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In geology
Geology

Geology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitute the Earth. The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structural geology, physical properties, dynamics, and History of the Earth of Earth materials, and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed....
, a massif is a section of a planet's crust
Crust (geology)

In geology, a crust is the outermost solid shell of a planet or moon, which is chemically distinct from the underlying mantle . Crusts of Earth , our Moon, Mercury , Venus, and Mars have been generated largely by igneous processes, and these crusts are richer in incompatible elements than their respective mantle s....
 that is demarcated by fault
Geologic fault

In geology, a fault or fault line is a planar Fracture in rock in which the rock on one side of the fracture has moved with respect to the rock on the other side....
s or flexures. In the movement of the crust
Plate tectonics

Plate tectonics describes the large scale motions of Earth's lithosphere. The theory encompasses the older concepts of continental drift, developed during the first decades of the 20th century by Alfred Wegener, and seafloor spreading, understood during the 1960s....
, 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 mountain
Mountain

A mountain is a landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill....
s formed by such a structure. The massif is a smaller structural unit of the crust than a tectonic plate
Tectonic Plate

#REDIRECT Plate tectonics...
.

The word is taken from French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 (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.






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In geology
Geology

Geology is the science and study of the solid and liquid matter that constitute the Earth. The field of geology encompasses the study of the composition, structural geology, physical properties, dynamics, and History of the Earth of Earth materials, and the processes by which they are formed, moved, and changed....
, a massif is a section of a planet's crust
Crust (geology)

In geology, a crust is the outermost solid shell of a planet or moon, which is chemically distinct from the underlying mantle . Crusts of Earth , our Moon, Mercury , Venus, and Mars have been generated largely by igneous processes, and these crusts are richer in incompatible elements than their respective mantle s....
 that is demarcated by fault
Geologic fault

In geology, a fault or fault line is a planar Fracture in rock in which the rock on one side of the fracture has moved with respect to the rock on the other side....
s or flexures. In the movement of the crust
Plate tectonics

Plate tectonics describes the large scale motions of Earth's lithosphere. The theory encompasses the older concepts of continental drift, developed during the first decades of the 20th century by Alfred Wegener, and seafloor spreading, understood during the 1960s....
, 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 mountain
Mountain

A mountain is a landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill....
s formed by such a structure. The massif is a smaller structural unit of the crust than a tectonic plate
Tectonic Plate

#REDIRECT Plate tectonics...
.

The word is taken from French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
 (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 Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
an examples of a massif is the Massif Central
Massif Central

The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus.Subject to volcano that has subsided in the last 10,000 years, these central mountains are separated from the Alps by a deep north-south cleft created by the Rh?ne River and known in French language as the sillon rhodanien ....
 of the Auvergne
Auvergne (province)

Auvergne was a historic province of France in south central France. It was originally the feudal domain of the List of rulers of Auvergne. It is now the geographical and cultural area that corresponds to the former province....
 region of France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
.

In computing, massif is a plugin for the Valgrind
Valgrind

Valgrind is a programming tool for memory debugger, memory leak detection, and performance analysis. The name Valgrind comes from the name of the main entrance to Valhalla in Norse mythology....
 memory analyzer.

In mountaineering
Mountaineering

Mountaineering is the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, trekking and climbing up mountains. It is also sometimes known as alpinism, particularly in Europe....
 and climbing
Climbing

Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations....
 literature, a massif is frequently used to denote the main mass of an individual mountain.

The Face on Mars is also called a massif, or alternatively, an albedo feature
Albedo feature

An albedo feature is a large area on the surface of a planet which shows a contrast in brightness or darkness with adjacent areas.Historically, albedo features were the very first features to be seen and named on Mars and Mercury ....
.

