ANOTHER THING YOU CAN DO IS TO LET OTHERS KNOW ABOUT OUR PODCAST.  IF YOU LOVE LISTENING TO CURIOUS KID PODCAST, CHANCES ARE YOU CAN PROBABLY THINK OF SOMEONE, OR MAYBE EVEN A COUPLE OF PEOPLE THAT WOULD ALSO ENJOY THE PODCAST.

O:  YOU CAN SAY “HEY FRIEND, HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST?  THEY ARE FUN AND EDUCATIONAL.  EACH EPISODE IS ONLY ABOUT 10 OR 15 MINUTES LONG, AND THEY HAVE HUNDREDS OF EPISODES FOR YOU TO ENJOY.  YOU CAN EVEN SEND THEM AN EMAIL TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT YOU’RE CURIOUS ABOUT, AND THEY MIGHT EVEN READ YOUR EMAIL IN AN EPISODE AND GET CURIOUS FOR YOU.”

D:  WHATEVER WAY YOU COME UP WITH TO SHOW YOUR LOVE AND SUPPORT MEANS SO MUCH TO US, AND IT HELPS ENSURE THAT WE STICK AROUND FOR A VERY LONG TIME.  JOIN US NEXT WEEK FOR THE SEASON 9 FINALE.  YOU’RE NOT GOING TO WANT TO MISS IT, BECAUSE WE ARE ALSO GOING TO REVEAL THE FIRST 10 TOPICS WE ARE GOING TO GET CURIOUS ABOUT IN SEASON 10.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.