Massif

The principal mass of a mountain

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

Not to be confused with Mountain or Mountain range.

Not to be confused with Mastiff.

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Aerial view of Mont Blanc massif, an example of a massif and also the highest summit in the Alps[1]

A massif (/mæˈsiːf, ˈmæsɪf/) is a principal mountain mass,[2] such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, 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.[3]

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.[4] Massifs may also form underwater, as with the Atlantis Massif.[5]

## List

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This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

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### Africa

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* 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

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* Collo Massif
* Edough Massif
* Khachna Massif

### Antarctica

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* Borg Massif
* Craddock Massif
* Cumpston Massif
* Vinson Massif
* Otway Massif

### Asia

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* 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

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* Bundelkhand
* Nun Kun
* Panchchuli
* Shillong

#### Iran

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

#### Kazakhstan

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* Degelen
* Kokshetau Massif
* Mount Ku
* Myrzhyk
* Semizbughy

### Europe

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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

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* 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
* Luberon
* Massif Central
* Massif de l'Esterel
* Massif du Mercantour-Argentera
* Monte Cinto massif
* Taillefer Massif
* Queyras Massif
* Vanoise Massif
* Vercors Plateau
* Vosges Mountains

#### Italy

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

#### United Kingdom

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

### North America

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#### Canada

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

#### United States

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

### Oceania

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

### Caribbean

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

### Central America

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* Cerro Chirripo – Costa Rica

### South America

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

### Submerged

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

## References

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1. ^ "The Sydney Morning Herald, November 6, 2009". 2009-11-06.
2. ^ "massif". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
3. ^ Allen, P. A. 2008, Time scales of tectonic landscapes and their sediment routing systems, Geol. Soc. Lon. Sp. Pub., v. 296, p. 7–28.
4. ^ Britt, Robert Roy (2006-09-21). "Mars Face Makeover: Controversial Formation Observed from New Angles". Space.com. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
5. ^ 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.
6. ^ a b 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.