Main Chain Of The Alps

In the case of every mountain system, Geographer s are disposed to regard, as a general rule, the Watershed (or boundary dividing the waters flowing towards opposite slopes of the range) as marking the main chain, and this usage is justified in that the highest Peak s often rise on or very near the watershed.

Yet, as a matter of fact, several important mountain groups are situated on one or other side of the watershed of the Alps, and form almost independent ranges, being only connected with the main chain by a kind of peninsula: such are the Dauphine Alps , the Eastern and Western Graian s, the entire Bernese Alps , the Tödi , Albula and Silvretta groups, the Ortler and Adamello ranges, and the Dolomites of South Tyrol , not to speak of the lower Alps of Vorarlberg , Bavaria and Salzburg . Of course each of these semi-detached ranges has a watershed of its own, like the lateral ridges that branch off from the main watershed. Thus there are lofty ranges parallel to that which
forms the main watershed. The Alps, therefore, are not composed of a single range (as shown on the old maps) but of a great
"divide," flanked on either side by other important ranges, which, however, do not comprise such lofty peaks as the main
watershed. In the following remarks we propose to follow the main watershed from one end of the Alps to the other.

DESCRIPTION OF MAIN FEATURES OF ALPINE CHAIN

The Alps are generally divided into Western Alps and Eastern Alps , cutted along a line between Lake Constance and Lake Como , following the Rhine valley. The Western Alps are higher, but their central chain is shorter and much curved; they are located in France , Italy and Switzerland .

The Eastern Alps (main Ridge elongated and broad) belong to Austria , Germany , Italy , Slovenia and Switzerland . The highest peak of the Western Alps is Mont Blanc (4810 m), in the Eastern Alps Piz Bernina , 4052 meters.

Western Alps

Starting from the Col D'Altare or di Cadibona (west of Savona ), the main chain extends first south-west, then north-west to the Col De Tenda , though nowhere rising much beyond the zone of coniferous trees. Beyond the Col de Tenda the direction is first roughly west, then north-west to the Rocher Des Trois Eveques (2840 m), just south of the Mont Enchastraye (2932 m), several peaks of about 3000 metres rising on the Watershed , though the highest of all, the Punta Dell' Argentera (3265 m) stands a little way to its north. From the Rocher des Trois Eveques the watershed runs due north for a long distance, though of the two loftiest peaks of this region One, the Aiguille De Chambeyron (3373 m), is just to the west, and the other, the Monte Viso (3813 m), is just to the east of the watershed. From the head of the Val Pelline the main chain runs north-west, and diminishes much in average height until it reaches the Mont Thabor (3157 m), which forms the apex of a salient angle which the main chain here presents towards.the west. Hence the main watershed extends eastwards, culminating in the Aiguille De Scolette (3478 m), but makes a great curve to the north-west and back to the south-east before rising in the Rochemelon (3509 m), which may be considered as a re-entering angle in the great rampart by which Italy is guarded from its neighbours. Thence the direction taken is north as far as the eastern summit (3536 m) of the Levanna , the watershed rising in a series of snowy peaks, though the loftiest point of the region, the Pointe De Charbonel (3730 m), stands a little to the west. Once more the chain bends to the north-west, rising in several lofty peaks (the highest is the Aiguille De La Grande Sassiere , 3726 m), before attaining the considerable depression of the Petit Saint Bernard Pass .

Thence for a short way the direction is north to the (3175 m), Piz Medel (3178 m), the Rheinwaldhorn (3371 m), the Tambohorn (3250 m) and Piz Timun (3176 m).

Eastern Alps

From the Maloja Pass the main watershed dips to the south-east for a short distance, and then runs eastwards and nearly over the highest summit of the Bernina Range , the Piz Bernina (4013 m), to the Bernina Pass . Then to the Reschen Pass the main chain is ill-defined, though on it rises the Corno Di Campo (3305 m), beyond which it runs slightly north-east past the sources of the Adda and the Fraele Pass , sinks to form the depression of the Ofen Pass , soon heads north and rises once more in the Piz Sesvenna (3221 m).

