How are mountains made?

Mountains are made when huge pieces of Earth's outer shell push, crack, or slide against each other. Some ranges rise as rock layers are squeezed upward; others grow from volcanoes, where melted rock reaches the surface and piles into high ground.

A lovely surprise for kids is that many tall peaks began as sea floors. Shells and ocean fossils can end up near the clouds because the land was folded and lifted over millions of years, while rain, ice, and rivers kept carving it back down.