Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps
Encyclopedia
The Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps or AVE is a division of the Eastern Alps into 75 mountain groups and is commonly used in mountaineering
. There is a basic division into the Northern Limestone Alps
, Central Eastern Alps
, Western Limestone Alps, and Southern Limestone Alps
. These four main groups are further divided into 75 sub-groups.
, the General Secretary of the German and Austrian Alpine Club
(DuÖAV), which was first published in 1924 in the Ratgeber für Alpenwanderer ("Guide for Alpine Walkers", 2nd edition, 1928). This division of the Eastern Alps established for the German-speaking world (less Switzerland) was compiled by the German
, Austrian and South Tyrol Alpine Clubs.
The classification is used inter alia for the basic numbering of Alpine Club maps.
The classification is based principally on orographic considerations and takes account of the regional usage in terms of the names of the mountain groups. The Graßler amendments of 1984 address a number of geological problems and have dropped many of Morrigl's groups, making more precise sub-divisions for them in other areas. These changes are evident from the missing serial numbers and sub-division letters. New areas were added to the Western Limestone Alps. This area is one not covered by the alpine clubs and is actually a continuation of the Southern and Central Alps.
Unlike the previous scheme, the Salzburg Slate Alps were assigned to the Northern Limestone Alps because they are part of the greywacke zone
that forms the bedrock
of the Alps. The Ortler Alps
and Sobretta Gavia Group were grouped into the Southern Limestone Alps, geologically speaking, they are north of the Periadriatic Seam
are counted as Austro-alpine.
, Italy
Liechtenstein
, Austria
, Switzerland
and Slovenia
. With 57 mountain groups, Austria has the largest share. It is followed by Italy with 23 and Switzerland with ten. There are seven mountain ranges in Germany and four in Slovenia. Liechtenstein shares one group.
The only four-thousander
and the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps is the Piz Bernina
at . Thus the Bernina
is the highest of all the groups in the Eastern Alps. Next are the Ortler Alps
, whose highest peak, the Ortler
, is the highest mountain in South Tyrol. The third highest range is the Glockner Group
with the highest mountain in Austria: the Grossglockner . Another 22 groups reach a height of 3,000 metres. The only group in the Northern Limestone Alps with a three-thousander is the Lech Valley Alps, whose highest summit is the Parseierspitze
. 39 groups are over 2000 metres high. Seven of the groups exceed 1000 metres and only one does not reach that mark: the Vienna Woods. Its highest mountain, the Schöpfl
is just high.
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
. There is a basic division into the Northern Limestone Alps
Northern Limestone Alps
The Northern Limestone Alps are the ranges of the Eastern Alps north of the Central Eastern Alps located in Austria and the adjacent Bavarian lands of southeastern Germany. The distinction from the latter group, where the higher peaks are located, is based on differences in geological composition...
, Central Eastern Alps
Central Eastern Alps
The Central Eastern Alps comprise the main chain of the Eastern Alps with its highest peaks, located between the Northern Limestone Alps and the Southern Limestone Alps, from which they differ in geological composition....
, Western Limestone Alps, and Southern Limestone Alps
Southern Limestone Alps
The Southern Limestone Alps are the ranges of the Eastern Alps south of the Central Eastern Alps mainly located in northern Italy and the adjacent lands of Austria and Slovenia. The distinction from the Central Alps, where the higher peaks are located, is based on differences in geological...
. These four main groups are further divided into 75 sub-groups.
History
The Alpine Club's classification of the Eastern Alps was compiled by Franz Graßler in 1982 and published in 1984 in the Alpine Club yearbook, Berg '84. It is based on the Moriggl Classification (ME) by Josef MorigglJosef Moriggl
Josef Moriggl was a master woodcarver and teacher whose work covered both religious and folk themes. Examples of his intricately detailed carvings, sculptures, and furniture can be found today in churches and private collections, mainly in his native Austria but also abroad.- Early years and...
, the General Secretary of the German and Austrian Alpine Club
German and Austrian Alpine Club
The German and Austrian Alpine Club was a merger of the German, Austrian and Bohemian branches of the Alpine Club that existed from 1873 to 1938.- External links :*...
(DuÖAV), which was first published in 1924 in the Ratgeber für Alpenwanderer ("Guide for Alpine Walkers", 2nd edition, 1928). This division of the Eastern Alps established for the German-speaking world (less Switzerland) was compiled by the German
German Alpine Club
The German Alpine Club or DAV is the largest climbing association in the world and the eighth largest sports union in Germany. It is organised into 354 legally independent branches with a total of around 815,000 members...
, Austrian and South Tyrol Alpine Clubs.
