Massif

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This article is about a geological formation. For the Valgrind tool, see Valgrind.
 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)
The Face on Mars.

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]

Panoramic view of Mont Blanc massif, an example of a massif and also the highest summit in the Alps.[4]

Contents

[edit] List of massifs

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Africa

[edit] Antarctica

[edit] Asia

[edit] Europe

[edit] North America

[edit] Oceania

[edit] Caribbean

[edit] South America

[edit] Submerged

[edit] References

  1. ^ Allen, 2008, Time scales of tectonic landscapes and their sediment routing systems, Geol. Soc. Lon. Sp. Pub., v. 296, p.7-28.
  2. ^ 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. 
  3. ^ 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. 
  4. ^ "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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