Massif

Key takeaways

Massif belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Massif to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Massif from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, massif is frequently used to denote the main mass of an individual mountain. As a purely scientific term in geology, however, a "massif" is separately and more specifically defined as 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. A massif is a smaller structural unit than a tectonic plate and is considered the fourth-largest driving force in geomorphology. The word "massif" originates 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. The Face on Mars is an example of an extraterrestrial massif. Massifs may also form underwater, as with the Atlantis Massif.

List

Africa Adrar des Ifoghas – Mali Aïr Massif – Niger Ambohiby Massif – Madagascar Benna Massif – Guinea Bongo Massif – Central African Republic Ennedi Plateau – Chad Kilimanjaro Massif – Kenya–Tanzania Oban Massif – Nigeria Marojejy Massif – Madagascar Mulanje Massif – Malawi Virunga Massif – Uganda–Rwanda–DR Congo Waterberg Biosphere – South Africa

Algeria Collo Massif Edough Massif Khachna Massif

Antarctica Borg Massif Craddock Massif Cumpston Massif Vinson Massif Otway Massif

Asia Annapurna – Nepal Bromo-Tengger-Semeru – Indonesia Chu Pong Massif – Vietnam Dhaulagiri – Nepal Gasherbrum – China-Pakistan Kangchenjunga – Nepal–India Knuckles Massif – Sri Lanka Kondyor Massif – Russia Kugitangtau Ridge – Turkmenistan Kumgangsan – North Korea Logar ultrabasite massif – Afghanistan Mount Ararat – Turkey Mount Everest massif (including Lhotse) – Nepal–Tibet (China) Mount Kinabalu – Malaysia Mount Tomuraushi – Japan Nanga Parbat – Pakistan

India Bundelkhand Nun Kun Panchchuli Shillong

Iran Dena Hazaran Kheru-Naru (Chekel) Kholeno Mount Damavand Sabalan Takht-e Suleyman Massif Zard-Kuh

Kazakhstan Degelen Kokshetau Massif Mount Ku Myrzhyk Semizbughy

Europe

Aarmassif – Switzerland Ardennes Massif – France–Belgium–Luxembourg Åreskutan – Sweden Arlberg – Austria Bohemian Massif – Czech Republic Ceahlău Massif – Romania Gotthard Massif – Switzerland Hesperian Massif – Iberian Peninsula Jungfrau Massif – Switzerland Mangerton Mountain – Ireland Montgris – Spain Montserrat – Spain Mont Blanc massif – Italy–France–Switzerland Rhenish Massif – Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and France Rila – Rhodope Massif – Bulgaria–Greece Troodos – Cyprus Untersberg – Germany–Austria Vitosha Massif – Bulgaria

France Alpilles Aravis Range Armorican Massif Bauges Massif Beaufortain Massif Belledonne massif Bornes Massif Calanques Massif Cerces Massif Chablais Massif Chartreuse Massif Dévoluy Mountains Massif des Écrins Jura Mountains Lauzière Massif Luberon Massif Central Massif de l'Esterel Massif du Mercantour-Argentera Monte Cinto Massif Taillefer Massif Queyras Massif Vanoise Massif Vercors Plateau Vosges Mountains

Italy Gran Sasso d'Italia Langkofel Group Grappa Massif Massiccio del Matese Massiccio del Pollino Monte Ermada Sila Massif Speikboden (South Tyrol)

United Kingdom Ben Nevis massif Cornubian Massif Long Mynd Snowdon Massif Ben Klibreck Cairngorms massifs Scafell massif

North America

Canada Laurentian Massif Le Massif de Charlevoix Mount Logan Mount Cayley Level Mountain Mount Edziza Mount Meager massif Mount Septimus

United States Adirondack Massif Denali Grandfather Mountain Mount Juneau Mount Katahdin Mount Le Conte Mount Shuksan Mount Timpanogos Shenandoah French Broad Teton Range

Oceania Big Ben – Heard Island Ahipara Gumfields – New Zealand

Caribbean Massif de la Hotte – Haiti Valle Nuevo Massif – Dominican Republic

Central America Cerro Chirripó – Costa Rica

South America Brasilia Massif – Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay. Neblina Massif – Venezuela–Brazil 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

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Massif

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Massif claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Massif before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Massif ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Massif

In research: Massif appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Massif in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Massif is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Landforms, Mountains, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Massif outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Massif in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Massif means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Massif out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Massif in simple terms?

A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central).

Why does Massif matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Massif?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Massif.