Massif

This article is about a geological formation. For other uses, see Massif (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Mountain or Mountain range.

A massif ( /mæˈsiːf/ or /ˈmæsɪf/) is a principal mountain mass,^[1] for example, a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (See for example, France's Massif Central.). In mountaineering literature, a massif is frequently used to denote the main mass of an individual mountain.

A massif in Ukraine.

As a purely scientific term in geology, however, a "massif" is separately and more specifically defined as 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. A massif is a smaller structural unit than a tectonic plate and is considered the fourth-largest driving force in geomorphology.^[2]

The word "massif" originates 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. The Face on Mars is an example of an extraterrestrial massif.^[3] Massifs may also form underwater, as with the Atlantis Massif.^[4]

List

Africa

• Adrar des Ifoghas – Mali
• Aïr Massif – Niger
• Ambohiby Massif – Madagascar
• Benna Massif – Guinea
• Bongo Massif – Central African Republic
• Ennedi Plateau – Chad
• Kilimanjaro Massif – Kenya–Tanzania
• Oban Massif – Nigeria
• Marojejy Massif – Madagascar
• Mulanje Massif – Malawi
• Virunga Massif – Uganda–Rwanda–DR Congo
• Waterberg Biosphere – South Africa

Algeria

• Collo Massif
• Edough Massif
• Khachna Massif

Antarctica

• Borg Massif
• Craddock Massif
• Cumpston Massif
• Vinson Massif
• Otway Massif

Asia

• Annapurna – Nepal
• Bromo-Tengger-Semeru – Indonesia
• Chu Pong Massif – Vietnam
• Dhaulagiri – Nepal
• Gasherbrum – China-Pakistan
• Kangchenjunga – Nepal–India
• Knuckles Massif – Sri Lanka
• Kondyor Massif – Russia
• Kugitangtau Ridge – Turkmenistan
• Kumgangsan – North Korea
• Logar ultrabasite massif – Afghanistan
• Mount Ararat – Turkey
• Mount Everest massif (including Lhotse) – Nepal–Tibet (China)
• Mount Kinabalu – Malaysia
• Mount Tomuraushi – Japan
• Nanga Parbat – Pakistan

India

• Bundelkhand
• Nun Kun
• Panchchuli
• Shillong

Iran

• Dena
• Hazaran
• Kheru-Naru (Chekel)
• Kholeno
• Mount Damavand
• Sabalan
• Takht-e Suleyman Massif
• Zard-Kuh

Kazakhstan

• Degelen
• Kokshetau Massif
• Mount Ku
• Myrzhyk
• Semizbughy

Europe

 

Aerial view of Mont Blanc massif, an example of a massif and also the highest summit in the Alps.^[5]

 

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.

• Aarmassif – Switzerland
• Ardennes Massif – France–Belgium–Luxembourg
• Åreskutan – Sweden
• Arlberg – Austria
• Bohemian Massif – Czech Republic
• Ceahlău Massif – Romania
• Gotthard Massif – Switzerland
• Hesperian Massif – Iberian Peninsula
• Jungfrau Massif – Switzerland
• Mangerton Mountain – Ireland
• Montgris – Spain
• Montserrat – Spain
• Mont Blanc massif – Italy–France–Switzerland
• Rhenish Massif – Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France
• Rila – Rhodope Massif – Bulgaria–Greece
• Troodos – Cyprus
• Untersberg – Germany–Austria
• Vitosha Massif – Bulgaria

France

• Alpilles
• Aravis Range
• Armorican Massif
• Bauges Massif
• Beaufortain Massif
• Belledonne massif
• Bornes Massif
• Calanques Massif
• Cerces Massif
• Chablais Massif
• Chartreuse Massif
• Dévoluy Massif
• Massif des Écrins
• Jura Mountains
• Lauzière massif
• Luberon
• Massif Central
• Massif de l'Esterel
• Mercantour
• Monte Cinto massif
• Taillefer Massif
• Queyras Massif
• Vanoise Massif
• Vercors Plateau
• Vosges Mountains

Italy

• Gran Sasso d'Italia
• Grappa Massif
• Massiccio del Matese
• Massiccio del Pollino
• Monte Ermada
• Sila Massif
• Speikboden (South Tyrol)

United Kingdom

• Ben Nevis massif
• Cornubian Massif
• Long Mynd
• Snowdon Massif
• Ben Klibreck
• Cairngorms massifs

North America

Canada

• Laurentian Massif
• Le Massif de Charlevoix
• Mount Logan
• Mount Cayley
• Level Mountain
• Mount Edziza
• Mount Meager massif
• Mount Septimus

United States

• Adirondack Massif
• Denali
• Grandfather Mountain
• Mount Juneau
• Mount Katahdin
• Mount Le Conte
• Mount Shuksan
• Mount Timpanogos
• Shenandoah^[6]
• French Broad^[7]
• Teton Range

Oceania

• Big Ben – Heard Island
• Ahipara Gumfields – New Zealand

Caribbean

• Massif de la Hotte – Haiti
• Valle Nuevo Massif – Dominican Republic

South America

• Brasilia Massif – Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay.
• Neblina Massif – Venezuela–Brazil
• Colombian Massif – Colombia
• North Patagonian Massif – Argentina
• Deseado Massif – Argentina

Submerged

• Atlantis Massif – part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the North Atlantic Ocean
• Tamu Massif — the largest volcano on Earth

References

1. "Definition of MASSIF". 21 June 2023.
2. Allen, 2008, Time scales of tectonic landscapes and their sediment routing systems, Geol. Soc. Lon. Sp. Pub., v. 296, p. 7–28.
3. Britt, Robert Roy (2006-09-21). "Mars Face Makeover: Controversial Formation Observed from New Angles". Space.com. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
4. 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.
5. "The Sydney Morning Herald, November 6, 2009". 2009-11-06.
6. Tollo, Richard (June 16, 2023). "Mesoproterozoic Geology of the Blue Ridge Province in North-Central Virginia: Petrologic and Structural Perspectives on Grenvillian Orogenesis and Paleozoic Tectonic Processes". USGS. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
7. Tollo, Richard (June 16, 2023). "Mesoproterozoic Geology of the Blue Ridge Province in North-Central Virginia: Petrologic and Structural Perspectives on Grenvillian Orogenesis and Paleozoic Tectonic Processes". USGS. Retrieved June 15, 2023.