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20-497: The Mule Mountains are a north/south running mountain range located in the south-central area of Cochise County, Arizona . The highest peak, Mount Ballard , rises to 7,500 ft (2,300 m). Prior to mining operations commencing there, the mountains were heavily forested with large Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii glauca ) and other conifers, but these were all cut down for housing needs and to feed

40-535: A billion tons of copper were extracted from the mine, along with significant quantities gold , silver and lead . Also, as a by-product of the mining operations, high quality turquoise (locally known as Bisbee Blue ) was also discovered. On the east central slope of the Mule Mountains can be found the Copper Queen Mine . In its days of production, (late 19th century – early 20th century) it

60-647: A large national park within the range, must be reached by boat or plane. The core Aleutian Range can be divided into three mountain groups. Listed from southwest to northeast, they are: See Aleutian Islands for the continuation of the range to the west of Unimak Island. Just to the north of the Aleutian Range are the Tordrillo Mountains , the southeasternmost extent of the Alaska Range . Selected mountains: Two volcanoes erupted during

80-627: A mix of different orogenic expressions and terranes , for example thrust sheets , uplifted blocks , fold mountains, and volcanic landforms resulting in a variety of rock types . Most geologically young mountain ranges on the Earth's land surface are associated with either the Pacific Ring of Fire or the Alpide belt . The Pacific Ring of Fire includes the Andes of South America, extends through

100-587: A wide variety of birds. The upper ridges of the mountains consist primarily of a very hard brecciate limestone , and it is very common to find fossils of clams and snails imbedded in them. Immediately to the east central area of the Mules lies the Lavender Pit , a large and very deep open pit copper mine dug and mined by the Phelps Dodge Corporation between 1951 through 1974. Over

120-532: Is a major mountain range located in southwest Alaska . It extends from Chakachamna Lake (80 miles/130 km southwest of Anchorage) to Unimak Island , which is at the tip of the Alaska Peninsula . It includes all of the mountains of the Peninsula. The Aleutian Range is special because of its large number of active volcanoes , which are also part of the larger Aleutian Arc . The mainland part of

140-538: Is at work while the mountains are being uplifted until the mountains are reduced to low hills and plains. The early Cenozoic uplift of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado provides an example. As the uplift was occurring some 10,000 feet (3,000 m) of mostly Mesozoic sedimentary strata were removed by erosion over the core of the mountain range and spread as sand and clays across the Great Plains to

160-551: The Annamite Range . If the definition of a mountain range is stretched to include underwater mountains, then the Ocean Ridge forms the longest continuous mountain system on Earth, with a length of 65,000 kilometres (40,400 mi). The position of mountain ranges influences climate, such as rain or snow. When air masses move up and over mountains, the air cools, producing orographic precipitation (rain or snow). As

180-571: The Mithrim Montes and Doom Mons on Titan, and Tenzing Montes and Hillary Montes on Pluto. Some terrestrial planets other than Earth also exhibit rocky mountain ranges, such as Maxwell Montes on Venus taller than any on Earth and Tartarus Montes on Mars . Jupiter's moon Io has mountain ranges formed from tectonic processes including the Boösaule , Dorian, Hi'iaka and Euboea Montes . Aleutian Range The Aleutian Range

200-848: The North American Cordillera , the Aleutian Range , on through Kamchatka Peninsula , Japan , Taiwan , the Philippines , Papua New Guinea , to New Zealand . The Andes is 7,000 kilometres (4,350 mi) long and is often considered the world's longest mountain system. The Alpide belt stretches 15,000 km across southern Eurasia , from Java in Maritime Southeast Asia to the Iberian Peninsula in Western Europe , including

220-807: The ore smelting furnaces in Douglas, Arizona , approximately 20 miles due east. Now, the primary vegetation of the Mules consists of manzanita ( Arctostaphylos spp.) brush, juniper , lowland oaks and pines , and various grasses . To the east of the mountain range lies Sulphur Springs Valley , and the San Pedro River and Valley to the west. The terrain is very rough, with very steep slopes descending into deep canyons. Common wildlife species include desert mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus eremicus ), Coues' White-tailed deer ( O. virginianus couesi ), Collared Peccary ( Pecari tajacu ) (locally known as javalinas), various types of rodents, lizards and

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240-627: The air descends on the leeward side, it warms again (following the adiabatic lapse rate ) and is drier, having been stripped of much of its moisture. Often, a rain shadow will affect the leeward side of a range. As a consequence, large mountain ranges, such as the Andes, compartmentalize continents into distinct climate regions . Mountain ranges are constantly subjected to erosional forces which work to tear them down. The basins adjacent to an eroding mountain range are then filled with sediments that are buried and turned into sedimentary rock . Erosion

260-514: The atmosphere. These emissions formed a sulfate aerosol layer that totaled a transfer of 1.6 Tg of SO 2 into the stratosphere and disturbed flights over this area for a short period following the eruptions. The 7.9 Mw Aleutian Islands earthquake occurred in June 2014 at an intermediate depth of 107 km. The quake was caused by oblique normal faulting along the Aleutian Trench ,

280-485: The east. This mass of rock was removed as the range was actively undergoing uplift. The removal of such a mass from the core of the range most likely caused further uplift as the region adjusted isostatically in response to the removed weight. Rivers are traditionally believed to be the principal cause of mountain range erosion, by cutting into bedrock and transporting sediment. Computer simulation has shown that as mountain belts change from tectonically active to inactive,

300-428: The heart of the Mules. There are currently no organized mining operations in effect in the Mule Mountains. Much of the east/southeastern area of the range is private property. Mountain range Mountain ranges are usually segmented by highlands or mountain passes and valleys . Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geologic structure or petrology . They may be

320-405: The range is about 600 miles (1000 km) long. The Aleutian Islands are (geologically) a partially submerged western extension of the range that stretches for another 1,600 km (1000 mi). However the official designation "Aleutian Range" includes only the mainland peaks and the peaks on Unimak Island. The range is almost entirely roadless wilderness . Katmai National Park and Preserve ,

340-619: The ranges of the Himalayas , Karakoram , Hindu Kush , Alborz , Caucasus , and the Alps . The Himalayas contain the highest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest , which is 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) high. Mountain ranges outside these two systems include the Arctic Cordillera , Appalachians , Great Dividing Range , East Siberians , Altais , Scandinavians , Qinling , Western Ghats , Vindhyas , Byrrangas , and

360-627: The rate of erosion drops because there are fewer abrasive particles in the water and fewer landslides. Mountains on other planets and natural satellites of the Solar System, including the Moon , are often isolated and formed mainly by processes such as impacts, though there are examples of mountain ranges (or "Montes") somewhat similar to those on Earth. Saturn 's moon Titan and Pluto , in particular, exhibit large mountain ranges in chains composed mainly of ices rather than rock. Examples include

380-473: The summer of 2008 on the eastern Aleutian Islands. On July 12, 2008, Mount Okmok erupted, and it continued to erupt for a month. A giant, rapidly moving ash and gas cloud shot up to a height of 15,240 m as a result of this eruption. Mount Kasatochi was home to the other eruption, which occurred on August 7 and 8. This eruption also sent up a gas cloud about 15,000 high. Together, these two power volcanic eruptions deposited emissions of trace gases an aerosols into

400-464: Was the richest copper deposit ever discovered, causing the accompanying town of Bisbee, Arizona to prosper. Under this part of the Mule Mountains are many mining tunnels dug in pursuit of the rich copper ore. Today, Bisbee (also known as the "mile-high city," at elevation 5,300 ft or 1,600 m) is largely a tourist town and retirement community along the slopes of Tombstone Canyon in

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