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21-831: In the east, the range is adjoined by the Lower Tauern . For the etymology of the name, see Tauern . According to the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps , the range is bounded by the Salzach valley to the north (separating it from the Kitzbühel Alps ), the Mur valley and the Murtörl Pass to the east (separating it from the Lower Tauern ), the Drava valley to the south (separating it from

42-875: A mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps , in the Austrian states of Salzburg and Styria . For the etymology of the name, see Tauern . The range forms a part of the main chain of the Alps . The highest peak of the Lower Tauern is the Hochgolling , part of the Schladming Tauern , at 2,863 m (9,393 ft). Important mountain pass roads include Radstädter Tauern Pass (1,738 m (5,702 ft)), Sölk Pass (1,788 m (5,866 ft)), and Triebener Tauern Pass (1,274 m (4,180 ft)). The range

63-801: A variety of rock types . Most geologically young mountain ranges on the Earth's land surface are associated with either the Pacific Ring of Fire or the Alpide belt . The Pacific Ring of Fire includes the Andes of South America, extends through the North American Cordillera , the Aleutian Range , on through Kamchatka Peninsula , Japan , Taiwan , the Philippines , Papua New Guinea , to New Zealand . The Andes

84-688: Is 7,000 kilometres (4,350 mi) long and is often considered the world's longest mountain system. The Alpide belt stretches 15,000 km across southern Eurasia , from Java in Maritime Southeast Asia to the Iberian Peninsula in Western Europe , including the ranges of the Himalayas , Karakoram , Hindu Kush , Alborz , Caucasus , and the Alps . The Himalayas contain the highest mountains in

105-476: Is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arisen from the same cause, usually an orogeny . Mountain ranges are formed by a variety of geological processes, but most of the significant ones on Earth are the result of plate tectonics . Mountain ranges are also found on many planetary mass objects in

126-1144: Is also crossed by the Tauern Autobahn (A10) through the Tauern Road Tunnel . In the west and south the Murtörl mountain pass and the River Mur separate them from the Hohe Tauern mountain range, while in the east and north the River Enns and the Schober Pass marks the border to the Northern Limestone Alps . According to the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps , the Lower Tauern may be divided into four subgroups (from west to east): The four groups listed above (the Radstadt Tauern, Schladming Tauern, Rottenmann and Wölz Tauern and Seckau Alps) are considered Alpine subsections. Some notable summits of

147-525: Is at work while the mountains are being uplifted until the mountains are reduced to low hills and plains. The early Cenozoic uplift of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado provides an example. As the uplift was occurring some 10,000 feet (3,000 m) of mostly Mesozoic sedimentary strata were removed by erosion over the core of the mountain range and spread as sand and clays across the Great Plains to

168-527: Is drier, having been stripped of much of its moisture. Often, a rain shadow will affect the leeward side of a range. As a consequence, large mountain ranges, such as the Andes, compartmentalize continents into distinct climate regions . Mountain ranges are constantly subjected to erosional forces which work to tear them down. The basins adjacent to an eroding mountain range are then filled with sediments that are buried and turned into sedimentary rock . Erosion

189-679: The IUCN II category comprises the Pasterze and numerous further glaciers , the Krimml Waterfalls , several glacial valleys and alluvial fans , as well as extended tundra areas and forests. Among the flora of the Alps , especially Swiss Pines grow along the tree line ; above subshrub , mainly alpenrose but also the endemic Saxifraga rudolphiana , up to nival level at about 2,800 m (9,200 ft). The fauna includes chamois , Alpine ibex and red deer , as well as griffon vulture and

210-668: The Katschberg Pass (1,641 metres (5,384 ft)) on B 99 Katschberg Straße highway parallel to the Katschberg Tunnel links Sankt Michael and Rennweg. Another road crosses the Staller Sattel between Sankt Jakob in Defereggen and Rasen-Antholz at 2,052 metres (6,732 ft). Beside there are numerous bridle and footpaths, in part used since ancient times: Lower Tauern The Lower Tauern or Niedere Tauern are

