Matterhorn: A Relatively Young Alpine Peak at ~30 Million Years

The Matterhorn (4,478 m / 14,692 ft) straddles the Swiss-Italian border in the Pennine Alps. Its iconic pyramid shape resulted from the collision of the African and Eurasian plates ~30 million years ago, which uplifted the crust. Subsequent glacial erosion carved its sharp arêtes and cirques. Composed of gneiss, granite, and micaschist from the African plate (overthrust onto European crust), it's geologically young compared to many ranges—still rising ~1 mm/year. First summited in 1865, it remains a mountaineering icon.