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Topographic isolation
Topographic isolation
Topographic isolation
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Topographic isolation and prominence
A - Nearest higher neighbour

The topographic isolation of a summit is the minimum horizontal distance to a point of equal elevation, representing a radius of dominance in which the peak is the highest point. It can be calculated for small hills and islands as well as for major mountain peaks and can even be calculated for submarine summits. Mount Everest, the highest point on Earth, has an undefined isolation, since there are no higher points to reference.[1]

Because topographic isolation can be difficult to determine, a common approximation is the distance to a peak called the nearest higher neighbour (NHN).[2]

Isolation table

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The following sortable table lists Earth's 40 most topographically isolated summits.

The 40 most topographically isolated summits on Earth
Rank Summit Landmass Country Elevation Prominence Isolation Nearest higher neighbour
1 Mount Everest Eurasia  Nepal
 China 		8848 m
29,029 ft		 8848 m
29,029 ft		 n/a n/a
2 Aconcagua South America  Argentina (Mendoza) 6962 m
22,841 ft		 6962 m
22,841 ft		 16,520 km
10,265 mi 		Tirich Mir (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)
3 Denali (Mount McKinley) North America  United States (Alaska) 6194 m
20,320 ft		 6149 m
20,174 ft		 7,450 km
4,629 mi 		Yanamax (Xinjiang, China)
4 Kilimanjaro Africa  Tanzania 5895 m
19,341 ft		 5885 m
19,308 ft		 5,510 km
3,424 mi 		Kuh-e Shashgal (Afghanistan)
5 Puncak Jaya New Guinea  Indonesia (Central Papua) 4884 m
16,024 ft		 4884 m
16,024 ft		 5,262 km
3,269 mi 		Jade Dragon Snow Mountain (Yunnan, China)
6 Vinson Massif Antarctica  Antarctica 4892 m
16,050 ft		 4892 m
16,050 ft		 4,861 km
3,020 mi 		Risco Plateado (Mendoza, Argentina)
7 Mont Orohena Tahiti  French Polynesia 2241 m
7,352 ft		 2241 m
7,352 ft		 4,128 km
2,565 mi 		Mount Ngauruhoe (New Zealand)
8 Mauna Kea Hawai'i  United States (Hawai'i) 4205 m
13,796 ft		 4205 m
13,796 ft		 3,947 km
2,453 mi 		Mount Shasta (California, US)
9 Gunnbjørn Fjeld Greenland  Greenland 3694 m
12,119 ft		 3694 m
12,119 ft		 3,254 km
2,022 mi 		The Eiger (Canton of Bern, Switzerland)
10 Aoraki / Mount Cook South Island  New Zealand 3754 m
12,316 ft		 3754 m
12,316 ft		 3,140 km
1,951 mi 		Mount Adam (Victoria Land, Antarctica)
11 Thabana Ntlenyana Africa  Lesotho 3482 m
11,424 ft		 2390 m
7,841 ft		 3,003 km
1,866 mi 		Mount Meru (Tanzania)
12 Maunga Terevaka Easter Island  Chile 506 m
1,660 ft		 506 m
1,660 ft		 2,836 km
1,762 mi 		Cerro de Los Inocentes (Alejandro Selkirk Island, Chile)
13 Mont Blanc Eurasia  Italy
 France 		4809 m
15,778 ft		 4696 m
15,407 ft		 2,813 km
1,748 mi 		Kukurtlu Dome [ru] (Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia)
14 Piton des Neiges Réunion  France 3071 m
10,075 ft		 3071 m
10,075 ft		 2,767 km
1,720 mi 		Giant's Castle (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa)
15 Klyuchevskaya Sopka Eurasia  Russia (Kamchatka) 4750 m
15,584 ft		 4649 m
15,253 ft		 2,748 km
1,708 mi 		Mount Foraker (Alaska, US)
16 Pico de Orizaba North America  Mexico (Puebla) 5636 m
18,491 ft		 4922 m
16,148 ft		 2,690 km
1,672 mi 		Pico Cristóbal Colón (Magdalena Department, Colombia)
17 Queen Mary's Peak Tristan da Cunha  Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha 2060 m
6,759 ft		 2060 m
6,759 ft		 2,665 km
1,656 mi 		Mount Paget (South Georgia Island, UK)
18 Mount Whitney North America  United States (California) 4421 m
14,505 ft		 3072 m
10,080 ft		 2,649 km
1,646 mi 		Nevado de Toluca (State of Mexico, Mexico)
19 Gunung Kinabalu Borneo  Malaysia (Sabah) 4095 m
13,435 ft		 4095 m
13,435 ft		 2,538 km
1,577 mi 		Ngga Pilimsit (Papua, Indonesia)
20 Mount Elbrus Eurasia  Russia (Kabardino-Balkaria) 5642 m
18,510 ft		 4741 m
15,554 ft		 2,473 km
1,536 mi 		Pik Agasis (Tajikistan)
21 Pico da Bandeira South America  Brazil (Espírito Santo) 2897 m
9,505 ft		 2647 m
8,684 ft		 2,393 km
1,487 mi 		Cerro Naranjos [es] (Bolivia)
22 Mont Cameroun Africa  Cameroon 4040 m
13,255 ft		 3901 m
12,799 ft		 2,338 km
1,453 mi 		Mikeno (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
23 Mount Paget South Georgia  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands 2915 m
9,564 ft		 2915 m
9,564 ft		 2,269 km
1,410 mi 		Welch Mountains (Palmer Land, Antarctica)
24 Mauga Silisili Savai'i  Samoa 1858 m
6,096 ft		 1858 m
6,096 ft		 2,245 km
1,395 mi 		Tabwemasana (Vanuatu)
25 Nevado Huascarán South America  Peru 6746 m
22,133 ft		 2776 m
9,108 ft		 2,196 km
1,365 mi 		Tres Cruces (Chile/Argentina border)
26 Anamudi Eurasia  India (Kerala) 2695 m
8,842 ft		 2480 m
8,136 ft		 2,115 km
1,314 mi 		Machapuchare (Nepal)
27 Jebel Toubkal Africa  Morocco 4167 m
13,671 ft		 3755 m
12,320 ft		 2,078 km
1,291 mi 		Picco Luigi Amedeo (Italy)
28 Mount Fuji Honshu  Japan (Chūbu) 3776 m
12,388 ft		 3776 m
12,388 ft		 2,077 km
1,291 mi 		Xueshan (Taiwan)
29 Emi Koussi Africa  Chad 3445 m
11,302 ft		 2934 m
9,626 ft		 2,001 km
1,243 mi 		Mount Cameroon (Cameroon)
30 Mawson Peak Heard Island  Australia (Heard and McDonald Islands) 2745 m
9,006 ft		 2745 m
9,006 ft		 1,922 km
1,194 mi 		Mount McMaster (Enderby Land, Antarctica)
31 Mount Mitchell North America  United States (North Carolina) 2037 m
6,684 ft		 1857 m
6,091 ft		 1,913 km
1,189 mi 		Lone Butte (Colorado, US)
32 Gunung Kerinci Sumatra  Indonesia (West Sumatra) 3805 m
12,484 ft		 3805 m
12,484 ft		 1,905 km
1,184 mi 		Gunung Kinabalu (Sabah, Malaysia)
33 Joe's Hill Kiritimati  Kiribati 13 m
43 ft		 13 m
43 ft		 1,903 km
1,182 mi 		Puu Ki (Hawaii, US)
34 Agrihan High Point Agrihan  Northern Mariana Islands 965 m
3,166 ft		 965 m
3,166 ft		 1,902 km
1,182 mi 		Mount Amagi (Chūbu, Japan)
35 Mount Kosciuszko Australia  Australia (New South Wales) 2228 m
7,310 ft		 2228 m
7,310 ft		 1,895 km
1,177 mi 		Tutoko (New Zealand)
36 Olavtoppen Bouvet Island  Bouvet Island 780 m
2,559 ft		 780 m
2,559 ft		 1,856 km
1,153 mi 		Edinburgh Peak (Gough Island, South Atlantic Ocean)
37 Mascarin Peak Marion Island  South Africa (Prince Edward Islands) 1230 m
4,035 ft		 1230 m
4,035 ft		 1,848 km
1,148 mi 		Cockscomb (Eastern Cape, South Africa)
38 Green Mountain Ascension Island  Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha 859 m
2,818 ft		 859 m
2,818 ft		 1,842 km
1,145 mi 		Mount Richard-Molard (Ivory Coast/Guinea border)
39 Gora Narodnaya Eurasia  Russia (Khanty-Mansi) 1895 m
6,217 ft		 1772 m
5,814 ft		 1,836 km
1,141 mi 		Kattotjåkkå (Sweden)
40 Yushan Taiwan  Taiwan 3952 m
12,966 ft		 3952 m
12,966 ft		 1,815 km
1,128 mi 		Peak 4030 (Yunnan, China)

