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Gotthard Nappe
The Gotthard nappe (german: Gotthard-Decke, in older literature called the Gotthard Massif) is, in the geology of the Alps a nappe in the Helvetic zone of Switzerland. It consists of crystalline rocks that were, before the formation of the Alps, part of the upper crust of the southern margin of the European continent (the northern margin of the Alpine Tethys Ocean). As it names suggests, the Gotthard nappe lies in close proximity to the Gotthard Massif. Position and outcrops The Gotthard nappe is found south of its larger neighbour, the Aarmassif. The two crystalline zones are separated by a thin zone of metamorphosed and strongly deformed sedimentary cover rocks of the Tethys sea. In the south, the Simano and Adula nappes lie on top of the Gotthard nappe. The Gotthard nappe crops out in an elongated strip through the Central Alps. This outcrop begins west of the mountain ridge between the Binntal and the Goms (the valley of the Rhone) east of Brig. It stays south of the Goms ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geology Of The Alps
The Alps form part of a Cenozoic orogenic belt of mountain chains, called the Alpide belt, that stretches through southern Europe and Asia from the Atlantic all the way to the Himalayas. This belt of mountain chains was formed during the Alpine orogeny. A gap in these mountain chains in central Europe separates the Alps from the Carpathians to the east. Orogeny took place continuously and tectonic subsidence has produced the gaps in between. The Alps arose as a result of the collision of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, in which the Alpine Tethys, which was formerly in between these continents, disappeared. Enormous stress was exerted on sediments of the Alpine Tethys basin and its Mesozoic and early Cenozoic strata were pushed against the stable Eurasian landmass by the northward-moving African landmass. Most of this occurred during the Oligocene and Miocene epochs. The pressure formed great recumbent folds, or ''nappes'', that rose out of what had been the Alp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goms District
Goms (french: District de Conches) is a district of the canton of Valais in Switzerland. It covers a larger area than its geographical counterpart, the geographical region of Goms, namely the upper most part of the Rhône valley between its source and Brig. It has a population of (as of ). Municipalities It comprises the following municipalities: Coat of arms The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is ''Per fess Gules and Argent, two Crosses pattee counterchanged.'' Demographics Goms has a population () of . Most of the population () speaks German (4,401 or 92.8%) as their first language, Serbo-Croatian is the second most common (179 or 3.8%) and Albanian is the third (41 or 0.9%). There are 29 people who speak French, 12 people who speak Italian. , the gender distribution of the population was 51.0% male and 49.0% female. The population was made up of 2,113 Swiss men (44.8% of the population) and 292 (6.2%) non-Swiss men. There were 2,036 Swiss women (43.2%) and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lithology
The lithology of a rock unit is a description of its physical characteristics visible at outcrop, in hand or core samples, or with low magnification microscopy. Physical characteristics include colour, texture, grain size, and composition. Lithology may refer to either a detailed description of these characteristics, or a summary of the gross physical character of a rock. Examples of lithologies in the second sense include sandstone, slate, basalt, or limestone. Lithology is the basis of subdividing rock sequences into individual lithostratigraphic units for the purposes of mapping and correlation between areas. In certain applications, such as site investigations, lithology is described using a standard terminology such as in the European geotechnical standard Eurocode 7. Rock type The naming of a lithology is based on the rock type. The three major rock types are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Igneous rocks are formed directly from magma, which is a mixture of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mica Schist
Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes or plates. This texture reflects a high content of platy minerals, such as micas, talc, chlorite, or graphite. These are often interleaved with more granular minerals, such as feldspar or quartz. Schist typically forms during regional metamorphism accompanying the process of mountain building (orogeny) and usually reflects a medium grade of metamorphism. Schist can form from many different kinds of rocks, including sedimentary rocks such as mudstones and igneous rocks such as tuffs. Schist metamorphosed from mudstone is particularly common and is often very rich in mica (a ''mica schist''). Where the type of the original rock (the protolith) is discernible, the schist is usually given a name reflecting its protolith, such as ''schistose met ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Orthogneiss
Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures and pressures than schist. Gneiss nearly always shows a banded texture characterized by alternating darker and lighter colored bands and without a distinct cleavage. Gneisses are common in the ancient crust of continental shields. Some of the oldest rocks on Earth are gneisses, such as the Acasta Gneiss. Description Orthogneiss from the Czech Republic In traditional English and North American usage, a gneiss is a coarse-grained metamorphic rock showing compositional banding (gneissic banding) but poorly developed schistosity and indistinct cleavage. In other words, it is a metamorphic rock composed of mineral grains easily seen with the unaided eye, which form obvious compositional layers, but which has only a weak tendency to fracture ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vorderrhein
