Mountain chains are elongate, elevated areas of the earth's surface comprising several sub-parallel mountain ranges. Each mountain range is a connected series of mountain peaks (i.e., large rock masses that rise abruptly above the surrounding landscape). Mountain chains may be a thousand or more kilometers long and hundreds of kilometers wide. Mountain chains are formed by the interplay of endogenic and exogenic processes. Endogenic processes are those that originate within the earth, such as orogenesis and volcanism. Exogenic processes are external processes, such as weathering and erosion due to the action of water, ice, and wind.

Volcanism during subduction of oceanic crust beneath oceanic crust creates an island arc. Island arcs may comprise an arcuate alignment of volcanic island peaks (e.g., the Aleutian Islands) or a continuous land area comprising a central mountain chain formed by volcanic and tectonic processes (e.g., Japan). Subduction...