[jan in Colorado]

Our mountains aren’t nearly as majestic as yours, but I always tell westies that’s b/c they are older and worn down by the elements

That is a great answer... never thought of it like that.

[Daffynition]

It's a billion or so y/o ... kind of like the bailout numbers ... hard to wrap your mind around. ;)

"At the time they formed, the Appalachians were much higher than they are today -- more like the present-day Rocky Mountains. While the Atlantic Ocean was still in its infancy, the Appalachians were already being attacked by erosion. For the last 100 million years, erosion has carved away the mountains, leaving only their cores standing."