A massif () is a principal mountain mass, 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 faultss or flexuress. 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.

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. Massifs may also form underwater, as with the Atlantis Massif.

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

Iran

• Dena

• Hazaran

• Kheru-Naru (Chekel)

• Kholeno

• Mount Damavand

• Takht-e Suleyman Massif

• Zard-Kuh

Kazakhstan

• Kokshetau Massif

• Mount Ku

• Myrzhyk

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

• Langkofel Group

• Grappa Massif

• Monte Ermada

• Sila Massif

• Speikboden (South Tyrol)

United Kingdom

• Ben Nevis massif

• Cornubian Massif

• Long Mynd

• Snowdon Massif

• Ben Klibreck

• Cairngorms massifs

• Scafell massif

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

• French Broad

• Teton Range

Oceania

• Big Ben – Heard Island

• Ahipara Gumfields – New Zealand

Caribbean

• Massif de la Hotte – Haiti

• Valle Nuevo Massif – Dominican Republic

Central America

• Cerro Chirripó – Costa Rica

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

References