Western Tauern Alps

Western Tauern Alps
Western Tauern Alps
German: Westliche Tauernalpen; Italian: Alpi dei Tauri occidentali;
	The Grossglockner, the highest mountain of the range
Highest point
Peak	Grossglockner
Elevation	3,798 m (12,461 ft)
Coordinates	47°04′29″N 12°41′42″E / 47.07472°N 12.69500°E
Geography
	Western Tauern Alps (17) within Eastern Alps
Countries	Austria and Italy
States of Austria,; regions of Italy	Tyrol, Carinthia, Salzburg,; Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol
Parent range	Central Eastern Alps
Borders on	Eastern Rhaetian Alps, Southern Rhaetian Alps, Dolomites, Carnic and Gailtal Alps, Carinthian-Styrian Alps, Eastern Tauern Alps, Northern Salzburg Alps and Tyrol Schistose Alps
Geology
Orogeny	Alpine orogeny

The Western Tauern Alps (German: Westliche Tauernalpen, Italian: Alpi dei Tauri occidentali) are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps.

Geography

The range is bound by the Salzach river in the north; in the south the upper Drava and the Rienz in the Puster Valley form the border with the Southern Limestone Alps. In the west the Wipptal Valley up to the Brenner Pass and the course of the Eisack (Isarco) river separate it from the Eastern Rhaetian Alps. Administratively the Western Tauern Alps belong to the Austrian states of Tyrol, Salzburg and Carinthia and, in the southwest, to the Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.

SOIUSA classification

According to SOIUSA (International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps) the mountain range is an Alpine section, classified in the following way:^[1]

main part = Eastern Alps
major sector = Central Eastern Alps
section = Western Tauern Alps
code = II/A-17

Subdivision

The range is divided into four Alpine subsections:^[1]

Zillertal Alps (German: Zillertaler Alpen; Italian: Alpi Aurine) - SOIUSA code: II/A-17.I,
High Tauern (German: Hohe Tauern; Italian: Alti Tauri) - SOIUSA code: II/A-17.II,
Villgraten Mountains (German: Villgratner Berge or Deferegger Alpen; Italian: Alpi Pusteresi) - SOIUSA code: II/A-17.III,
Kreuzeck group (German: Kreuzeckgruppe; Italian: Gruppo del Kreuzeck) - SOIUSA code: II/A-17.IV.

Notable summits

The Dreiherrnspitze, on the Austrian-Italian border

Some notable summits of the rang are:

Name	elevatin (m)	Alpine subsection
Großglockner	3.798	High Tauern
Großvenediger	3.666	High Tauern
Hochfeiler	3.510	Zillertal Alps
Dreiherrnspitze	3.499	High Tauern
Rötspitze	3.495	High Tauern
Olperer	3.476	Zillertal Alps
Hochgall	3.436	High Tauern
Großer Löffler	3.376	Zillertal Alps
Wollbachspitze	3.210	Zillertal Alps
Kitzsteinhorn	3.203	High Tauern
Wilde Kreuzspitze	3.134	Zillertal Alps
Glockenkarkopf	2.911	Zillertal Alps

References

^ ^a ^b Marazzi, Sergio (2005). Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA (in Italian). Priuli & Verlucca. ISBN 978-88-8068-273-8.

[soiu-1] Marazzi, Sergio (2005). Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA (in Italian). Priuli & Verlucca. ISBN 978-88-8068-273-8.

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