Comment on Roots of Mother Appalachia
MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 1 year agoI guess, because taller mountains need a bigger/heavier base (Mnt Everest is only a few km over it’s base) and a too heavy base gets “liquid” on, or literally under the plate (it’s magma underneath).
Only guessing though.
uniqueid198x@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
Mountain bases can support a lot. Everest is not terribly tall from its base, true, but Denali is 5500 meters from base to top and Mauna Kea rises to 10000 meters over base.
Its also a bit of an incorrect picure to think of the interior magma as a liquid. It can flow, but it can also sieze up or crack. Its an in-between, like corn starch and water.