ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Topographic isolation

Hi there! Do you know what a map is? It's a picture that shows different places and how they connect to each other. Now, imagine you are looking at a map of a big mountain. Have you ever climbed a mountain before? It's a lot of hard work!

Well, topographic isolation is a way to measure how far away a mountain is from other nearby mountains. So, imagine you are standing on top of a mountain, and you look around you. You can see other mountains in the distance. Those mountains might be really close to you, or they might be far away.

Now, let's say there are two mountains, and they are both the same height. But one of those mountains is surrounded by other tall mountains, and the other mountain is all by itself. Which one do you think is more special?

That's right - the mountain that is all by itself is more special because it has topographic isolation. This means it's far away from other mountains and stands out on its own. It's like being a superstar, all by yourself on stage!

So, in short, topographic isolation is a way to measure how far away a mountain is from other mountains. Mountains that have more isolation are considered more special because they stand out all on their own. Pretty cool, right?