---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In general, the bigger a mountain the…"
description: "\"In general, the bigger a mountain the older it is. The biggest mountains were built before any others, because when they were built there was incompara..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/mikhail-lomonosov-72505_bigger_in-general-the-bigger-a-mountain-the-old_1684677.jpg"
---

#  In general, the bigger a mountain the older it is. The…

![“In general, the bigger a mountain the older it is. The biggest mountains were built before any others, because when they were built there was incomparably more flammable material within the Earth. Over the many thousands of years that have passed, the quantity of flammable material has doubtless…” quote by Mikhail Lomonosov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/mikhail-lomonosov-72505_bigger_in-general-the-bigger-a-mountain-the-old_1684677.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/mikhail-lomonosov-72505_bigger_in-general-the-bigger-a-mountain-the-old_1684677.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/mikhail-lomonosov-72505_bigger_in-general-the-bigger-a-mountain-the-old_1684677.jpg)

> “In general, the bigger a mountain the older it is. The biggest mountains were built before any others, because when they were built there was incomparably more flammable material within the Earth. Over the many thousands of years that have passed, the quantity of flammable material has doubtless decreased.”

[Mikhail Lomonosov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lomonosov/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Older mountains contain more combustible material; over time, this diminishes, affecting geological processes.

**In simple terms:** Ancient mountains had more flammable earth material.

Key Takeaway

Consider how natural resources change over geological time.

Themes

geology earth science history

Mood

analytical contemplative

Type

scientific educational

When to use this quote

- mineral extraction
- environmental studies
- education

Key Concepts

resource depletion planetary evolution thermal dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does ancient geology affect current resource use?
- What implications does this have for climate studies?

A Different Perspective

Modern assumptions about resource abundance may ignore historical depletion.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bigger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigger/) [Bigger Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigger-mountain-991498/) [Biggest Mountains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biggest-mountains-250058/) [Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/built/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Materials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/materials/) [Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain/) [Mountain Older](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain-older-991499/) [Mountains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountains/) [Mountains Built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountains-built-991497/) [Quantity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quantity/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/)

## Related quotes

> [“There are days, there are times, when you feel like you’ve walked so far, when the voice inside you is complaining that it’s all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/windy-ariestanty/there-are-days-there-are-times-when-you-feel-like-you-ve-walked-so/)

[Windy Ariestanty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/windy-ariestanty/)

> [Bigger than all my problems and bigger than anything... God is bigger than any mountain that I can or cannot see](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercy-pheona/bigger-than-all-my-problems-and-bigger-than-anything-god-is-bigger/)

[Mercy Pheona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercy-pheona/)

> [The child often sees only what he already knows. He projects the whole of his verbal thought into things. He sees mountains as built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-child-often-sees-only-what-he-already-knows-he-projects-the-whole/)

[Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/)

> [At last I feel identified with the mountains, clean, cold, hard, detached.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kavan/at-last-i-feel-identified-with-the-mountains-clean-cold-hard-detached/)

[Anna Kavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kavan/)

> [“All mountain landscapes hold stories: the ones we read, the ones we dream, and the ones we create. -from the Editor's Note, The Alpinist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kennedy/all-mountain-landscapes-hold-stories-the-ones-we-read-the-ones-we/)

[Michael Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kennedy/)

> [The Lord often has his prophets climb mountains to converse with Him. I always wondered why He did that, and now I know the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-lord-often-has-his-prophets-climb-mountains-to-converse-with-him/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [The mountains of today are the molehills of tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellis-peters/the-mountains-of-today-are-the-molehills-of-tomorrow/)

[Ellis Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellis-peters/)

> [“The trout is still with me, as are my memories. The future is somewhere between these two forces, but it lives in mystery. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-rice/the-trout-is-still-with-me-as-are-my-memories-the-future-is-somewhere/)

[Daniel J. Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-rice/)

> [Flagstaff, up in the mountains where I lived, there is 130 inches of snow a year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-howland/flagstaff-up-in-the-mountains-where-i-lived-there-is-130-inches-of/)

[Ben Howland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-howland/)

> [Know how to get close to it: mountains are often seen from far off - beautiful, interesting, full of challenges. But what happens when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/know-how-to-get-close-to-it-mountains-are-often-seen-from-far-off/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Poverty and backwardness in the midst of clear waters and verdant mountains is no good, nor is it to have prosperity and wealth while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-keqiang/poverty-and-backwardness-in-the-midst-of-clear-waters-and-verdant/)

[Li Keqiang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-keqiang/)

> [“I sit down by the river. Its incessant flow has polished the rocks carried from the top of the mountain. The aqueous caress, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-dubois/i-sit-down-by-the-river-its-incessant-flow-has-polished-the-rocks/)

[Gabrielle Dubois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-dubois/)

> [Righteousness and faith certainly are instrumental in moving mountains - if moving mountains accomplishes God's purposes and is in accordance with His will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/righteousness-and-faith-certainly-are-instrumental-in-moving/)

