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
Volcanism, vulcanism or volcanicity is the phenomenon of eruption of molten rock (magma) onto the surface of the Earth or a solid-surface planet or moon, where lava, pyroclastics, and volcanic gases erupt through a break in the surface called a ...
that has subsided in the last 10,000 years, these central mountains are separated from the
Alps by a deep north–south cleft created by the
Rhône river and known in
French as the ' (literally "Rhône furrow"). The region was a barrier to transport within France until the opening of the
A75 motorway, which not only made north–south travel easier, but also opened access to the massif itself.
Geography and geology
The is an old
massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
, formed during the
Variscan orogeny
The Variscan or Hercynian orogeny was a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica (Laurussia) and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea.
Nomenclature
The name ''Variscan'', comes f ...
, consisting mostly of
granitic
A granitoid is a generic term for a diverse category of coarse-grained igneous rocks that consist predominantly of quartz, plagioclase, and alkali feldspar. Granitoids range from plagioclase-rich tonalites to alkali-rich syenites and from quartz- ...
and
metamorphic rocks
Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, caus ...
. It was powerfully raised and made to look geologically younger in the eastern section by the uplift of the
Alps during the
Paleogene period and in the southern section by the uplift of the
Pyrenees. The massif thus presents a strongly asymmetrical elevation profile with highlands in the south and in the east (
Cévennes
The Cévennes ( , ; oc, Cevenas) is a cultural region and range of mountains in south-central France, on the south-east edge of the Massif Central. It covers parts of the ''départements'' of Ardèche, Gard, Hérault and Lozère. Rich in geogra ...
) dominating the valley of the Rhône and the plains of
Languedoc and, by contrast, the less elevated region of in the northwest.
These tectonic movements created faults and may be at the origin of the volcanism in the massif (but the hypothesis is not proved yet). In fact, above the crystalline foundation, one can observe many volcanoes of many different types and ages: volcanic plateaus (
Aubrac,
Cézallier), stratovolcanoes (
Mounts of Cantal, ), and small, very recent monogenic volcanoes (, ). The entire region contains a large concentration of around 450 extinct volcanoes. The (near
Clermont-Ferrand), a range running north to south and less than long, contains 115 of them (monogenic volcanoes only). The
Auvergne Volcanoes regional natural park is in the massif. The amusement park of
Vulcania near Clermont-Ferrand allows visitors to discover this natural heritage and introduces them to volcanology.
In the south, one remarkable region, made up of features called ' in French, consists of raised
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
plateaus cut by very deep canyons. The most famous of these is the
Gorges du Tarn (canyon of the Tarn).
Mountains
Mountain ranges, with notable individual mountains, are (roughly north to south):
*
**
Puy de Dôme ()
**
Puy de Pariou ()
**
Puy de Lassolas ()
**
Puy de la Vache ()
*
**
Puy de Sancy ()
*
Monts du Lyonnais The ''Monts du Lyonnais'' are a range of low-altitude mountains and eastern foothills of the Massif Central located in the Loire and Rhône departments in France.
Geography
The monts du Lyonnais' highest summit is the ''crêt Malherbe'' (946 m).
...
*
Pilat massif
Mont Pilat or the Pilat massif is a mountainous area in the east of the Massif Central of France.
Name
The origin of the name "Pilat" is uncertain.
The word may have a Latin origin (''Mons Pileatus'').
Another legend says that the body of Pontiu ...
**
Crêt de la Perdrix ()
*
Mounts of Cantal
**
Plomb du Cantal ()
**
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 ...
()
*
Forez
Forez is a former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire ''département'' and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme ''départements''.
The final "z" in Forez () is not pronounced in the Loire ...
**
Pierre-sur-Haute ()
*
**
Signal de Mailhebiau ()
*
Margeride
**
Signal de Randon ()
* ()
** ()
**
Mont Gerbier de Jonc ()
*
Cévennes
The Cévennes ( , ; oc, Cevenas) is a cultural region and range of mountains in south-central France, on the south-east edge of the Massif Central. It covers parts of the ''départements'' of Ardèche, Gard, Hérault and Lozère. Rich in geogra ...
**
Mont Lozère (), the highest non-volcanic summit
** (), near Le Vigan, Florac
*
Monts de Lacaune
A mouflon in the park.
Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park (french: Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc) is a regional natural park in the south of the Massif Central within the Aveyron, Hérault, and Tarn departments of France. These ar ...
**
Montgrand ()
* Monts de l'
Espinouse
** Sommet de l'Espinouse ()
*
Montagne Noire
**
Pic de Nore ()
File:Chaine des Puys France 2013.jpg, Chaine des Puys in Auvergne
File:Puy de Sancy1.jpg, Puy de Sancy ()
File:273 Corniche des Cévennes Panorama Col des Faisses.JPG, The Cévennes range
File:Saint Chely Tarn.jpg, Gorges du Tarn canyon
Plateaus
*
*
* Plateau de Lévézou
* Causse du Comtal
* Causse de Sauveterre
* Causse de Sévérac
*
Causse Méjean
* Causse Noir
*
Causse de Blandas
Administration
The following
departments are generally considered as part of the :
Allier, , , , , , , , , , , ,
Loire, , , , , , , and ; these form parts of the
regions
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
of , , and
Occitania.
The largest cities in the region are
Clermont-Ferrand,
Limoges, and .
Economy
In the , the industry remains little developed except locally (metallurgy in , tire industry in
Clermont-Ferrand, headquarters of
Michelin, world leader in the sector, aeronautics industry in , etc.). The other industries present are linked to agriculture (
Groupe Limagrain, the world's third-largest seed producer, cheese-producing industries that export to the world, such as
Cantal
Cantal (; oc, Cantal or ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, with its prefecture in Aurillac. Its other principal towns are Saint-Flour (the episcopal see) and Mauriac; its residents are known as Cantalians (fren ...
and
Roquefort
Roquefort is a sheep milk cheese from Southern France, and is one of the world's best known blue cheeses. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur ...
).
On the agricultural level, the plain is dominated by major cereal crops, but in the mountains, it is mainly livestock farming that predominates: cattle farming in the west for meat and milk (Cantal cheese), sheep farming in the south on the limestone plateaus (Roquefort cheese).
Finally, tourism is booming, taking advantage of the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
heritage classification of the volcanoes of the and the
Causses and Cévennes region.
The entire economy of the has benefited from the opening of roads, in particular the construction of the A75 motorway (on which is located the famous
Millau Viaduct
The Millau Viaduct (french: Viaduc de Millau, ) is a multispan cable-stayed bridge completed in 2004 across the gorge valley of the Tarn near (west of) Millau in the Aveyron department in the Occitanie Region, in Southern France. The design t ...
).
See also
*
Geography of France
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Highlands
Landforms of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Landforms of Occitania (administrative region)
Mountain passes of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Mountain ranges of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Mountain ranges of Occitania (administrative region)
Physiographic provinces
Volcanoes of Metropolitan France