These Patagonian mountains may look as though they are constructed using fractals, but they are, in fact, real! Realistic looking mountains can be constructed using a simple iterative technique, closely akin to fractals. Take an equilateral triangle in 3-space. Select the midpoint of each side and move it vertically a small random distance up or down. Joining the midpoints we get four contiguous triangles. Repeat the process on the midpoints of these triangles, and so on. More iterations give smoother mountains; less iterations give more rugged mountians. This process is widely used today in constructing animated movies.
