The Massif reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Massif

In geology, a massif is a section of the Earth's crust that is demarcated by a faultss or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retains its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term is also used to refer to a group of mountains formed by a such structure. The massif is a smaller structural unit of the crust than a plate.

The word is taken from French, where it is used to refer to a large mountain mass or compact group of connected mountains forming an independent portion of a range. One of the most notable European examples of a massif is the Massif Central of the Auvergne region of France.

• Armorican Massif - Brittany, France
• Atlantis Massif - part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the North Atlantic Ocean.
• Chartreuse Massif - France
• Kugitangtau Ridge - Turkmenistan
• Massif Central - France
• Massif Montgris - Spain
• Vinson Massif - Antarctica

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