The Carnic Alps (; ; ; ) are a Mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps in Austria and northeastern Italy. They are within Austrian East Tyrol and Carinthia, and Italian Friuli (Province of Udine) and marginally in Veneto.
Etymology
They are named after the
Ancient Rome province of
Carnia, which probably has a
origin.
The mountains gave their name to the stage on the geologic time scale known as Carnian, an age in the Triassic Period.
Geography
They extend from east to west for about between the
Gail River, a tributary of the
Drava and the
Tagliamento, forming the border between
Austria and
Italy.
Alpine Club classification
The Carnic Alps are divided into two distinct areas:
-
Carnic Main Crest ( Karnischer Hauptkamm) (AVE 57a)
-
Carnic Prealps ( Karnische Voralpen), i.e. the Friaul Dolomites and their foothills, the former are, from the Mauria Pass southwards, counted as part of the group known as the Southern Carnic Alps ( Südliche Karnische Alpen) (AVE 57b), which also includes the Bellunese Prealps (Venetian Prealps).
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In the Carnic Alps is the southernmost glacier in Austria, the Eiskar, nestling in the Kellerwand massif.
Notable peaks
Among the most important mountains of the range are:
-
Coglians (2,782 m)
-
Kellerspitzen (2,774 m)
-
Peralba (2,694 m)
-
Monte Cavallino (2,689 m)
-
Rosskopf (2,603 m)
-
Monte Terza Grande (2,586 m)
-
Monte Bìvera (2,474 m)
-
Creta Forata (2,462 m)
-
Helm (2,434 m)
-
Cresta di Enghe (2,414 m)
-
Monte Ferro (2,348 m)
-
Gailtaler Polinik (2,332 m)
-
Trogkofel (2,280 m)
-
Monte Sernio (2,187 m)
Mountain passes
The chief
mountain pass of the Carnic Alps are:
-
Plöcken Pass (Tolmezzo to Kötschach-Mauthen), road (1,360 m)
-
Naßfeld Pass (Pontebba to Hermagor-Pressegger See), road (1,552 m)
-
Öfnerjoch (Forni Avoltri to Sankt Lorenzen im Lesachtal), footpath (2,301 m)
-
Wolayer Pass (same to Kötschach-Mauthen), footpath (1,922 m)
See also
External links