Examples

[edit]
  • The nearest peak to Germany's highest mountain, the 2,962-metre (9,718 ft) high Zugspitze, that has a 2,962-metre (9,718 ft) contour is the 2,988-metre (9,803 ft) Zwölferkogel in Austria's Stubai Alps. The distance between the Zugspitze and this contour is 25.8 kilometres (16 mi); the Zugspitze is thus the highest peak for a radius of 25.8 kilometres (16 mi). Its isolation is thus 25.8 kilometres (16 mi).
  • Because there are no higher mountains than Mount Everest, it has no definitive isolation. Many sources list its isolation as the circumference of the Earth over the poles or – questionably, because there is no agreed definition – as half the Earth's circumference.
  • After Mount Everest, Aconcagua, the highest mountain of the Americas, has the greatest isolation of all mountains. There is no higher land for 16,534 kilometres (10,274 mi). Its height is first exceeded by Tirich Mir in the Hindu Kush.
  • Mont Blanc is the highest mountain of the Alps. The geographically nearest higher mountains are all in the Caucasus. Kukurtlu Dome [ru], 4,978 metres (16,332 ft), is the reference peak for Mont Blanc.
  • Musala is the highest peak in Rila mountain, also in Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula mountain system; standing at 2,925 m (9,596 ft) it is the fourth-most topographically isolated major peak in Continental Europe.[3] With a topographic prominence of 2,473 metres (8,114 ft), Musala is also the sixth-highest peak by topographic prominence in mainland Europe.[4]
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See also

