Central Eastern Alps
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Geological Structure of the Alps: The Central Alps formed from the crystalline Austroalpine and some windows, regional ceilings and Islands
The Central Alps, Central Eastern Alps also form the main Alpine ridge in the Eastern Alps in Austria and the neighboring regions of Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy and Slovenia. The term Central Alps is primarily in the geography of Austria usual, where the Austrian share of the mountain range is one of the seven basic major regions of the country. From Central Eastern Alps is referred in particular to the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps (AVE ). The Central Alps form the eastern part of the Alps, the central chain of the Alps, and its northern and southern outcropping and accompanying chains.
The Central Alps as a large landscape of Austria
In Austria, the eastern Alps in the northern Alps, the greywacke zone, the Central Alps and the Southern Alps are divided. The latter are in Southern Carinthia, but mainly in northern Italy. Central and northern Alps are separated by the northern furrow that line Kloster - Arlberg - Inn valley - Salzach to Zeller See - Wagrainer height - Upper Enns Valley - Schoberpass - Mürztaler Alps - Semmering - Southern Vienna Basin. Central Alps and Southern Alps are separated from one another through the southern Längstalzug Pusteria ( Rienztal - Dobbiaco field - Upper Drau Valley ) - Drau - Klagenfurt Basin - Miess / Meza, or the Periadriatic seam that is not entirely congruent with the furrow.
Geomorphology
They have the highest summit in the Eastern Alps are the most glaciated. In the transition from Eastern and Western Alps their summits tower over the surrounding area to the west significantly ( Piz d' Err, Piz Roseg ). On the edge but not as high, often gentle mountain ranges belong to it, such as the Alps and the Gurktaler Ostausläufer.
The Eastern Alps of the Western Alps by a line Bodensee - Lake Como separately - Rhine - Splügenpass.
Geology
The Central Alps consist mainly of gneiss and schist of the various Austroalpine nappes ( Lower and Upper Austroalpine ), the Tauern window and in the Engadine window largely of Jurassic limestones, locally ( Bergell and Vedrette ) also made of granite. The Eastern Alpine ceilings are pushed onto the Penninic. Massive of ortsansässigem, while the Alpine folding hardly shifted Crystalline there is in the Central Alps - unlike in the Western Alps - not. The Granite mentioned penetrated near the rupture zone of the Periadriatic seam. The Western Alps do not know this division in Northern Limestone Alps, Central Alps and Southern Limestone Alps. The Austroalpine appeared on the eastern border of the Alps under the Tertiary sediments of the Alpine foothills in the east and the Pannonian Basin from. This rupture zone shows active volcanism ( thermal region ).
See also: Geology of Austria