The break in the continuity of the Alpine chain marked by the deep valley, the Vinschgau , of the upper Adige (Etsch) is one of the most remarkable features in the orography of the Alps. The little Reschen Lake Which forms the chief source of the Adige is only 4 metres below the Reschen Scheideck Pass (1494 m), and by it is but 5 miles (8 km) from the Inn valley. Eastward of this pass, the main chain runs north-east to the Brenner Pass along the snowy crest of the Ötztal and Stubai Alps , the loftiest point on it being the Weißkugel (3746 m, Ötztal), for the highest summits both of the Ötztal and of the Stubai districts, the Wildspitze (3774 m) and the Zuckerhütl (3511 m) stand a little to the north.

The Brenner (1370 m) is almost the lowest of all the great Carriage-road passes across the main chain, and has always been the chief means of communication between Germany and Italy. For some way beyond it the watershed runs eastwards over the highest crest of the Zillertal Alps , which attains 3523 metres in the Hochfeiler . But, a little farther, at the Dreiherrenspitze (3505 m) we have to choose between following the watershed southwards, or keeping due east along the highest crest of the Hohe Tauern .

(a) The latter course is adopted by many geographers and has much in its favour. The eastward direction is maintained and the watershed (though not the chief Alpine watershed) continues through the Hohe Tauern, culminating in the Großvenediger (3660 m), for the Großglockner (3798 m) rises to the south. Our chain bends north-east near the Radstädter Tauern Pass , and preserves that direction along the Niedere Tauern ridges ( Hochgolling 2863m) and through Styria to the Semmering Pass (985m), 70 km south of Vienna .

(b) On the other hand, at the (3440 m), the top of the Rieserferner Group , and then sinks to the Toblach Pass , but at a point east of the great Dolomite peak " Drei Zinnen " it hends east again, and rises in the Monte Coghans (2782 m, the monarch of the Carnic Alps ). Soon after our watershed makes a last bend to the south-east and culminates in the Triglav (2865 m), the highest point of the Julian Alps , though the Grintovec (2569 m, the culminating point of the Karavanke s) stands more to the east. Finally the watershed turns south and ends near the great limestone plateau of the Birnbaumerwald , between Ljubljana and Gorizia .

GLACIERS

As might be expected, the main chain boasts of more glaciers and eternal snow than the independent or external ranges.
Yet it is a curious fact that the three longest glaciers in the Alps (the Great Aletsch , 16½ miles, and the Unteraar and the Fiescher , each 10 miles) are all in the Bernese Alps . In the main chain the two longest are both 9¼ miles, the Mer De Glace at Chamonix and the Gomer at Zermatt . In the Eastern Alps the longest glacier is the Pasterze (rather over 6¼ miles), which is not near the true main watershed, though it clings to the slope of the Hohe Tauern range, east of the Dreiherrenspitze . But the next two longest glaciers in the Eastern
Alps (the Hintereis , 6½ miles, and the Gepatsch , 6 miles) are both in the Ötztal Alps, and so close to the true main watershed.

LAKES

The so-called alpine lakes are the sheets of water found at the foot of the Alps, on either slope, just where the rivers that
form them issue into the plains. There are, however, alpine lakes higher up (e.g. the Lake Of Thun , and those in the
Upper Engadin , in the heart of the mountains, though these are naturally smaller in extent, while the true lakes of the High Alps are represented by the glacier lakes of the Marjelensee (near the Great Aletsch glacier) and those on the northern slope of the Col De Fenetre , between Aosta and the Val De Bagnes . The most singular, and probably the loftiest, lake in the Alps is the ever-frozen tarn that forms the summit of the Roccia Viva (3650 m) in the Eastern Graians.

RIVERS

Among the great alpine rivers we may distinguish two classes: those which spring directly from glaciers and those
which rise in lakes, these being fed by eternal snows or glaciers. In the former class are the Isere , the Rhone ,
the Aar , the Ticino , the Tosa , the Hinter (or main) Rhine and the Linth ; while in the latter class we have the Durance , the Po , the Reuss , the Vorder and middle branches of the Rhine, the Inn , the Adda , the Oglio and the Adige . The Piave and the Drave seem to be outside either class.

SEE ALSO

Alps

Geography Of The Alps

Information About

Main Chain Of The Alps