All Topics  
Pennine Alps

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Pennine Alps
 
 
  Topics Pennine Alps Topic Home

Not to be confused with the Pennines
Pennines

The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range in northern England and southern Scotland. They separate the North West England from Yorkshire and the North East England....
.


The Pennine Alps (also: Valais Alps) are a mountain range
Mountain range

A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by mountain pass or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes, uplifted mountains or Fold mountains...
 in the western part of the Alps
Alps

The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
. They are located in 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....
 (Valais
Valais

The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of Switzerland, around the valley of the Rh?ne from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps....
) and 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....
 (Piedmont
Piedmont

Piedmont is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,399 km? and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital is Turin. The main local dialect is Piedmontese....
 and the Aosta Valley
Aosta Valley

The Aosta Valley is a mountainous Autonomous regions with special statute Regions of Italy in north-western Italy. It is bordered by France to the west, Switzerland to the north and the region of Piedmont to the south and east....
). The Col Ferret
Col Ferret

The Col Ferret is an Alpine pass between the canton of Valais and the Aosta Valley. This pass separates the Mont Blanc Massif from the Pennine Alps....
 separates them from the 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....
; the Dora Baltea
Dora Baltea

Dora Baltea ['d?ra 'baltea] or Doire Balt?e , is a river in northern Italy. It is a tributary of the Po River, and is about 160 km long. It originates by Mont Blanc as the confluence of the Dora di Ferret, fed by the Pr? de Bar Glacier in Val Ferret, and the Dora di Veny, fed by the Miage Glacier in Val Veny....
 valley separates them from the Graian Alps
Graian Alps

The Graian Alps are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in France , Italy , and Switzerland . The Col des Montets separates them from the Chablais Alps; the Col Ferret and the Dora Baltea valley separate them from the Pennine Alps; the Col du Mont Cenis separates them from the Cottian Alps; the Arc valley sepa...
; the Simplon Pass
Simplon Pass

Simplon Pass is a high mountain pass between the Pennine Alps and the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland. It connects Brig, Switzerland in the Cantons of Switzerland of Valais with Domodossola in Piedmont ....
 separates them from the Lepontine Alps
Lepontine Alps

The Lepontine Alps are a mountain range in the central part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland and Italy . The Furka Pass, St. Gotthard Pass and the upper Rh?ne River valley separate them from the Bernese Alps; the upper Rh?ne River valley separates them from the Urner Alps; the Simplon Pass separates them from the Pennine Alps; t...
; the Rhône
Rhône River

The Rhone, or the Rh?ne is one of the major rivers of Europe, originating in Switzerland and running from there through the south-eastern corner of France....
 valley separates them from the Bernese Alps
Bernese Alps

The Bernese Alps are a group of mountain ranges in the western part of the Alps, in Switzerland. Although the name suggests they are in the Bernese Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are located in the adjacent cantons of Valais, Canton of Lucerne, Obwalden, Canton of Fribourg and Vaud....
.

The Italian side is drained by the rivers Dora Baltea
Dora Baltea

Dora Baltea ['d?ra 'baltea] or Doire Balt?e , is a river in northern Italy. It is a tributary of the Po River, and is about 160 km long. It originates by Mont Blanc as the confluence of the Dora di Ferret, fed by the Pr? de Bar Glacier in Val Ferret, and the Dora di Veny, fed by the Miage Glacier in Val Veny....
, Sesia
Sesia River

The Sesia is a river in north-western Italy, tributary to the Po River. Its sources are the glaciers of Monte Rosa at the border with Switzerland....
 and Toce
Toce

The Toce is a river in Piedmont, Italy, which stretches the length of the Val d'Ossola from the Switzerland border to Lake Maggiore into which it debouches near Fondotoce in the comune of Verbania....
, tributaries of the Po
Po River

The Po is a river that flows 652 km eastward across northern Italy, from Monviso to the Adriatic Sea near Venice. It has a drainage area of 71,000 km? and is the longest river in Italy....
.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Pennine Alps'
Start a new discussion about 'Pennine Alps'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


Not to be confused with the Pennines
Pennines

The Pennines are a low-rising mountain range in northern England and southern Scotland. They separate the North West England from Yorkshire and the North East England....
.


