406 MOUNTAINS, EARTHQUAKES, VOLCANOES, GEYSERS 



in Oregon and Washington the Cascade Mountains loom up 

 and stand in bold outline against the sky. Sometimes, instead 

 of a number of peaks or a range of mountains, there is only a 

 single peak (Fig. 271). Mt. Hood in Oregon, Mt. Rainier in 

 Washington, and Mt. Shasta in California stand in solitary 



grandeur unsurrounded by 

 other peaks. 



Even higher mountains 

 than those in Washington, 

 Colorado, and California are 

 found in Alaska, Canada, 

 Europe, and Asia. Mt. 

 McKinley in Alaska looms 

 nearly four miles above sea 

 level and Mt. Everest in 

 Asia nearly six miles. In 

 the western part of the 

 United States massive 

 mountains of great eleva- 

 tion are numerous ; in the 

 eastern and southern part 

 of the United States, moun- 

 tains of great beauty but 

 of moderate elevation are 

 found. In New York, for 

 example, there are the Catskills and the Adirondack Mountains ; 

 in New Hampshire, the White Mountains ; in Pennsylvania, 

 Virginia, and North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Mountains ; and 

 in Arkansas, the Ozark Mountains. 



Irregular elevations of the earth's crust exist in all lands. 

 If these elevations are more than 2000 feet, they are usually called 

 mountains ; if they are less than 2000 feet, they are usually called 

 hills. But this is not always true. The Ozark Mountains are 



FIG. 272. Marble Canon Plateau, where the 

 Colorado has cut its way through solid rock. 



