The Mounts of Cantal (or Volcanoes of Cantal; french: Monts du Cantal ) are a mountainous massif in the mid-west of the

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,00 ...

, France, made up of the remnants of the largest

stratovolcano A stratovolcano, also known as a composite volcano, is a conical volcano built up by many layers (strata) of hardened lava and tephra. Unlike shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes are characterized by a steep profile with a summit crater and per ...

of Europe, which was formed from 13 million years ago and last erupted approximately 2 million years ago. However, the main part of the volcanic activity was concentrated between 8.5 and 7 million years ago. Thereafter, the original volcano was largely eroded, massive landslides occurred, and it was further eroded by glaciers and water.

Geomorphology

The

of Cantal is the widest in Europe. It is roughly circular with a diameter between . Its highest point is the Plomb du Cantal (), located in the eastern part of the massif. Around 20 valleys have been formed in the range, radiating out from the centre and cutting the basaltic plateau into triangular pieces called '' planèzes''. These valleys were occupied by

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

s during the last ice age, which explains their

U-shape Many shapes have metaphorical names, i.e., their names are metaphors: these shapes are named after a most common object that has it. For example, "U-shape" is a shape that resembles the letter U, a bell-shaped curve has the shape of the vertical ...

Topography

Main summits

The mounts of the Cantal are composed of several summits, the best known being: *

Puy Mary The Puy Mary is a summit in the mounts of Cantal in Massif Central in France. It is classified as a "Grand National Site" in France. Nearly 500,000 visitors come to this site every year. Geography and geology The mountain is an extinct volcano ...

(), which offers a beautiful panorama from its summit; * Plomb du Cantal (), accessible from the ski resort of Super Lioran and from the pass of Prat-de-Bouc; * Puy Griou (); * Puy Chavaroche (); * Puy de Peyre-Arse (), offering a magnificent panorama of the glacial valleys of Santoire and Impradine; * Puy de Seycheuse (), which offers a panorama of the glacial

cirque A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform ...

of Santoire and the valley of

Alagnon The Alagnon (''Alanhon'' in Occitan), also spelled ''Allagnon'', is an river in south-central France. It is a left tributary of the river Allier. Its source is near the village of Laveissière, near the Plomb du Cantal in the Massif Central. T ...

Economy

The major part of the economy is concentrated in the agriculture and in particular cattle farming. The local breed of cattle is the

Salers Salers (, ) is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France. It is famous for the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) cheeses Cantal and Salers. It is also famous for the Salers breed of cattle that originated in this commu ...

cattle, raised for its meat and for its milk (to make

Cantal cheese Cantal cheese is an uncooked firm cheese produced in the Auvergne region of central France: more particularly in the ''département'' of Cantal (named after the Cantal mountains) as well as in certain adjoining districts. Cantal cheese was gran ...

and

Salers cheese Salers (french: Le Salers) is a French semi-hard cheese originating from Salers, in the volcanic region of the Cantal mountains of the Massif Central, Auvergne, central France. It is a pressed, uncooked cheese, sometimes made from Salers cow's m ...

). Besides this, there is a winter sports industry in

le Lioran Le Lioran is a small mountain resort in the heart of continental France. It consists of the original settlement of Le Lioran in the valley bottom as well as the settlements of Prairie de Sagnes, Font d'Alagon, Font de Cère, and Prat du Bouc, all ...

, the largest ski resort of the Massif Central.

References

{{Authority control Stratovolcanoes of Metropolitan France Miocene stratovolcanoes Pliocene stratovolcanoes Pleistocene stratovolcanoes