Carnic Alps

Carnic Alps
Friulian: Alps Cjargnelis
Volaia Lake in the Carnic Alps
Highest point
Peak	Coglians
Elevation
Coordinates
Geography
Countries	Austria and Italy
Lander, Regioni	Tyrol, Carinthia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto
Range coordinates
Parent range	Southern Limestone Alps
Geology
Orogeny	Alpine orogeny

The Carnic Alps (Italian: Alpi Carnichecode: it is deprecated ; German: Karnischen Alpen; Slovene: Karnijske Alpe) are a 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 of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.

Etymology

They are named after the Roman province of Carnia, which probably has a Celtic origin.

The mountains gave their name to the stage on the geologic time scale known as Carnian.

Geography

They extend from east to west for about 100 km (62 mi) 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 (Südlichen Karnischen Alpen) (AVE 57b), which also includes the Bellunese Prealps (Venetian Prealps).

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 / Hohe Warte (2,782 m)
• Kellerspitzen (2,774 m)
• Monte Peralba / Hochweißstein (2,694 m)
• Monte Cavallino / Große Kinigat (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)
• Gailtaler Polinik (2,332 m)
• Trogkofel (2,280 m)
• Monte Sernio (2,187 m)

Mountain passes

Wind turbine on the Austrian side of the Plöcken Pass

The chief passes 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)
• Oefnerjoch (Forni Avoltri to Sankt Lorenzen im Lesachtal), foot path (2,301 m)
• Wolayer Pass (same to Kötschach-Mauthen), foot path (1,922 m)

See also

• Carnic Prealps
• Limestone Alps

External links

• Carnic Alps on SummitPost
• Portal and interactive key to the flora of the S Carnic Alps