Highest Mountains in France

Geology

Mont Blanc and adjacent mountains in the massif are predominantly formed from a large intrusion of granite (termed a batholith) which was forced up through a basement layer of gneiss and mica schists during the Variscan mountain-forming event of the late Palaeozoic period. The summit of Mont Blanc is located at the point of contact of these two rock types. To the southwest, the granite contact is of a more intrusive nature, whereas to the northeast it changes to being more tectonic. The granites are mostly very-coarse grained, ranging in type from microgranites to porphyroid granites.

The massif is tilted in a north-westerly direction and was cut by near-vertical recurrent faults lying in a north–south direction during the Variscan orogeny.

History

The Mont Blanc was the highest mountain of the Frankish Empire under Charlemagne and the highest mountain of the Holy Roman Empire until 1792.

Pierre Martel's 1744 map and sketch of the Chamonix valley contains what is considered the first printed appearance of the name "Mont Blanc".

In 1760, Swiss naturalist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure began to go to Chamonix to observe Mont Blanc. He tried to summit it with the Courmayeur mountain guide Jean-Laurent Jordaney, a native of Pré-Saint-Didier, who accompanied De Saussure since 1774 on the Miage Glacier and Mont Crammont.

The first recorded ascent of Mont Blanc (at the time neither within Italy nor France) was on 8 August 1786 by Jacques Balmat and the doctor Michel-Gabriel Paccard.

Climate

Located on the watershed between the Rhône and the Po, the massif of Mont Blanc is also situated between the two different climatic regions of the northern and western Alps and that of the southern Alps. Climatic conditions on the Mer de Glace are similar to those found on the northern side of the Swiss Alps.

The climate is cold and temperate (Köppen climate classification Cfb), and is greatly influenced by altitude. Being the highest part of the Alps, Mont Blanc and surrounding mountains can create their own weather patterns. Temperatures drop as the mountains gain in height, and the summit of Mont Blanc is a permanent ice cap, with temperatures around −20 °C (−4 °F). The summit is also prone to strong winds and sudden weather changes.

History and geology

Piton des Neiges was formed by the Réunion hotspot and emerged from the sea about two million years ago. The volcano has been inactive for 20,000 years. Réunion itself is considered to be about three million years old; the other two islands in the archipelago, Mauritius and Rodrigues, are 7.8 million and 1.5 million years old, respectively.

The Piton des Neiges forms the northwestern two-thirds of Réunion, with the very active Piton de la Fournaise comprising the rest. Additionally, it is surrounded by three massive crater valleys. As its name suggests, snow is occasionally seen on its summit in winter. Piton des Neiges is ranked 14th in the world by topographic isolation.

Geological history

Volcanologists have identified three different phases in the evolution of Mount Pelée volcano: initial, intermediate, and modern. In an initial phase, called the "Paléo-Pelée" stage, Mount Pelee was a common stratovolcano. The cone of Paléo-Pelée was composed of many layers of lava flows and fragmented volcanic debris. Remains of the Paléo-Pelée cone are still visible at the northern view at the volcano today.

A second stage, now called the intermediate phase, started around 100,000 years ago, after a long period of quiescence. This stage is grouped by the formation of the Morne Macouba lava dome, then later on, the Morne Macouba caldera.

Geographical setting and description

Mount Pelée is the result of a typical subduction zone. The subduction formed the Lesser Antilles island arc, a curved chain of volcanoes approximately 850 kilometres (530 mi) in length, between Puerto Rico and Venezuela, where the Caribbean Plate meets Atlantic oceanic crust belonging to the South American Plate. Other volcanoes in the island arc are also known for their volcanic activity, including Saint Vincent's La Soufrière, Guadeloupe's La Grande Soufriere volcano, Montserrat's Soufrière Hills, and the submarine volcano Kick 'em Jenny.

Description

Benara forms part of the massif that dominates south-central Mayotte. The upper slopes of the mountain rise steeply to a triangular peak. Ridges extend 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west to the subordinate peaks of Tchaourembo (581 metres [1,906 ft]), Ngouni Maboungani (510 metres [1,670 ft]), and 4 km east to Trambatsini (297 metres [974 ft]). The area down to an elevation of about 200 metres (660 ft), which is typically the upper limit of cultivation on the island, contains what is probably the second largest expanse of forest on Mayotte. It has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports populations of Comoro olive-pigeons, Comoro blue-pigeons, Mayotte drongos, Mayotte white-eyes and Mayotte sunbirds.

History

The top of Mont Agel is occupied by Nice Air Base, itself built on the former Ouvrage Mont Agel of the Alpine Line fortifications.

On 18 June 2011, a light aircraft crashed onto Mont Agel, killing two British passengers. The plane was on a private flight, and was en route from Italy to Troyes at the time of the crash. Conditions were foggy.

Mont Agel is the site of the Monte Carlo Golf Club, formerly home of the Monte Carlo Open. The club celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011.

Roc Agel, purchased by Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, as a summer family residence, is high on the slopes of Mont Agel.