Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/667

Rh ALPS 629 Chief Passes in the Northern Noric Alps. Gerlos Pass (Jenbach to Mittersill), bridle-path 4,717 Pass Thurn (Kitzbiihel to Mittersill), carriage road 4,371 Salza Joch (Kelschau to Wald), footpath 6,533 Waidring Pass (St Johann to Lofer), carriage road 2,518 Hochfilzen Pass (St Johann to Saalfelden), bridle-path about 3,200 Schwarzbachwacht (Reichenhall to Ramsau), carriage road 2,907 Hirschiibel Pass (Berchtesgaden to Saalfelden), carriage road 3,896 Diesbach Scharte (Konigssee to Frolmwies), footpath 6,679 Weissbach Scharte (Konigssee to Saalfelden), footpath 7,462 Torrener Joch (Berchtesgaden to Golling), footpath 5,697 Urschlauerscharte (Werfen to Saalfelden), footpath 6,889 Filzen Sattel (Saalfelden to Lend), bridle-path 3,953 Wagram Sattel (St Johann ini Pongau to Radstadt), carriage road 2,933 Pass Gschiitt (Abtenau to Gosau), carriage road 3,247 Pyrhn Pass (Windischgarsten to Lietzen), carriage road 3,162 Prebichel Pass (Eisenerz to Leoben), carriage road 4,014 Eisenerzer Hohe (Eisenerz to Wildalpen), bridle-track 4,760 Kastenriegel Pass (Weichselboden to Wegscheid), bridle-path 3,556 Seeberg Pass (Mariazell to Aflenz), carriage road 4,099 Niederalpl (Mariazell to Miirzsteg), carriage road 3,994 Semmering Pass (Bruck-an-der-Mur to Wiener Neustadt), c. rd. 3,256 13. Central Tyrol Alps. To the eye of the geologist, taking a cursory view of the Eastern Alps, it may appear that the great central zone, extending from the upper valley of the Adige eastward to the neighbourhood of Gratz, forms but a single district of tolerably uniform structure. He will, however, remark that about the centre of the range the prevailing crystalline rocks gneiss and mica-schist give place to metamorphic schists, probably of palaeozoic age, that rise into several of the highest peaks of the entire mass. Those who are disposed to regard the above-named crystalline rocks as merely extreme forms of metamorphic sedimentary strata, may not attach much importance to this circumstance; but it is a still more significant fact that at a short distance east of the same extension of the metamorphic rocks we have proof of the former existence of a depression which seems to have cut completely through the central range. On the north side triassic rocks extend from the Enns to the upper valley of the Mur, and the presence of miocene deposits at several points in the latter valley, the Lieserthal and the Malta- thai, seems to show that at a much later period this portion of the chain underwent great relative depression as com pared with those on either side. Another and more obvious character that distinguishes the western from the eastern portion of the central zone, is the fact that in the latter the great range that extends like a vertebral column from the Weisskugel to the Hochalpenspitz forks into two branches of inferior height, that enclose between them the upper valley of the Mur. Ancient geographers divided the main mass of the Alps between the Bernardine Pass and the frontier of Hungary into two vast divisions, respec tively called the Rhaetian and Noric Alps, placing the boundary between these at or about the Dreiherrnspitz, at the head of the Ahrenthal, and their example has been followed by some modern geographers. Nothing in the form or structure of the chain justifies the adoption of that arbitrary boundary between two main divisions of the Alps. We have already assigned reasons for fixing the western boundaiy of the Rhaetian Alps at the upper valley of the Adige, and we propose to retain the designation Central Tyrol Alps for the portion of the main chain extending thence to the head of the Malta Thai in Carin- thia, nearly the whole of which lies within the limits of Tyrol. The exact boundaries of this division are, on the north, the course of the Inn from Landeck to the opening &amp;lt;rf the Zillerthal, the track thence over the Gerlos Pass to the head of the Pinzgau, and the valley of the Salza to the opening of the Gross Arl Thai; to the east, the way through the latter valley, over the Arlscharte, through the Malta Thai to Gmiind, and the road thence to Villach ; on the south, the continuous trough extending from near the latter town to Miihlwald, on the Reinz, through the Gail Thai, the Lessach Thai, the head of