The Dent Blanche nappe or Dent Blanche klippe is a geologic

Geology

Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...

 nappe

Nappe

In geology, a nappe is a large sheetlike body of rock that has been moved more than or 5 km from its original position. Nappes form during continental plate collisions, when folds are sheared so much that they fold back over on themselves and break apart. The resulting structure is a...

 and klippe

Klippe

thumb|right|350px|Schematic overview of a thrust system. The shaded material is called a [[nappe]]. The erosional hole is called a [[window |window or fenster]]. The klippe is the isolated block of the nappe overlying autochthonous material....

 that crops out

Outcrop

An outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...

 in the Pennine Alps

Pennine Alps

The Pennine Alps are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland and Italy...

. The nappe is tectonostratigraphically

Tectonostratigraphy

In geology, tectonostratigraphy refers either to rock sequences in which large-scale layering is caused by the stacking of thrust sheets or nappes in areas of thrust tectonics or the effects of tectonics on lithostratigraphy.-Tectonically formed stratigraphy:...

 on top of the Penninic nappes

Penninic nappes

The Penninic nappes or the Penninicum are one of three nappe stacks and geological zones in which the Alps can be divided. In the western Alps the Penninic nappes are more obviously present than in the eastern Alps , where they crop out as a narrow band...

 and by most researchers seen as Austroalpine

Austroalpine nappes

The Austroalpine nappes are a geological nappe stack in the European Alps. The Alps contain three such stacks, of which the Austroalpine nappes are structurally on top of the other two...

.

The nappe is named after the mountain Dent Blanche

Dent Blanche

The Dent Blanche is a mountain in the Pennine Alps, lying in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. With its high summit, it is one of the highest peaks in the Alps.-Naming:...

, which is formed by rocks that are part of it. The most famous outcrop

Outcrop

An outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...

 of the nappe is the Matterhorn

Matterhorn

The Matterhorn , Monte Cervino or Mont Cervin , is a mountain in the Pennine Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. Its summit is 4,478 metres high, making it one of the highest peaks in the Alps. The four steep faces, rising above the surrounding glaciers, face the four compass points...

, which is made of a loose piece (klippe) of Dent Blanche material lying on top of Penninic ophiolites (Zermatt-Saas zone

Zermatt-Saas zone

The Zermatt-Saas zone is a tectonic unit in the western part of the Alps. Its lithology is mainly ophiolite but there are some pelitic zones too....

). Because of this it is sometimes said that the Matterhorn came from Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 (the Austroalpine nappes are originally pieces of the African tectonic plate.