Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migration throughout history. At lower elevations it may be called a hill pass. A mountain pass is typically formed between two volcanic peaks or created by erosion from water or wind.
Overview
Mountain passes make use of a
Passes are often found just above the
Roads and railways have long been built through passes. Some high and rugged passes may have tunnels bored underneath a nearby mountainside, as with the Eisenhower Tunnel bypassing Loveland Pass in the Rockies, to allow faster traffic flow throughout the year.
The top of a pass is frequently the only flat ground in the area, and may be a high vantage point. In some cases this makes it a preferred site for buildings. If a national border follows the ridge of a mountain range, a pass over the mountains is typically on the border, and there may be a border control or customs station, and possibly a military post. For instance, Argentina and Chile share the world's third-longest international border, 5,300 kilometres (3,300 mi) long, which runs north–south along the Andes mountains and includes 42 mountain passes.[6][7]
On a road over a pass, it is customary to have a small roadside sign giving the name of the pass and its elevation
Apart from offering relatively easy travel between valleys, passes also provide a route between two mountain tops with a minimum of descent. As a result, it is common for tracks to meet at a pass; this often makes them convenient routes even when travelling between a summit and the valley floor. Passes traditionally were places for trade routes, communications, cultural exchange, military expeditions etc. A typical example is the
Some mountain passes above the
Synonyms
There are many words for pass in the English-speaking world. In the United States, pass is very common in the West, the word gap is common in the southern Appalachians, notch in parts of New England, and saddle in northern Idaho.[8] The term col, derived from Old French, is also used, particularly in Europe.
In the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas, passes are denoted by the suffix "La" in Tibetan, Ladhakhi, and several other regional languages. Examples are the
range.Scotland has the
In Japan they are known as tōge, which means "pass" in Japanese. The word can also refer to narrow, winding roads that can be found in and around mountains and geographically similar areas, or specifically to a style of street racing which may take place on these roads.
Around the world
There are thousands of named passes around the world, some of which are well-known, such as the
Gallery
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Stelvio Pass in the Alps (Italy)
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Agua Negra Pass between Argentina and Chile.
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The Bealach na Bà linkingApplecrossin the Scottish North-west Highlands.
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Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru
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Pass inTatras(Ornak, Poland).
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Trail from Manang to Mustang via Thorong La pass, Nepal.
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Winding road below Shingo La in Himachal Pradesh, India
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Crawford Notch in New Hampshire, U.S.
See also
- List of mountain passes
- Defile – Narrow pass or gorge between mountains or hills
- Water gap – Geological feature formed through a mountain
- Wind gap – Topographic gap made by a former waterway
References
Notes
- SRTMdata.
- ^ Eberhart 2004, p. 232.
- ^ Bishop & Shroder 2004, pp. 86–87.
- ^ Harvey & Simer 1999, p. 185.
- ^ Bishop & Shroder 2004, p. 103.
- Gendarmería Nacional Argentina. Archived from the originalon 28 March 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
- ^ "Pasos – Chile" (in Spanish). Gendarmería Nacional Argentina. Archived from the original on 2007-07-18. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
- ^ Map showing "saddle" names in Idaho
- ^ Nicolson, A. (1945). Modern Gaelic: A Basic Grammar. A. Maclaren. p. 28. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
Bealach (mountain-pass)
- ISBN 978-1-4733-9043-0. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
The word Bwlch is used in Welsh not only to signify a pass or easy route over a ridge, usually a depression between higher ground on either side, but also ...
Bibliography
- Bishop, Michael P.; Shroder, John F. (2004). Geographic Information Science and Mountain Geomorphology. Berlin New York: ISBN 978-3-540-42640-0. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-4000-4883-0. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
- Harvey, Mark William Thornton; Simer, Peter (1999). The National Outdoor Leadership School Wilderness Guide: The Classic Handbook. New York: ISBN 978-0-684-85909-5. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
- The Geology of Snowdonia – A Collection of Historical Articles on the Physical Features of the Peaks of Snowdonia. City: ISBN 978-1-4733-9043-0. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
The word Bwlch is used in Welsh not only to signify a pass or easy route over a ridge, usually a depression between higher ground on either side, but also ...
External links
- Media related to Mountain passes at Wikimedia Commons