The Pennine Alps (also: Valais Alps) are a mountain range
Mountain range

A mountain range is a chain of mountains bordered by highlands or separated from other mountains by mountain pass or valleys. Individual mountains within the same mountain range do not necessarily have the same geology, though they often do; they may be a mix of different orogeny, for example volcanoes, uplifted mountains or Fold mountains...
 in the western part of the Alps
Alps

The Alps is the name for one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east; through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany; to France in the west....
. They are located in 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....
 (Valais
Valais

The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of Switzerland, around the valley of the Rh?ne from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps....
) and 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....
 (Piedmont
Piedmont

Piedmont is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,399 km? and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital is Turin. The main local dialect is Piedmontese....
 and the Aosta Valley
Aosta Valley

The Aosta Valley is a mountainous Autonomous regions with special statute Regions of Italy in north-western Italy. It is bordered by France to the west, Switzerland to the north and the region of Piedmont to the south and east....
). The Col Ferret
Col Ferret

The Col Ferret is an Alpine pass between the canton of Valais and the Aosta Valley. This pass separates the Mont Blanc Massif from the Pennine Alps....
 separates them from the 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....
; the Dora Baltea
Dora Baltea

Dora Baltea ['d?ra 'baltea] or Doire Balt?e , is a river in northern Italy. It is a tributary of the Po River, and is about 160 km long. It originates by Mont Blanc as the confluence of the Dora di Ferret, fed by the Pr? de Bar Glacier in Val Ferret, and the Dora di Veny, fed by the Miage Glacier in Val Veny....
 valley separates them from the Graian Alps
Graian Alps

The Graian Alps are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in France , Italy , and Switzerland . The Col des Montets separates them from the Chablais Alps; the Col Ferret and the Dora Baltea valley separate them from the Pennine Alps; the Col du Mont Cenis separates them from the Cottian Alps; the Arc valley sepa...
; the Simplon Pass
Simplon Pass

Simplon Pass is a high mountain pass between the Pennine Alps and the Lepontine Alps in Switzerland. It connects Brig, Switzerland in the Cantons of Switzerland of Valais with Domodossola in Piedmont ....
 separates them from the Lepontine Alps
Lepontine Alps

The Lepontine Alps are a mountain range in the central part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland and Italy . The Furka Pass, St. Gotthard Pass and the upper Rh?ne River valley separate them from the Bernese Alps; the upper Rh?ne River valley separates them from the Urner Alps; the Simplon Pass separates them from the Pennine Alps; t...
; the Rhône
Rhône River

The Rhone, or the Rh?ne is one of the major rivers of Europe, originating in Switzerland and running from there through the south-eastern corner of France....
 valley separates them from the Bernese Alps
Bernese Alps

The Bernese Alps are a group of mountain ranges in the western part of the Alps, in Switzerland. Although the name suggests they are in the Bernese Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are located in the adjacent cantons of Valais, Canton of Lucerne, Obwalden, Canton of Fribourg and Vaud....
.

The Italian side is drained by the rivers Dora Baltea
Dora Baltea

Dora Baltea ['d?ra 'baltea] or Doire Balt?e , is a river in northern Italy. It is a tributary of the Po River, and is about 160 km long. It originates by Mont Blanc as the confluence of the Dora di Ferret, fed by the Pr? de Bar Glacier in Val Ferret, and the Dora di Veny, fed by the Miage Glacier in Val Veny....
, Sesia
Sesia River

The Sesia is a river in north-western Italy, tributary to the Po River. Its sources are the glaciers of Monte Rosa at the border with Switzerland....
 and Toce
Toce

The Toce is a river in Piedmont, Italy, which stretches the length of the Val d'Ossola from the Switzerland border to Lake Maggiore into which it debouches near Fondotoce in the comune of Verbania....
, tributaries of the Po
Po River

The Po is a river that flows 652 km eastward across northern Italy, from Monviso to the Adriatic Sea near Venice. It has a drainage area of 71,000 km? and is the longest river in Italy....
. The Swiss side is drained by the Rhône River
Rhône River

The Rhone, or the Rh?ne is one of the major rivers of Europe, originating in Switzerland and running from there through the south-eastern corner of France....
.

The Great St Bernard Tunnel
Great St Bernard Tunnel

The Great St Bernard Tunnel is a road tunnel complementing the Great St Bernard Pass, linking Martigny in the Switzerland canton of Valais with the Aosta Valley in north western Italy....
, under the Great St Bernard Pass, leads from Martigny, Switzerland
Martigny, Switzerland

Martigny is the capital of the French language-speaking district of Martigny in the Cantons of Switzerland of Valais in Switzerland.It lies at an elevation of 471 meters....
 to Aosta
Aosta

Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italy Alps, 110km north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier River and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great St Bernard Pass and Little St Bernard Pass St....
.