[David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/)

> [Cities are natural, that's why they're everywhere. It's not like there's only one city, and everybody's like 'What the f\*\*k is this?' No, cities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-rogan/cities-are-natural-that-s-why-they-re-everywhere-it-s-not-like-there/)

[Joe Rogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-rogan/)

> [“Kings don’t move mountains as a favor to a friend,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/kings-don-t-move-mountains-as-a-favor-to-a-friend/)

[Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/)

## More by Mikhail Lomonosov

> [Nature uncovers the inner secrets of nature in two ways: one by the force of bodies operating outside it; the other by the very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lomonosov/nature-uncovers-the-inner-secrets-of-nature-in-two-ways-one-by-the/)

[Mikhail Lomonosov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lomonosov/)

> [Geometry is the rules of all mental investigation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lomonosov/geometry-is-the-rules-of-all-mental-investigation/)

[Mikhail Lomonosov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lomonosov/)

> [“Mathematics should be studied if only for that it puts the mind in order.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lomonosov/mathematics-should-be-studied-if-only-for-that-it-puts-the-mind-in/)

[Mikhail Lomonosov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lomonosov/)

[Explore all 4 Mikhail Lomonosov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lomonosov/)

## More Bigger quotes

> [The bigger the canvas, the better I do. I'm not so good at understated, kitchen-sink kinds of parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/the-bigger-the-canvas-the-better-i-do-i-m-not-so-good-at-understated/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [In China, people are moving from bigger cars to small hatches, and interestingly, the Indian market is graduating to bigger cars and sedans. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winfried-vahland/in-china-people-are-moving-from-bigger-cars-to-small-hatches-and/)

[Winfried Vahland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winfried-vahland/)

> [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/)

[Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/)

> [I just think structure can make a book feel so much bigger. It's the architecture. You could use flimsy materials if you wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-just-think-structure-can-make-a-book-feel-so-much-bigger-it-s-the/)

[Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/)

> [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/)

[Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/)

> [Max—you have a bigger mission than finding the flock's parents. Focus on helping the whole world, not just your friends. I held my wings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/max-you-have-a-bigger-mission-than-finding-the-flock-s-parents-focus/)

[James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/)

> [Sometimes people can write really great scenes and even a great episode, but they can't see the bigger picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-night-shyamalan/sometimes-people-can-write-really-great-scenes-and-even-a-great/)

[M. Night Shyamalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-night-shyamalan/)

> [Never be too busy for the people you love. Never allow pursuits or possessions to become bigger priorities than your relationships. Love is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-willis/never-be-too-busy-for-the-people-you-love-never-allow-pursuits-or/)

[Dave Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-willis/)

> [If you consider yourself a part of the culture, then finances can't allow you to be bigger than the actual art form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/if-you-consider-yourself-a-part-of-the-culture-then-finances-can-t/)

[Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/)

> [If we get better our customers will demand we get bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-truett-cathy/if-we-get-better-our-customers-will-demand-we-get-bigger/)

[S. Truett Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-truett-cathy/)

> [ Their \[the U.S.’s\] defense budget in absolute figures is almost 25 times bigger than Russia’s. This is what in defense is referred to as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/their-the-u-s-s-defense-budget-in-absolute-figures-is-almost-25-times/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [I think everyone has been annoyed at school or in their life, that's a type of bullying. So, you can take those feelings and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kodi-smit-mcphee/i-think-everyone-has-been-annoyed-at-school-or-in-their-life-that-s-a/)

[Kodi Smit-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kodi-smit-mcphee/)

> [Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-jain/athletes-at-all-ages-are-bigger-and-stronger-than-ever-before-and/)

[Naveen Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-jain/)

[Browse all 3,614 Bigger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigger/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In general, the bigger a mountain the older it is. The biggest mountains were built before any others, because when they were built there was incomparably more flammable material within the Earth. Over the many thousands of years that have passed, the quantity of flammable material has doubtless decreased.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mikhail Lomonosov"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lomonosov/in-general-the-bigger-a-mountain-the-older-it-is-the-biggest/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bigger"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lomonosov/in-general-the-bigger-a-mountain-the-older-it-is-the-biggest/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/mikhail-lomonosov-72505_bigger_in-general-the-bigger-a-mountain-the-old_1684677.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/mikhail-lomonosov-72505_bigger_in-general-the-bigger-a-mountain-the-old_1684677.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c78/mikhail-lomonosov-72505_bigger_in-general-the-bigger-a-mountain-the-old_1684677.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In general, the bigger a mountain the older it is. The biggest mountains were built before any others…” — Mikhail Lomonosov",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Mikhail Lomonosov",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lomonosov/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In general, the bigger a mountain...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lomonosov/in-general-the-bigger-a-mountain-the-older-it-is-the-biggest/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lomonosov/in-general-the-bigger-a-mountain-the-older-it-is-the-biggest/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