The Vorderrhein (German; English: ''Anterior Rhine''; Sursilvan: ; Sutsilvan: ''Ragn Anteriur''; Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader, and Puter: ''Rain Anteriur''; Surmiran: ''Ragn anteriour'') is one of the two sources of the Rhine. Its catchment area of is located predominantly in the canton of Graubünden (Switzerland). The Vorderrhein is about long, thus more than 5% longer than the Hinterrhein/Rein Posteriur (each measured to the farthest source). The Vorderrhein, however, has an average water flow of , which is less than the flow of the Hinterrhein. According to the Atlas of Switzerland of the Swiss Federal Office of Topography, the source of the Vorderrhein—and thus of the Rhine—is located north of the Rein da Tuma and Lake Toma. ''Vorderrhein'' was also the name of a judicial district that was created in 1851 with the reorganization of the judiciary of Graubünden. In 2001, it was annexed by the District Surselva. The largest communities along the Vorderrhein are Disenti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Surselva
Surselva Region is one of the eleven administrative districts in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. It was created on 1 January 2017 as part of a reorganization of the canton.Swiss Federal Statistical Office – Amtliches Gemeindeverzeichnis der Schweiz – Mutationsmeldungen 2016 accessed 16 February 2017 Surselva Region has an area of , with a population of as of .. It corresponds exactly to its predecessor, , but the former subdistricts (''Kreise'') of Disentis, Ilanz, Lumnezia/Lugnez, Ruis and Safien have been abandoned. ''Surselva'' ("above the fores ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Disentis
Disentis (German) or Mustér (, Romansh), with its official name Disentis/Mustér is a village and a municipality in the Surselva Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The skiing and summer tourism resort high up in the Rhine valley is the site of one of the oldest Benedictine monasteries in Switzerland. The monastery dates back to 720, its huge actual complex dates from 1696 to 1712. History Disentis is first mentioned in 765 as ''Desertina''. In 1127 it was mentioned as ''monasterium Dissertinensis''. The name Disentis is supposed to come from Latin Desertina, used for the deserted valley in late antique times, while the Romansh name Mustér refers to the monastery. Disentis Abbey, founded in ca. 720, was already in early medieval times the cultural and political center of the later Grisons. Situated on the road to the Lukmanier pass used by the German emperors on their way to Italy, Disentis became a place of international importance in the high Middle Ages and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oberalp Pass
Oberalp Pass ( rm, Alpsu or ''Cuolm d'Ursera''; german: Oberalppass) (2044 meters above sea level) is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting the cantons of Graubünden and Uri between Disentis/Mustér and Andermatt. Winter closure The public road that crosses the pass is closed in winter, but the Furka-Oberalp railway line, now part of the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, runs year round and provides a limited shuttle for cars in winter (reservation required). When the road closes depends on snowfall and varies between the end of October and the beginning of December. The road opens again in spring, usually by the end of April but sometimes not until mid May. In winter, a ski area extends to the Graubünden side, connecting the pass well into the Tujetsch territory to Dieni, near Rueras. Source of the Rhine river The Rhine springs from a source nearby (Tomasee), which can be accessed by hiking two hours from Oberalp Pass. A multiday trekking route is signposted across Obera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Valle Leventina
The Leventina District is one of the eight districts of the largely Italian language, Italian-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Ticino in Switzerland. The capital of the district is Faido but the largest town is Airolo on the southern flank of the Gotthard Pass. Situated to the north of the canton, its territory covers the area of the Ticino River as far south as Biasca, in particular the Bedretto Valley and the Leventina Valley. Leventina is divided into four sub-districts, termed 'Circle (administrative division), circles' ( it, circoli), and a total area of with a population of (as of ). Its capital is the municipality ( it, comune) of Faido. The valley became part of Switzerland on 5 March 1480, following the treaty of Lucerne with the Duchy of Milan. Geography The Leventina District has an area, , of . Of this area, or 4.2% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 36.5% is forested. Of the rest of the land, or 2.8% is settled (buildings or roads), or 1. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Airolo
Airolo (''Airöö'' in Lombard, in rm, italic=yes, ) is a municipality in the district of Leventina in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Geography Airolo is located in Leventina valley and the Lepontine Alps, on the southern flank of the St. Gotthard Pass. Both the Gotthard rail tunnel, on the important Gotthard railway linking northern and southern Europe, and the Gotthard road tunnel, on the A2 motorway, have their southern portal in Airolo. It is the largest municipality in the canton of Ticino, and consists of the village of Airolo and the hamlets of Valle, Madrano, Brugnasco, Nante and Fontana. The municipalities of Airolo and Quinto are considering a merger some time in the future into a new municipality which will be known as Airolo-Quinto.Amtliches Ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Andermatt
Andermatt ( rm, ) is a mountain village and municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the canton of Uri in Switzerland. At an elevation of above sea level, Andermatt is located at the center of the Saint-Gotthard Massif and the historical center cross of north-south and east-west traverses of Switzerland. It is some south of Altdorf, Uri, Altdorf, the capital of Uri. Geography Andermatt is in the Urseren valley, on the headwaters of the river Reuss (river), Reuss and surrounded by the Adula Alps. Immediately to the north of Andermatt, the Reuss flows through the steeply descending Schöllenen Gorge (or ''the Schöllenen'') to Göschenen and further down the Reuss Valley to the north. It then flows, near Altdorf, Uri, Altdorf, into the Urnersee, part of Lake Lucerne. In the other three directions, the valley is linked by three Alpine passes: the Oberalp Pass (6,706 ft; 2,044 m.) to the east, the St Gotthard Pass (6,909 ft; 2,106 m.) to the south and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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