How Mountains Form
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Have you ever wondered why mountains often form along a coastline? Or why those mountains look like wrinkled land? Understanding how mountains form allows people to understand what Earth's surface was like in the past. It also helps them predict future changes in Earth's surface. Mountains are not only the highest of Earth's surface features but they are also some of the most beautiful. Great big mountains may seem like permanent structures of the Earth but but unlike other surfaces of this planet mountains are continually being created and destroyed. Two processes which are occurring are called folding and faulting. Fold mountains form where an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate pushing the land upward in waves. Fault-block mountains occur when pressure builds up at the core causing faults to rise upward. These often form the tallest cliffs and drop-offs.