- "Mountaintop" redirects here. This can also refer to the speech by Dr. Martin Luther King.
In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematically, a summit is a local maximum in elevation. The topographic terms "acme", "apex", "peak", "summit", and "zenith" are synonyms.
The term "summit" is generally only used for a mountain peak with some significant amount of topographic prominence or topographic isolation (distance from the nearest point of higher elevation); for example, a boulder next to the main summit of a mountain is not considered a summit. Summits near a higher peak, with some prominence or isolation, but not reaching a certain cutoff value for these quantities, are often considered subsummits (or subpeaks) of the higher peak, and are considered as part of the same mountain.
A pyramidal peak is an exaggerated form produced by ice erosion of a mountain top.
Summit may also refer to the highest point along a line, trail, or route. In many parts of the western United States, the term refers to the highest point along a road, highway, or railroad. For example, the highest point along Interstate 80 in California is referred to as Donner Summit (not to be confused with Donner Pass, which is located just to the south.)
See also
- Geoid
- Hill
- List of highest mountains
- Maxima and minima
- Mountain
- Nadir (topography) (antonym)
- Topography
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