Massif
In geology, a massif ( /mæˈsiːf/ or /ˈmæsɪf/) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a group of mountains formed by such a structure.
In mountaineering and climbing literature, a massif is frequently used to denote the main mass of an individual mountain. The massif is a smaller structural unit of the crust than a tectonic plate and is considered the fourth largest driving force in geomorphology.[1]
The word is taken from French (in which the word also means "massive"), where it is used to refer to a large mountain mass or compact group of connected mountains forming an independent portion of a range. One of the most notable European examples of a massif is the Massif Central of the Auvergne region of France.
The Face on Mars is an example of an extraterrestrial massif.[2]
Massifs may also form underwater, as with the Atlantis Massif.[3]
List of massifs
Africa
- Adrar des Ifoghas – Mali
- Aïr Massif – Niger
- Benna Massif – Guinea
- Bongo Massif – Central African Republic
- Collo Massif – Algeria
- Edough Massif – Algeria
- Ennedi Plateau – Chad
- Khachna Massif – Algeria
- Kilimanjaro Massif – border of Kenya and Tanzania
- Oban Massif – Nigeria
- Marojejy Massif – Madagascar
- Mulanje Massif – Malawi
- Virunga Massif – border shared by Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo
- Waterberg Biosphere – South Africa
Antarctica
- Borg Massif
- Craddock Massif
- Cumpston Massif
- Vinson Massif
- Otway Massif
Asia
- Annapurna – Nepal
- Bundelkhand – India
- Chu Pong Massif – Vietnam
- Dena – Iran
- Dhaulagiri – Nepal
- Gasherbrum – China-Pakistan
- Hazaran – Iran
- Kheru-Naru (Chekel) – Iran
- Kholeno – Iran
- Kangchenjunga – Nepal–India
- Knuckles Massif – Sri Lanka
- Kondyor Massif – Russia
- Kugitangtau Ridge – Turkmenistan
- Logar ultrabasite massif – Afghanistan
- Mount Ararat – Turkey
- Mount Damavand – Iran
- Mount Everest massif (including Lhotse) – border of Nepal and Tibet (China)
- Mount Kinabalu – Malaysia
- Mount Tomuraushi – Japan
- Nanga Parbat – Pakistan
- Nun Kun – India
- Panchchuli – India
- Sabalan – Iran
- Shillong – India
- Takht-e Suleyman Massif – Iran
- Zard-Kuh – Iran
Europe
Panorama of Pirin Mountain massif, Bulgaria
Gran Sasso d'Italia massif seen from an airplane. Part of the Apennine Mountains, it is located in the Abruzzo region of Italy.
- Alpilles – France
- Aravis Range – France
- Ardennes Massif – France/Belgium/Luxembourg
- Areskutan – Sweden
- Arlberg – Austria
- Armorican Massif – France
- Bauges Massif – France
- Beaufortain Massif – France
- Belledonne massif - France
- Ben Nevis massif – United Kingdom
- Bohemian Massif – Czech Republic
- Bornes Massif – France
- Calanques Massif – France
- Ceahlău Massif – Romania
- Cerces Massif – France
- Chablais Massif – France
- Chartreuse Massif – France
- Cornubian Massif – United Kingdom
- Dévoluy Massif – France
- Massif des Écrins – France
- Gotthard Massif – Switzerland
- Gran Sasso d'Italia - Italy
- Jungfrau Massif – Switzerland
- Jura Mountains – France
- Lauzière massif – France
- L'Esterel Massif – France
- Long Mynd – United Kingdom
- Lubéron – France
- Massif Central – France
- Massiccio del Matese - Italy
- Mangerton Mountain – Ireland
- Mercantour – France
- Monte Cinto massif – France
- Montgris – Spain
- Montserrat – Spain
- Mont Blanc massif – Italy/France/Switzerland
- Massiccio del Pollino - Italy
- Rila - Rhodope Massif – Bulgaria/Greece
- Sila Massif – Italy
- Snowdon Massif – United Kingdom
- Speikboden (South Tyrol) - Italy
- Taillefer Massif – France
- Troodos – Cyprus
- Untersberg – Germany/Austria
- Queyras Massif – France
- Vanoise Massif – France
- Vercors Plateau – France
- Vitosha Massif – Bulgaria
- Vosges Mountains – France
North America
- Adirondack Massif – New York, US
- Mount Cayley – British Columbia, Canada
- Laurentian Massif – Quebec, Canada
- Le Massif de Charlevoix – Quebec, Canada
- Denali – Alaska, US
- Level Mountain – British Columbia, Canada
- Mount Edziza – British Columbia, Canada
- Mount Juneau – Alaska, US
- Mount Katahdin - Maine, US
- Mount Le Conte – Tennessee, US
- Mount Logan – Yukon, Canada
- Mount Meager massif – British Columbia, Canada
- Mount Septimus – British Columbia, Canada
- Mount Shuksan – Washington, US
- Mount Timpanogos - Utah, US
- Teton Range – Wyoming, US
Oceania
- Big Ben – Heard Island
- Ahipara Gumfields – New Zealand
Caribbean
- Massif de la Hotte – Haiti
- Valle Nuevo Massif – Dominican Republic
South America
Submerged
- Atlantis Massif – part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the North Atlantic Ocean
- Tamu Massif — the largest volcano on Earth
References
- Allen, 2008, Time scales of tectonic landscapes and their sediment routing systems, Geol. Soc. Lon. Sp. Pub., v. 296, p. 7–28.
- Britt, Robert Roy (2006-09-21). "Mars Face Makeover: Controversial Formation Observed from New Angles". Space.com. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
- Blackman, Donna (2002). "Geology of the Atlantis Massif (Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 30°N): Implications for the evolution of an ultramafic oceanic core complex". Marine Geophysical Researches. 23 (5): 443–469. Bibcode:2002MarGR..23..443B. doi:10.1023/b:mari.0000018232.14085.75. S2CID 96459991.
- "The Sydney Morning Herald, November 6, 2009". 2009-11-06.
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