Massif Explained

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

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
• – Pakistan

India

• Bundelkhand
• Nun Kun
• Panchchuli
• Shillong

Iran

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

Kazakhstan

• Kazakh: [[Degelen]]|italic=no
• Kokshetau Massif
• Mount Ku
• Myrzhyk
• Kazakh: [[Semizbughy]]|italic=no

Europe

• Aarmassif – Switzerland
• Ardennes Massif – France–Belgium–Luxembourg
• Åreskutan – Sweden
• – Austria
• Bohemian Massif – Czech Republic
• Ceahlău Massif – Romania
• Gotthard Massif – Switzerland
• Hesperian Massif – Iberian Peninsula
• Jungfrau Massif – Switzerland
• Mangerton Mountain – Ireland
• Montgris – Spain
• – Spain
• Mont Blanc massif – Italy–France–Switzerland
• Rhenish Massif – Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France
• – Rhodope Massif – Bulgaria–Greece
• Troodos – Cyprus
• Untersberg – Germany–Austria
• 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 Mountains
• Massif des Écrins
• Jura Mountains
• Lauzière massif
  • • Massif de l'Esterel
• Massif du Mercantour-Argentera
• Monte Cinto massif
• Taillefer Massif
• Queyras Massif
• Vanoise Massif
• Vercors Plateau
• Vosges Mountains

Italy

• Italian: [[Gran Sasso d'Italia]]|italic=no
• Grappa Massif
• Italian: [[Massiccio del Matese]]|italic=no
• Italian: [[Massiccio del Pollino]]|italic=no
• 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
  • 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^[5]
• French Broad^[6]
• 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

Notes and References

1. 2023-06-21.
2. [Philip A. Allen|Allen, P. A.]
3. Web site: Mars Face Makeover: Controversial Formation Observed from New Angles . Britt. Robert Roy. 2006-09-21. Space.com. 2009-05-04.
4. 2002MarGR..23..443B. 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. 10.1023/b:mari.0000018232.14085.75. 96459991.
5. Web site: 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 . June 15, 2023 . USGS.
6. Web site: 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 . June 15, 2023 . USGS.