the Drauthal and the upper valley of the Rienz. From Miihlwald the tortuous course of the Eisack forms the boundary as far as Botzen, whence the high road running N.W. along the Adige and though the Finstermunz completes the western boundary. Although the region thus limited does not present many prominent peaks, it is remarkable for the great average height of the main chain which forms the watershed between the affluents of the Danube on one side, and those of the Adige and the Drave on the other. In a dis tance of 120 miles which would be much increased if measured along the sinuosities of the main chain there is but a single low pass, that of the Brenner, none other being below 8000 feet in height, or suited for the construction of a carriage road. The Brenner is the lowest pass in the entire range of the Alps, and has from a remote period afforded the easiest access from middle Europe to the plains of northern Italy, but is properly described as a pass rather than as a breach in the continuity of the chain. Chief Peaks of the Karls-spitz 10,253 Glockenthurm 10,998 Portles-spitz 10,066 Rems-spitz 10,511 Blickspitz 11,045 Weisknqel 12,277 Wildspitz 12,390 Anichspitz 11,654 Similaun 11,810 Rothbergspitz (The &quot;Ro then- spitz &quot; of Sonklar) 11,904 Texelspitz 10,890 Birkkogel 9,281 Grieskogel (highest peak) ...10,638 Ruderhofspitz 11,393 Schrankogl 11,474 Series-spitz, or Waldraster- spitz 8,S98 Schaufelspitz 10.924 Wilder Pfaff (Zuckerhiitl) ...11,512 Sonklarspitz 11,410 Habicht 10,746 Sarner Scharte 8,255 Rittnerhorn 8,064 Glungetzer 8,781 Gilfertsberg 8,201 Olperer Fuss-stein 11,451 Hochfeiler 11,535 Central Tyrol Alps. Loffelspitz 11,108 Reichenspitz 10,866 Wildgerlos-spitz 10,771 Eidechsberg, or Hegedex 8,975 Dreiherrnspitz 11 ,494 Rodtspitz 11,459 Gross Dili-reck 10,325 Gross Venediger 12,053 Hohe Furleg 11,114 Lasorling 10,171 Hochgall, or Rieser 11,284 Schneebige Nock, or Ruth- nerhorn 11,068 Tauemkogel 9,790 Kitzsteinhorn 10,482 Johannisberg 11,425 Gross Glockner 12,405 Hoch Schober 10,628 Petzeck 10,761 Vischbachhorn 11,738 Fuscherkahrkopf 10,957 Hochnarr 10,692 Ankogl 10,674 Hochalpenspitz 11,026 Sauleck 10,108 Kreuzkofel 8,979 Dobratch, or Villacher Alp 7,067 Chief Passes of the Central Tyrol Alps. Reschen Scheideck (Landeck to Meran), carriage road 4,596 Weisse See Joch (Glurns to Kaunser Thai), glacier 9,657 Langtauferer Joch (Mallag to Fend), glacier 10,335 Hoch Joch (Fend to Kurzras), glacier 9,515 Nieder Joch (Fend to Obervernagt), glacier 9,847 Gebatsch Joch (Fend to Kaunser Thai), glacier about 10,800 Timbler Joch (Oetzthal to Meran), bridle-path 8,298 Langthaler Joch (Gurgl to Pfelders Thai), glacier 9,939 Gruben Joch (Pfelders to Schnalser Thai), &quot;glacier 9,548 Gurgl Joch (Gurgl to Schnalser Thai), glacier 9,956 Pitzthaler Jochl (Pitzthal to Solden), glacier 9,806 Jaufen Pass (Meran to Sterzing), bridle-path 6,872 Penser Joch (Botzen to Sterzing), footpath 7,040 Gries Joch (Selrain to Lengenfeld),snow 8,652 Mutterberger Joch (Neustift to Lengenfeld), glacier 9,893 Bildstockl Pass (Neustift to Solden), glacier 10,294 Grub Joch (Pflersch to Oberbergthal), footpath 7,021 Brenner Pass (Innsbruck to Sterzing), carriage road 4,588 Pfitscher Joch (Sterzing to Mayrhofen), bridle-path 7,297 Tuxer Joch (Stattlach to Lanersbach), footpath 7,618 Lappacher Joch (Lappach to Ahrenthal), footpath 7,763 Horndl Joch (Mayrhofen to Steinhaus), snow 8,368 Heiligengeist Jo chl (Mayrhofen to Kasern), footpath 8,309 Krimmler Tauern (Krimml to Kasern), snow 9,071 Dorfer Sulzbach Thorl (Pregratten to Wald), glacier 9,438 Velber Tauern (Windisch Matrey to Mittersill), footpath 8,024 Voider Umbal Thorl (Pregratten to Kasern), glacier 9,723 Troyei Thorl (Pregratten to Defereggen),snow 4,845 Muiitz Thorl (Virgen to Defereggeu), snow 8,911 Klamml Joch (Defereggen to Taufers), footpath 7,606 Staller Sattel (Defereggen to Antholz), bridle-path 6,738 Gsiesser Joch (Defereggen to Gsiess), footpath 7,353 Kaiser Tauern (Kals to Uttendorf), snow 8,410 Kapiunei Thorl (Stubachthal to Kaprun), glacier 8,740 Riffelthoi (Kaprun to Heiligenblut), glacier 9,958 Pfandelscharte (Ferleiten to Heiligenblut), glacier 8,817 Fuscher Thorl (Ferleiten to Seidelwinkelthal), footpath 7,998 Hoch Thor (Bucheben to Heiligenblut), footpath 8,551 Berger Thorl (Kals to Heiligenblut), footpath 7,971