The classification is used inter alia for the basic numbering of Alpine Club maps.
Classification system
The Eastern Alps are divided into four areas: the Northern Limestone Alps, Central Eastern Alps, Southern Limestone Alps and Western Limestone Alps. The Northern Limestone and Central Eastern Alps are the largest with 27 groups each. The Southern Limestone Alps have 15 groups and there are six in the Western Limestone Alps.The classification is based principally on orographic considerations and takes account of the regional usage in terms of the names of the mountain groups. The Graßler amendments of 1984 address a number of geological problems and have dropped many of Morrigl's groups, making more precise sub-divisions for them in other areas. These changes are evident from the missing serial numbers and sub-division letters. New areas were added to the Western Limestone Alps. This area is one not covered by the alpine clubs and is actually a continuation of the Southern and Central Alps.
Unlike the previous scheme, the Salzburg Slate Alps were assigned to the Northern Limestone Alps because they are part of the greywacke zone
Greywacke zone
The greywacke zone is a band of Paleozoic metamorphosed sedimentary rocks that forms an east-west band through the Austrian Alps. The greywacke zone crops out between the Mesozoic rocks of the Northern Calcareous Alps and the Austroalpine and Penninic basement rocks of the Central Eastern Alps....
that forms the bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
of the Alps. The Ortler Alps
Ortler Alps
The Ortler Alps are a mountain range in the central Alps of Italy. They are considered to be part of the Central Eastern Alps or the Southern Limestone Alps....
and Sobretta Gavia Group were grouped into the Southern Limestone Alps, geologically speaking, they are north of the Periadriatic Seam
Periadriatic Seam
The Periadriatic Seam is a distinct geologic fault in Southern Europe, running S-shaped about 1000 km from the Tyrrhenian Sea through the whole Southern Alps as far as Hungary. It forms the division between the Adriatic plate and the European plate...
are counted as Austro-alpine.
Geographical characteristics
The Eastern Alps extend across six countries: GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. With 57 mountain groups, Austria has the largest share. It is followed by Italy with 23 and Switzerland with ten. There are seven mountain ranges in Germany and four in Slovenia. Liechtenstein shares one group.
The only four-thousander
Four-thousander
A four-thousander is a mountain summit that is at least 4,000 metres above sea level. Because the highest peaks in Europe fall into this category, the summits of four-thousanders are popular in Europe with climbers and mountaineers as climbing goals...
and the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps is the Piz Bernina
Piz Bernina
Piz Bernina is the highest mountain of the Eastern Alps and the highest point of the Bernina Range the highest peak in south Rhetic Alps. It is also the farthest easterly mountain higher than 4,000 m in the Alps, the highest point of the Swiss canton of Graubünden, and the fifth-most prominent...
at . Thus the Bernina
Bernina
Bernina can refer to:*the Bernina Range, a mountain range in the Alps.*Piz Bernina, the highest peak of the Bernina Range.*the Bernina Pass in the Bernina Range.*the Bernina Express, a scenic train route through the Bernina Range....
is the highest of all the groups in the Eastern Alps. Next are the Ortler Alps
Ortler Alps
The Ortler Alps are a mountain range in the central Alps of Italy. They are considered to be part of the Central Eastern Alps or the Southern Limestone Alps....
, whose highest peak, the Ortler
Ortler
Ortler is, at above sea level, the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps outside the Bernina Range. It is the main peak of the Ortler Range. It is the highest point of the Southern Limestone Alps, of the Italian province of South Tyrol, of Tyrol overall, and, until 1919, of the Austrian-Hungarian...
, is the highest mountain in South Tyrol. The third highest range is the Glockner Group
Glockner Group
The Glockner Group is a sub-group of the Austrian Central Alps in the Eastern Alps, and is located in the centre section of the High Tauern on the main chain of the Alps....
with the highest mountain in Austria: the Grossglockner . Another 22 groups reach a height of 3,000 metres. The only group in the Northern Limestone Alps with a three-thousander is the Lech Valley Alps, whose highest summit is the Parseierspitze
Parseierspitze
Parseierspitze is, at 3,036 metres tall, the highest mountain of the Northern Limestone Alps and the only one that exceeds the 3,000 m mark. The peak consists of Radiolarite rocks preventing it from erosion....
. 39 groups are over 2000 metres high. Seven of the groups exceed 1000 metres and only one does not reach that mark: the Vienna Woods. Its highest mountain, the Schöpfl
Schöpfl
Schöpfl is the highest hill in the Wienerwald mountain range , the north-easternmost part of the Alps. Geologically, it belongs to the flysch Alps....
is just high.