Dauphiné Alps

The Dauphiné Alps (French: Alpes du Dauphiné) are a group of mountain ranges in southeastern France, west of the main chain of the Alps. Mountain ranges within the Dauphiné Alps include the Massif des Écrins (in the Parc national des Écrins), Belledonne, the Taillefer range and the mountains of Matheysine.

Dauphiné Alps
La Meije seen from the Emparis plateau
Highest point
PeakBarre des Écrins
Elevation4,102 m (13,458 ft) [1]
Coordinates44°55′23″N 6°21′36″E 
Naming
Native nameAlpes du Dauphiné  (French)
Geography
Dauphiné Alps (section nr.5) within Western Alps
CountryFrance
RegionsRhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
RiversDrac, Durance, Isère and Arc
Parent rangeAlps
Borders onCottian Alps, Graian Alps, Savoy Prealps, Dauphiné Prealps and Provence Alps and Prealps
Geology
OrogenyAlpine orogeny

Etymology

The Dauphiné (pronounced [dofine]) is a former French province whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme, and Hautes-Alpes.

Geography

They are separated from the Cottian Alps in the east by the Col du Galibier and the upper Durance valley; from the western Graian Alps (Vanoise Massif) in the north-east by the river Arc; from the lower ranges Vercors Plateau and Chartreuse Mountains in the west by the rivers Drac and Isère. Many peaks rise to more than 10,000 feet (3,050 m), with Barre des Écrins (4,102 m) the highest.

Administratively the French part of the range belongs to the French departments of Isère, Hautes-Alpes and Savoie.

The whole range is drained by the Rhone through its tributaries.

It has been proposed that the height of mountains in the Dauphiné Alps is limited by the erosion caused by small glaciers, causing a topographic effect called the glacial buzzsaw.[2]

Peaks

The chief peaks of the Dauphiné Alps are:

Passes
Col de la Croix de Fer

The chief passes of the Dauphiné Alps are:

name location type elevation
m ft
Brèche de la Meije La Berarde to la Grave snow3,300 10,827
Brèche des Grandes Rousses Allemont to Clavans snow3,100 10,171
Brèche de Valsenestre Bourg d'Oisans to Valsenestre footpath2,634 8,642
Col Bayard La Mure to Gap road1,246 4,088
Col de la Casse Deserte La Berarde to La Grave snow3,510 11,516
Col de la Croix de Fer Bourg d'Oisans to Saint-Jean-d'Arves road2,062 6,765
Col de la Croix Haute Grenoble to Serres and Gap road, railroad1,167 3,829
Col de la Lauze Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans to La Grave snow3,543 11,624
Col de l'Alpe de Vénosc Vénosc to Les Deux Alpes bridle path1,660 5,446
Col de la Muande St Christophe to the Val Gaudemar snow3,059 10,036
Col de la Muzelle St Christophe to Valsenestre footpath2,500 8,202
Col d'Arsine La Grave to Le Monêtier-les-Bains bridle path2,400 7,874
Col de la Temple La Berarde to Vallouise snow3,283 10,771
Col de la Vaurze Val Gaudemar to Valjouffrey footpath2,600 8,530
Col de l'Eychauda Vallouise to Le Monêtier-les-Bains bridle path2,429 7,969
Col de l'Infernet La Grave to Saint-Jean-d'Arves footpath2,690 8,825
Col de Martignare La Grave to Saint-Jean-d'Arves footpath2,600 8,530
Col des Aiguilles d'Arves Valloire to Saint-Jean-d'Arves snow3,150 10,335
Col des Avalanches La Berarde to Vallouise snow3,511 11,519
Col des Ecrins La Berarde to Vallouise snow3,415 11,204
Col des Prés Nouveaux Le Freney to Saint-Jean-d'Arves bridle path2,293 7,523
Col des Quirlies Saint-Jean-d'Arves to Clavans snow2,950 9,678
Col des Sept Laux Allevard to Bourg d'Oisans bridle path2,184 7,165
Col des Tourettes Orcières to Châteauroux-les-Alpes bridle path2,580 8,465
Col de Val Estrete Val Gaudemar to Champoléon footpath2,620 8,596
Col de Vallonpierre Val Gaudemar to Champoléon footpath2,620 8,596
Col d'Orcières Dormillouse to Orcières bridle path2,700 8,858
Col d'Ornon Bourg d'Oisans to La Mure road1,360 4,462
Col du Clot des Cavales La Berarde to La Grave snow3,128 10,262
Col du Galibier Col du Lautaret to Saint-Michel-de-Maurienne road2,658 8,720
Col du Glacier Blanc La Grave to Vallouise snow3,308 10,853
Col du Glandon Bourg d'Oisans to La Chambre road1,951 6,401
Col du Goleon La Grave to Valloire footpath2,880 9,449
Col du Lautaret Briançon to Bourg d'Oisans road2,075 6,808
Col du Loup du Valgaudemar Vallouise to the Val Gaudemar snow3,112 10,210
Col du Says La Berarde to the Val Gaudemar snow3,136 10,289
Col du Sele La Berarde to Vallouise snow3,302 10,833
Col du Sellar Vallouise to the Val Gaudemar snow3,067 10,062
Col Emile Pic La Grave to Vallouise snow3,502 11,490
Col Lombard La Grave to Saint-Jean-d'Arves snow3,100 10,171
Pas de la Cavale Vallouise to Champoléon dirt road2,740 8,990

References
  1. Highest summit elevation as reported on Géoportail of Institut Géographique National
  2. Evans, I.S. (2013). "Glacial landsforms, erosional features". In Elias, Scott A.; Mock, Cary J. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science (2nd ed.). Elsevier. p. 861. ISBN 978-0-444-53643-3.

Maps
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