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Topographic isolation

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Topographic isolation is a key metric in and that measures the degree of separation of a from higher , defined as the minimum along the Earth's surface to the nearest point of equal or greater , known as the isolation limit point (ILP). This distance represents the radius of dominance around the , within which it stands as the highest feature, and is typically calculated using digital elevation models (DEMs) via algorithms that identify peaks and query the closest higher . Distinct from topographic prominence—which quantifies a summit's independent rise above the lowest encircling it and connecting it to higher ground—isolation emphasizes horizontal separation rather than vertical height, providing insight into a peak's regional dominance and scenic isolation. For the Earth's highest summit, , isolation is considered infinite or undefined due to the absence of any higher point, underscoring its unparalleled status, while other notable peaks like in exhibit extreme values exceeding 16,500 km to the nearest higher terrain in . This metric is widely applied in compiling global rankings of isolated summits, aiding mountaineers and geographers in assessing a peak's uniqueness.

Definition and Concepts

Definition

Topographic isolation is a metric used in to quantify the horizontal separation of a from surrounding , specifically defined as the minimum distance from the to the nearest point of higher . This distance represents the of dominance for the , delineating a circular area centered on the peak within which it stands as the , with no intervening exceeding its . The key concept in this measurement is the isolation limit point, which is the closest location on the Earth's surface where the elevation is higher than that of the , often determined along a path or straight-line horizontal distance on topographic maps. This point typically occurs on a , , or leading to another higher feature, establishing the boundary beyond which the summit's dominance ends. The horizontal nature of topographic isolation relies on fundamental prerequisites such as the summit's elevation above and the distance calculation, ensuring it captures spatial independence without considering vertical rise. As a horizontal counterpart to —a vertical measure of a summit's rise above the lowest connecting to a higher peak—topographic isolation emphasizes lateral extent and regional uniqueness in assessing a mountain's standalone character.

Relation to Topographic Prominence

Topographic isolation and are complementary metrics that together provide a fuller assessment of a peak's topographic independence from surrounding . While prominence quantifies the vertical rise of a above the lowest encircling it and containing no higher —essentially measuring the minimum descent required to reach higher —isolation captures the horizontal separation to the nearest point of equal or greater . This distinction allows prominence to emphasize vertical , rewarding peaks with significant local height dominance, whereas isolation highlights geographic remoteness, indicating the radius within which a summit reigns supreme without competition from taller neighbors. When used in combination, these metrics reveal nuances in peak classification; for instance, ultra-prominent peaks, defined by a prominence threshold of 1,500 meters, frequently exhibit substantial isolation due to their substantial vertical separation, yet this is not absolute. Peaks in low-relief landscapes can achieve high isolation through vast horizontal distances to higher despite modest prominence, while conversely, some highly prominent summits may cluster closely with others in rugged, densely packed ranges. Such combined evaluations, often through products of prominence and isolation values, aid in identifying uniquely dominant features beyond alone. Both concepts gained prominence in circles during the , driven by enthusiasts compiling comprehensive lists to expand beyond mere elevation-based rankings. Communities like the Highpointers Club and the Ultra Project, led by figures such as Jonathan de Ferranti and Maizlish, popularized these metrics through databases and publications that cataloged thousands of peaks worldwide, fostering their adoption in peak-bagging activities. A notable parallel arises at the global scale: the isolation of the Earth's highest summit, such as , is considered infinite, as no higher point exists, mirroring how its prominence is measured relative to sea level as the ultimate key . This symmetry underscores their shared role in defining ultimate topographic sovereignty.

Measurement and Calculation

Determining Isolation Distance

To determine the isolation of a , the process begins with identifying the peak's precise location using a , contour lines, or geographic coordinates. From this starting point, the minimum along the Earth's surface is found to the nearest point of equal or greater , known as the isolation limit point (ILP). This point is located by considering the lowest- path to higher , where the key col—the lowest on the connecting the to higher —helps identify the direction, but the isolation is the direct to the ILP. Contour maps facilitate visualization of changes to approximate this manually. For summits near oceans or seas, since water bodies are below the summit's elevation, the isolation distance is measured across them to the nearest point of equal or greater elevation on another landmass. This horizontal, as-the-crow-flies measurement ignores vertical rise and focuses solely on along the Earth's surface. Edge cases require specific handling: the global highest points, such as , exhibit infinite isolation since no point of equal or greater elevation exists anywhere on Earth. Conversely, non-summit locations, like points on a or below a peak, have a minimum isolation of zero, as an infinitesimally close higher point is always available. The isolation distance dd is typically computed using the for distance (as detailed in the computational approaches below), though for small distances, a planar using coordinates may suffice: d=(x2−x1)2+(y2−y1)2d = \sqrt{(x_2 - x_1)^2 + (y_2 - y_1)^2}
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