THE
ALPS
The is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from
Austria, Italy and Slovenia in the east, through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and
Germany to France in the west. The word "Alps" was taken via French from Latin Alpes
which may be influenced by the Latin words albus (white) or altus (high), or a Celtic
word.
The highest mountain in the Alps is Mont Blanc at 4810 m on the French-Italian border.
All the main peaks of the Alps can be found in the list of mountains of the Alps and list
of Alpine peaks by prominence.
The Alps are generally divided into Western Alps and Eastern Alps. The division is along
the line between Lake Constance and Lake Como, following the Rhine. The Western
Alps are higher, but their central chain is shorter and curved; they are located in Italy,
France and Switzerland. The Eastern Alps (main ridge system elongated and broad)
belong to Austria, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovenia and Switzerland. The highest
peak of the Western Alps is Mont Blanc, 4810 m. The highest peak in the Eastern Alps is
Piz Bernina, 4052 meters.
The Eastern Alps are commonly subdivided according to the different geological
composition of the more central parts of the Alps and the groups at its northern and
southern fringes:
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Flysch zone (up to from the Vienna woods to Bregenzerwald. The swiss Jura does
not belong to the Alps
Northern Limestone Alps, peaks up to 3000 m
Central Eastern Alps (Austria, Swiss), peaks up to 4050 m
Southern Limestone Alps.
The border between the Central Alps and the Southern Limestone Alps is the Periadriatic
Seam. The Northern Limestone Alps are separated from the Central Eastern Alps by the
Grauwacken Zone.
The Alps arose as a result of the pressure exerted on sediments of the Tethys Ocean basin
as its Mesozoic and early Cenozoic strata were pushed against the stable Eurasian
landmass by the northward-moving African landmass. Most of this occurred during the
Oligocene and Miocene epochs. The pressure formed great recumbent folds, or nappes,
that rose out of what had become the Tethys Sea and pushed northward, often breaking
and sliding one over the other to form gigantic thrust faults. Crystalline rocks, which are
exposed in the higher central regions, are the rocks forming Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn,
and high peaks in the Pennine Alps and Hohe Tauern.
The landscape seen today is mostly formed by glaciation during the past two million
years. At least five ice ages have done much to remodel the region, scooping out the lakes
and rounding off the limestone hills along the northern border. Glaciers have been
retreating during the past 10,000 years, leaving large granite boulders scattered in the
forests in the region. As the last ice age ended, it is believed that the climate changed so
rapidly that the glaciers retreated back into the mountains in a span of about 200 to 300
years.
The "main chain of the Alps" follows the watershed from the Mediterranean Sea to the
Wienerwald, passing over many of the highest and most famous peaks in the Alps. From
the Colle di Cadibona to Col de Tende it runs westwards, before turning to the north-west
and then, near the Colle della Maddalena, to the north. Upon reaching the Swiss border,
the line of the main chain heads approximately east-north-east, a heading it follows until
its end near Vienna.
The Alps do not form an impassable barrier; they have been traversed for war and
commerce, and later by pilgrims, students and tourists. Crossing places by road, train or
foot are called passes, these are depressions in the mountains to which a valley leads from
the plains and hilly pre-mountainous zones.
www.alpseurope.com
text from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alps