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In geology, a massif (/mæˈsiːf/ or /ˈmæsɪf/) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a group of mountains formed by such a structure.

In mountaineering and climbing literature, a massif is frequently used to denote the main mass of an individual mountain. The massif is a smaller structural unit of the crust than a tectonic plate and is considered the fourth largest driving force in geomorphology.^[1]

The word is taken from French (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 European examples of a massif is the Massif Central of the Auvergne region of France.

The Face on Mars is an example of an extraterrestrial massif.^[2]

Massifs may also form underwater, as with the Atlantis Massif.^[3]

List of massifs

Africa

• 
  Adrar des Ifoghas – Mali
  


• 
  Aïr Massif – Niger
  


• 
  Bongo Massif – Central African Republic
  


• 
  Marojejy Massif – Madagascar
  


• 
  Mulanje Massif – Malawi
  


• 
  Waterberg Biosphere – South Africa
  


• 
  Virunga Massif – border shared by Uganda, Rwanda and DR Congo


• 
  Kilimanjaro Massif – border of Kenya and Tanzania


• 
  Oban Massif – Nigeria

Antarctica

• Borg Massif


• Craddock Massif


• Cumpston Massif


• Vinson Massif


• Otway Massif

Asia

• 
  Annapurna – Nepal
  


• 
  Chu Pong Massif – Vietnam
  


• 
  Dhaulagiri – Nepal
  


• 
  Gasherbrum – Pakistan
  


• 
  Hazaran – Iran
  


• 
  Kholeno – Iran
  


• 
  Kangchenjunga – Nepal
  


• 
  Knuckles Massif – Sri Lanka
  


• 
  Kondyor Massif – Russia
  


• 
  Kugitangtau Ridge – Turkmenistan
  


• 
  Logar ultrabasite massif – Logar Province, Afghanistan
  


• 
  Mount Ararat – Turkey
  


• 
  Mount Everest massif (including Lhotse) – border of Nepal and Tibet (China)


• 
  Mount Kinabalu – Malaysia
  


• 
  Mount Tomuraushi – Japan
  


• 
  Nanga Parbat – Pakistan
  


• 
  Nun Kun – India
  


• 
  Panchchuli – India
  


• 
  Shillong – Meghalaya, India
  

Europe

• 
  Alpilles – France
  


• 
  Aravis Range – France
  


• 
  Ardennes Massif – France/Belgium/Luxembourg
  


• 
  Armorican Massif – Brittany, France
  


• 
  Bauges Massif – France
  


• 
  Beaufortain Massif – France
  


• 
  Ben Nevis massif – Scotland, United Kingdom
  


• 
  Bohemian Massif – Czech Republic
  


• 
  Bornes Massif – France
  


• Calanques Massif


• 
  Ceahlău Massif – Romania
  


• Cerces Massif


• 
  Chablais Massif – France
  


• 
  Chartreuse Massif – France
  


• 
  Cornubian Massif – United Kingdom
  


• 
  Dévoluy Massif – France
  


• 
  Massif des Écrins – France
  


• 
  Gotthard Massif – Switzerland
  


• 
  Jungfrau Massif – Switzerland
  


• 
  Jura Mountains – France
  


• Lauzière massif


• L'Esterel Massif


• 
  Long Mynd – England, United Kingdom
  


• 
  Lubéron – France
  


• 
  Massif Central – France
  


• 
  Mangerton Mountain – Ireland
  


• 
  Mercantour – France
  


• 
  Montgris – Spain
  


• 
  Montserrat – Spain
  


• 
  Mont Blanc massif – Italy/France/Switzerland
  


• 
  Rila - Rhodope Massif – Bulgaria/Greece
  


• 
  Sila Massif – Italy
  


• 
  Snowdon Massif – Wales, United Kingdom
  


• 
  Taillefer Massif – France
  


• 
  Troodos – Cyprus
  


• 
  Untersberg – Germany/Austria
  


• 
  Queyras Massif – France
  


• 
  Vanoise Massif – France
  


• 
  Vercors Plateau – France
  


• 
  Vitosha Massif – Bulgaria
  


• 
  Vosges Mountains – France
  

North America

• 
  Adirondack Massif – New York, USA


• 
  Mount Cayley massif – British Columbia, Canada


• 
  Laurentian Massif – Quebec, Canada


• 
  Le Massif – Canada


• 
  Denali – Alaska, USA


• 
  Level Mountain – Canada


• 
  Mount Edziza – Canada


• 
  Mount Juneau – Alaska, USA


• 
  Mount Le Conte – Tennessee, USA


• 
  Mount Logan – Yukon, Canada


• 
  Mount Meager massif – Canada


• 
  Mount Septimus – Canada


• 
  Mount Shuksan – Washington, USA


• 
  Teton Range – Wyoming, USA

Oceania

• 
  Big Ben – Heard Island
  


• 
  Ahipara Gumfields – New Zealand
  

Caribbean

• 
  Massif de la Hotte – Haiti
  


• 
  Valle Nuevo Massif – Dominican Republic
  

South America

• 
  Brasilia Massif – Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay.


• 
  Neblina massif – Venezuela–Brazil border


• 
  Colombian Massif – Colombia
  


• 
  North Patagonian Massif – Argentina


• 
  Deseado Massif – Argentina

Submerged

• 
  Atlantis Massif – part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the North Atlantic Ocean
  


• 
  Tamu Massif — the largest volcano on Earth

Panoramic view of Mont Blanc massif, an example of a massif and also the highest summit in the Alps.^[4]

References