Kreuzeck group

Kreuzeck group
Fourteen Lakes and Mt. Hochkreuz, 2,709 m (8,888 ft)
Highest point
Peak	Mölltaler Polinik
Elevation
Coordinates
Geography
Location within the Eastern Alps
Country	Austria
State	Carinthia
Parent range	Central Eastern Alps Western Tauern Alps Hohe Tauern

The Kreuzeck Group is a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps. It may be considered either a separate range or part of the larger High Tauern chain. Administratively, the range belongs to the Austrian states of Carinthia and, in the westernmost part, Tyrol (i.e. East Tyrol).

Geography

Kreuzeck summit

The Kreuzeck Group is geographically separated from the main chain of the High Tauern in the north by the Möll, a left tributary of the Drava, up to the confluence within the Lurnfeld basin in the east. In the south, the Drava forms the border with the Carnic and Gailtal Alps, part of the Southern Limestone Alps. The Iselsberg Pass near Lienz, connecting the Drava and Möll valleys, marks the western end.

The range is mainly composed of gneiss and garnet-mica-schists. The mountainous area (approximately 450 km²) is sparsely populated and used mainly for forestry and hunting. However, its tourism industry has improved in recent years. The area of the Reißeck municipality in the Möll valley is the site of the Reißeck-Kreuzeck hydroelectric power plant run by the Austrian Verbund company, whereby water is collected in several reservoirs in the Kreuzeck range.

Though named after Mt. Kreuzeck (2,701 m or 8,862 ft), the highest peaks of the range are the Mölltaler Polinik (2,784 m or 9,134 ft), Striedenkopf (2,749 m or 9,019 ft), and Hochkreuz (2,709 m or 8,888 ft).

Classification

According to the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps, the Kreuzeck group (AVE 43) together with the Rieserferner group, the Villgraten Mountains (Defereggen) and the Schober group forms the southern front range of the High Tauern ranges, a section of the Alpine divide.