231-467: The Ocean Ridge forms the longest continuous mountain system on Earth, with a length of 65,000 kilometres (40,400 mi). The position of mountain ranges influences climate, such as rain or snow. When air masses move up and over mountains, the air cools, producing orographic precipitation (rain or snow). As the air descends on the leeward side, it warms again (following the adiabatic lapse rate ) and

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252-513: The Solar System and are likely a feature of most terrestrial planets . Mountain ranges are usually segmented by highlands or mountain passes and valleys . Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geologic structure or petrology . They may be a mix of different orogenic expressions and terranes , for example thrust sheets , uplifted blocks , fold mountains, and volcanic landforms resulting in

273-787: The Southern Limestone Alps ), and the Birnlücke Pass to the west (separating it from the Zillertal Alps ). Its most important subgroups along the Alpine crest are (from West to East): The eastern end of the High Tauern is formed by the Hafner massif of the Ankogel Group, which includes the easternmost three-thousander peaks in the Alpine chain. Further parts of the High Tauern south of

294-535: The golden eagle . The formerly extinct bearded vulture and the Alpine marmot have been successfully reintroduced. The park was established according to a 1971 declaration signed by the participating states at Heiligenblut , it nevertheless took until 1981, when the first parts around Großglockner and Hochschober in Carinthia were put under protection. The adjacel finally joined in 1992. Touriut has become less harmful to

315-485: The east. This mass of rock was removed as the range was actively undergoing uplift. The removal of such a mass from the core of the range most likely caused further uplift as the region adjusted isostatically in response to the removed weight. Rivers are traditionally believed to be the principal cause of mountain range erosion, by cutting into bedrock and transporting sediment. Computer simulation has shown that as mountain belts change from tectonically active to inactive,

336-510: The environment. A particular emphasis is pution and the maintenance of traditional ways of life in the Alps. The main peaks of the High Tauern are: The High Tauern are crossed by three tunnels: The best-known mountain pass road of the High Tauern is the scenic Grossglockner High Alpine Road inaugurated in 1935, including a tunnel at an elevation of 2,505 metres (8,219 ft) under the Hochtor Pass (2,573 metres (8,442 ft)). East of it,

357-478: The largest nature reserve in the Alps. It is divided into a core zone of 1,198 square kilometres (463 sq mi) including the Grossglockner and Grossvenediger massifs, with complete prohibition of agricultural use, and a fringe zone of 638 square kilometres (246 sq mi) used for forestry and alpine-meadow farming. Five special nature sanctuaries are protected from any human disturbance. The park of

378-578: The main crest of the Alps are (from West to East): Along 100 kilometres (62 mi) of the main chain stretches the High Tauern National Park ( Nationalpark Hohe Tauern ), to which the Austrian Alpine Club as freeholder and the three states of Carinthia, Salzburg and Tyrol have contributed territory. With an area of about 1,834 square kilometres (708 sq mi), it is by far the largest of Austria's seven national parks as well as

399-472: The range are: The Lower Tauern mark the approximate eastern limit of the continuous ice sheet in the Alps during the Würm glaciation . Eastern parts of the group were therefore unglaciated, and served as an important refugium for silicicolous plants. A number of skiing resorts are situated in the Lower Tauern, including Obertauern and Schladming . Mountain range A mountain range or hill range

420-617: The rate of erosion drops because there are fewer abrasive particles in the water and fewer landslides. Mountains on other planets and natural satellites of the Solar System, including the Moon , are often isolated and formed mainly by processes such as impacts, though there are examples of mountain ranges (or "Montes") somewhat similar to those on Earth. Saturn 's moon Titan and Pluto , in particular, exhibit large mountain ranges in chains composed mainly of ices rather than rock. Examples include

441-528: The world, including Mount Everest , which is 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) high. Mountain ranges outside these two systems include the Arctic Cordillera , Appalachians , Great Dividing Range , East Siberians , Altais , Scandinavians , Qinling , Western Ghats , Vindhyas , Byrrangas , and the Annamite Range . If the definition of a mountain range is stretched to include underwater mountains, then

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