List of massifs


Africa


  • Adrar des Ifoghas
    Adrar des Ifoghas

    The Adrar des Ifoghas is a sandstone massif in Mali's Kidal Region, having an area of about 250,000 km?.The area is characterized by wide, shallow valleys, and is strewn with piles of eroded granite blocks....
     - Mali
    Mali

    Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked nation in West Africa. Mali is the seventh largest country in Africa, bordering Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the C?te d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west....
  • Aïr Massif - Niger
    Niger

    Niger , officially the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east....
  • Tondou Massif - Central African Republic
    Central African Republic

    The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the east, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west....


Antarctica


  • Vinson Massif
    Vinson Massif

    Vinson Massif is the Extremes of Altitude mountain of Antarctica, located about 600 miles from the South Pole. The mountain is about long and wide....
     - Antarctica
    Antarctica

    Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, overlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctica of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean....


Asia


  • Annapurna
    Annapurna

    Annapurna is a series of mountain in the Himalayas, a -long massif of which the highest point, Annapurna I, stands at 8091m, making it the 10th-highest summit in the world and one of the 14 "eight-thousanders"....
     Massif - Nepal
    Nepal

    Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and is the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by India....
  • Chu Pong Massif - Vietnam
    Vietnam

    Vietnam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam , is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by People's Republic of China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east....
     (overlooks site of Battle of Ia Drang
    Battle of Ia Drang

    The Battle of Ia Drang was one of the first major battles between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam during the Vietnam War....
    )
  • Hazaran
    Hazaran

    Hazaran is the name of a massif of the Central Iranian Plateau, Kerman province, Iran, an eastern outlier of the Zagros mountains. The Jebal Barez chain is a continuation to the south-east....
     - Iran
    Iran

    Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran and formerly known internationally as Persian Empire until 1935, is a country in Central Eurasia, located on the northeastern shore of the Persian Gulf and the southern shore of the Caspian Sea....
  • Kangchenjunga Massif - India
    India

    India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
  • Daisetsuzan National Park
    Daisetsuzan National Park

    , or Taisetsuzan is located in the mountainous center of the northern Geography of Japan island of Hokkaido. At 2267.64 square kilometers, Daisetsuzan is the largest national park in Japan....
     - Japan
    Japan

    Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
  • Kondyor Massif
    Kondyor Massif

    The Kondyor Massif is a perfect circular intrusion, about in diameter, in Khabarovsk Krai, Far Eastern Federal District, Russian Federation, roughly west-to-southwest of Okhotsk, or some south-east of Yakutsk....
     - Russian Federation
  • Kugitangtau Ridge - Turkmenistan
    Turkmenistan

    Turkmenistan is a Turkic peoples country in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic ....
  • Nun Kun
    Nun Kun

    The Nun Kun mountain massif comprises a pair of Himalaya peaks: Nun, 7,135 m and its neighbor peak Kun, 7,077 m . Nun is the highest peak in the part of the Himalayan range lying on the Indian side of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir....
    - India
    India

    India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
  • Panchchuli Massif - India
    India

    India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, the List of countries by population country, and the most populous liberal democracy in the world....
  • Logar ultrabasite massif - Logar, Afghanistan


Europe


  • Armorican Massif
    Armorican Massif

    The Armorican Massif is a geologic massif that covers a large area in the northwest of France, including Brittany, the western part of Normandy and the Pays de la Loire....
     - Brittany
    Brittany

    Brittany is a former independent Celtic nations monarchy and duchy, now incorporated into France. It is also, more generally, the name of the cultural area whose limits correspond to the historic province and independent duchy....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  • Ceahlau Massif
    Ceahlau Massif

    The Ceahlau Massif is one of the most renowned mountain ranges of Romania. It is located in the Eastern Carpathians chain, in Neamt County, in the Moldavia region....
     - Romania
    Romania

    Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
  • Chartreuse Massif - France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  • Cornubian Massif - United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
  • Jungfrau Massif - Switzerland
    Switzerland

    Switzerland is a landlocked Swiss Alps country of roughly 7.7 million people in Western Europe with an area of 41,285 km?. Switzerland is a federal republic consisting of 26 states called Cantons of Switzerland....
  • Long Mynd
    Long Mynd

