massif
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mas·sif
(mă-sēf') 
n.
n.
- A large mountain mass or compact group of connected mountains forming an independent portion of a range.
- A large section or block of the earth's crust that is more rigid than the surrounding rock and has been moved or displaced as a unit.
[French, massive, massif, from Old French. See massive.]
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massif
A block of the Earth's crust commonly consisting of crystalline gneisses and schists, the textural appearance of which is generally markedly different from that of the surrounding rocks. Common usage indicates that a massif has limited areal extent and considerable topographic relief. Structurally, a massif may form the core of an anticline or may be a block bounded by faults or even unconformities. In any case, during the final stages of its development a massif acts as a relatively homogeneous tectonic unit which to some extent controls the structures that surround it. Numerous complex internal structures may be present; many of these are not related to its development as a massif but are the mark of previous deformations.
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categories related to 'massif'
- Materials, Formations, and Substances - massif: block of Earth’s crust bounded by faults and displaced as unchanged unit to form principal mountain mass
- Earth’s Atmosphere and Topographic Features - massif: mountain mass of uniform height broken into individual peaks
- Hills, Hollows, and Valleys - massif: central, compact portion of mountain range
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Massif
This article is about a geological formation. For the Valgrind tool, see Valgrind.
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2010) |
In geology, a massif 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 is also used to refer 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 such as with the Atlantis Massif. [3]
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Contents
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List of massifs
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This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Africa
- Adrar des Ifoghas - Mali
- Aïr Massif - Niger
- Bongo Massif - Central African Republic
- Marojejy Massif – Madagascar
- Mulanje Massif - Malawi
- Waterberg Biosphere - South Africa
Antarctica
Asia
- Annapurna - Nepal
- Chu Pong Massif - Vietnam
- Hazaran - Iran
- Kangchenjunga - India
- Knuckles Massif - Sri Lanka
- Kondyor Massif - Russia
- Kugitangtau Ridge - Turkmenistan
- Logar ultrabasite massif - Logar Province, Afghanistan
- Mount Ararat - Turkey
- Mount Kinabalu - Malaysia
- Mount Tomuraushi - Japan
- Nanga Parbat - Pakistan
- Nun Kun- India
- Panchchuli - India
Europe
- Alpilles - France
- Aravis Range - France
- Armorican Massif - Brittany, France
- Bauges Massif - France
- Beaufortain Massif - France
- Ben Nevis massif - Scotland
- Bohemian Massif - Czech Republic
- Bornes Massif - France
- Bristol Massif - United Kingdom
- Calanques Massif
- Ceahlău Massif - Romania
- Cerces Massif
- Chablais Massif - France
- Chartreuse Massif - France
- Cornubian Massif - United Kingdom
- Dévoluy Massif - France
- Massif des Écrins - France
- Jungfrau Massif - Switzerland
- Jura Mountains - France
- Lauzière massif
- L'Esterel Massif
- Long Mynd - England, United Kingdom
- Lubéron - France
- Massif Central - France
- Mercantour - France
- Montgris - Spain
- Montserrat - Spain
- Mont Blanc Massif- Italy/France
- Sila Massif- Italy
- Taillefer Massif - France
- Troodos - Cyprus
- Queyras Massif - France
- Vanoise Massif - France
- Vercors Plateau - France
- Vitosha Massif - Bulgaria
- Vosges Mountains - France
North America
- Laurentian Massif - Jacques-Cartier National Park, Canada
- Le Massif - Canada
- Massif de la Hotte - Haiti
- Mount Edziza - Canada
- Mount Juneau - Alaska
- Mount Le Conte - Tennessee
- Mount Logan - Canada
- Mount Meager - Canada
- Mount Septimus - Canada
- Mount Shuksan - Washington
- Teton Range - Wyoming
Oceania
Caribbean
- Valle Nuevo Massif - Dominican Republic
South America
- Brasilia Massif - Argentina
- Neblina massif - Venezuela-Brazil border
Submerged
- Atlantis Massif - part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the North Atlantic Ocean.
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. http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/060921_mars_images.html. 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, v. 23, Issue 5, p. 443-469.. http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?2002MarGR..23..443B.
- ^ "The Sydney Morning Herald, November 6, 2009.". 2009-11-06. http://www.smh.com.au/environment/mont-blanc-shrinks-by-45cm-in-two-years-20091106-i0kk.html.
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Translations:
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Massif
Dansk (Danish)
n. - bjergparti, massiv
idioms:
- mountain massif bjergmassiv
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ορεινός όγκος, ορεινό συγκρότημα
idioms:
- mountain massif ορεινός όγκος, ορεινό συγκρότημα
Italiano (Italian)
massiccio (montagnoso)
idioms:
- mountain massif massiccio montagnoso
Português (Portuguese)
n. - maciço (m) (Geol.)
idioms:
- mountain massif maciço montanhoso (m)
Русский (Russian)
горный массив
idioms:
- mountain massif горный массив
Español (Spanish)
n. - macizo, resistente, fuerte, masivo
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
山丘
idioms:
- mountain massif 山岳, 大山块, 断层块
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 山丘
idioms:
- mountain massif 山岳, 大山塊, 斷層塊
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 大山塊, 断層塊, 断層地塊
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) هضبه
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - גוש הרים
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Mentioned in
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