Morphology

The main chain (watershed between the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea or Ocean off the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia....
 and Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges....
) runs from west to east on the border between 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....
 (south) and 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....
 (north). From Mont Vélan
Mont Vélan

Mont V?lan is a mountain in the Pennine Alps Swiss Alps....
, the first high summit east of St Bernard Pass
St Bernard Pass

St Bernard Pass may refer to:*Great St. Bernard Pass crosses the Valais Alps between Martigny, Switzerland and Aosta, Italy*Little St Bernard Pass lies between Mont Blanc and the Graian Alps, connecting Bourg St Maurice, France to Courmayeur, Italy...
, the chain rarely goes below 3000 metres and contains many four-thousanders
List of Alpine four-thousanders

This list contains all of the 128 summits and subsidiary tops of or more above sea level in the Alps in France, Italy and Switzerland as defined by the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme ....
 such as Matterhorn
Matterhorn

The Matterhorn , Cervino or Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps. With its high summit, lying on the border between Switzerland and Italy, it is one of the highest peaks in the Alps and its north face is one of the Great north faces of the Alps....
 or Dufourspitze
Dufourspitze

Dufourspitze , Pointe Dufour , Punta Dufour , or Monte Rosa is a summit of the Monte Rosa Massif in the Pennine Alps Swiss Alps....
. The valleys are quite similar on both side of the border, being generally oriented perpendicular to the main chain and descending progressively into the Rhône
Rhône

Rh?ne can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rh?ne Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
 Valley on the north and the Aosta Valley
Aosta Valley

The Aosta Valley is a mountainous Autonomous regions with special statute Regions of Italy in north-western Italy. It is bordered by France to the west, Switzerland to the north and the region of Piedmont to the south and east....
 on the south. Unlike many other mountain ranges, the higher peaks are often located outside the main chain and found themselves between the northern valleys (Grand Combin
Grand Combin

The Grand Combin is a mountain in the western Pennine Alps Swiss Alps in Switzerland. With its high summit it is one of the highest peaks in the Alps and the second most prominent of its range....
, Weisshorn
Weisshorn

The Weisshorn is a mountain in the Pennine Alps Swiss Alps, in Switzerland. With its summit, it is one of the major peaks in the Alps and overtops the illustrious Matterhorn by some 30 metres....
, Mischabel, Weissmies
Weissmies

The Weissmies is a mountain in the Pennine Alps Swiss Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland near the village of Saas-Fee. It is the westernmost four-thousander of its range....
).

Peaks

The chief peaks of the Pennine Alps are:




Glaciers


Main glacier
Glacier

A glacier is a large, slow-moving mass of ice, formed from compacted layers of snow, that slowly deforms and flows in response to gravity and high pressure....
s:

  • Gorner Glacier
  • Corbassière Glacier
    Corbassière Glacier

    The Corbassi?re Glacier is a valley glacier in the Grand Combin massif in the Pennine Alps in southwestern Valais. It is 9.8 km long with an average width of slightly more than 1 km and covers an area of 17.4 km?....
  • Findel Glacier
    Findel Glacier

    The Findel Glacier is a valley glacier in the Monte Rosa massif east of Zermatt in the Pennine Alps. It has a length of 8 km and covers an area of 19 km?....
  • Zmutt Glacier
    Zmutt Glacier

    The Zmutt Glacier is a 6 km long glacier situated in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 16.89 km?....
  • Zinal Glacier
    Zinal Glacier

    The Zinal Glacier is a 7 km long glacier situated in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 15.4 km?....
  • Otemma Glacier
    Otemma Glacier

    The Otemma Glacier is a 7.7 km long glacier situated in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 17.5 km?....
  • Allalin Glacier
    Allalin Glacier

    The Allalin Glacier is a 6 km long glacier situated in the Pennine Alps near the Allalinhorn in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 9.9 km?....
  • Ferpècle Glacier
    Ferpècle Glacier

    The Ferp?cle Glacier is a 6.5 km long glacier situated in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 9.8 km?....
  • Fee Glacier
    Fee Glacier

    The Fee Glacier is a 4.7 km long glacier situated in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 7.5 km?....
  • Mont Miné Glacier
    Mont Miné Glacier

    The Mont Min? Glacier is a 7.9 km long glacier situated in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 11 km?....
  • Ried Glacier
    Ried Glacier

    The Ried Glacier is a 6 km long glacier situated in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 8.22 km?....
  • Turtmann Glacier
    Turtmann Glacier

    The Turtmann Glacier is a 5 km long glacier situated in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 5.91 km?....
  • Moiry Glacier
    Moiry Glacier

    The Moiry Glacier is a 5 km long glacier situated in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 5.75 km?....
  • Arolla Glacier
    Arolla Glacier

    The Arolla Glacier is a 4 km long glacier situated in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 13.17 km?....
  • Moming Glacier
    Moming Glacier

    The Moming Glacier is a 3 km long glacier situated in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 6.39 km?....
  • Cheilon Glacier
    Cheilon Glacier

    The Cheilon Glacier is a 3 km long glacier situated in the Pennine Alps in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. In 1973 it had an area of 4.56 km?....


Passes


The chief passes
Mountain pass

In a range of hills, or especially of mountain range, a pass is a saddle point in between two areas of higher elevation. If following the lowest possible route through a mountain range, a pass is locally the highest point on that route....
 of the Pennine Alps are:

See also

  • Swiss Alps
    Swiss Alps

    The Swiss Alps are the portion of the Alps mountain mountain range that lies within Switzerland. Because of their central position with the entire Alpine range, they are also known as the Central Alps....