    The Long Mynd in Shropshire, England, is a part of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is south of the county town Shrewsbury, and has an area of over 22 square kilometres ....
     - England
    England

    native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
    , United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
  • Massif Central
    Massif Central

    The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus.Subject to volcano that has subsided in the last 10,000 years, these central mountains are separated from the Alps by a deep north-south cleft created by the Rh?ne River and known in French language as the sillon rhodanien ....
     - France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  • Massif Montgris - Spain
    Spain

    Spain or the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in Southern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though Espa?a , Estado espa?ol and Naci?n espa?ola are used interchangeably....
  • Mont Blanc Massif
    Mont Blanc Massif

    The Mont Blanc Massif is a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. It is named after Mont Blanc, at 4,810m the highest summit of the Alps....
    - Italy
    Italy

    Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
    /France
  • Vitosha
    Vitosha

    Vitosha is a mountain massif, on the outskirts of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Vitosha is one of the tourists symbols of Sofia and the closest site for hiking, alpinism and skiing....
     Massif - Bulgaria
    Bulgaria

    The state of Bulgaria , Scientific transliteration Balgarija, officially the Republic of Bulgaria has played a significant role in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe for over fourteen centuries....


North America

  • Juneau Massif - Juneau, Alaska
    Alaska

    Alaska is the largest U.S. state of the United States by area; it is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait....
  • Edziza Massif
    Mount Edziza

    Mount Edziza is a stratovolcano in the Stikine Country of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. The volcano and the surrounding area are protected within Mount Edziza Provincial Park and Recreation Area....
     - British Columbia
    British Columbia

    British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ....
    , Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
  • Laurentian Massif - Quebec
    Quebec

    Quebec , in French language, Qu?bec , is a Provinces and territories of Canada in the Central Canada and Eastern Canada regions of Canada....
    , Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
     (French: Massif des Laurentides)
  • Le Massif
    Le Massif

    Le Massif is a ski mountain just northeast of Quebec City, Canada, overlooking the St. Lawrence river....
     - a ski mountain northeast of Quebec City
    Quebec City

    Qu?bec or Quebec, also Quebec City or Qu?bec City , is the Capital of the Canada Provinces and territories of Canada of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region....
    , Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
  • Lincoln Massif - Lincoln
    Lincoln, Vermont

    Lincoln is a town in Addison County, Vermont, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,214 at the 2000 United States Census.Geography...
    , Vermont
    Vermont

    Vermont is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area....
  • Massif Mountains - a high range of mountains in Haiti
    Haiti

    Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Haitian Creole language- and French language-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago....
  • Meager Massif
    Mount Meager

    Mount Meager, also called the Meager Group, Meager Mountain, Mount Meager Volcanic Complex or Meager Creek Volcanic Field , is a potentially active volcanic group, located north of the city of Vancouver and northwest of Pemberton, British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada....
     - British Columbia, Canada
  • Logan Massif
    Mount Logan

    Mount Logan is Canada's highest mountain and the List of highest mountains of North America in North America, after Mount McKinley . The mountain was named after Sir William Edmond Logan, a Canadian geologist and founder of the Geological Survey of Canada ....
     - Yukon
    Yukon

    Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada three Territories of Canada. It was named after the Yukon River, Yukon meaning "Great River" in Gwich?in language....
    , Canada


Oceania


  • Big Ben
    Big Ben (Heard Island)

    Big Ben is a volcanic massif that dominates the geography of Heard Island and McDonald Islands. It is a composite cone with a diameter of approximately 25 kilometres....
     Massif - Heard Island


South America


  • Brasilia Massif - Argentina
    Argentina

    Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is a country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city....


Submerged


  • Atlantis Massif
    Atlantis Massif

    The Atlantis Massif is a prominent undersea massif, a dome-shaped region approximately 10 mi. across and rising about 14,000 ft. from the sea floor, in the Atlantic Ocean....
     - part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge
    Mid-Atlantic Ridge

    The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge, a divergent tectonics plate boundary located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and the longest mountain range in the world....
     in the North Atlantic Ocean.