Alpi Cusiane

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Alpi Cusiane
Prealpi Cusiane
Mottarone0001.jpg
Mottarone summit
Highest point
Peak Cima Altemberg
Elevation 2,395 m (7,858 ft)
Coordinates 45°56′10″N8°12′13″E / 45.93611°N 8.20361°E / 45.93611; 8.20361
Geography
Alps location map.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Alpi Cusiane
Country Italy
Region/Provinces Piedmont, Novara, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and Vercelli
Rivers Ticino, Sesia and Agogna
Settlement(s) Omegna, Stresa, Arona
Parent range Pennine Alps
Geology
Orogeny Alpine orogeny

The Alpi Cusiane (or Prealpi Cusiane [1] ) are a sub-range of the Pennine Alps located in Piemonte (Italy).

Contents

Etymology

Alpi Cusiane literally means Alps of Cusio; Cusio is the geographical and historical area surrounding Lake of Orta, nowadays part of the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.

Geography

Administratively the westernmost part of the range belongs to the province of Vercelli, the southern part to province of Novara and the eastern and central ones to province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.

Borders

Borders of the Alpi Cusiane are (clockwise):

SOIUSA classification

Tesslu pass Tesslu dal monte Capio.png
Tesslu pass

According to SOIUSA (International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps) the mountain range is an Alpine supergroup classified in the following way: [2]

Subdivision

The Alpi Cusiane are divided into two Alpine groups, none of them further subdivided in subgroups (in brackets is reported their SOIUSA code):

These two groups are connected by a low saddle not faraway from Gozzano.

Geology

From the geological point of view the Alpi Cusiane are considered part of the Prealpine zone, divided from the crystalline zone of the Alps by the Insubric line. This important geologic fault forms the border between the Adriatic Plate and the European Plate. Hills and mountains located south-east of the line, like the Alpi Cusiane, can be considered part of southern Apulian foreland. [3]

Notable summits

Massa del Turlo Massa del turlo da nord.jpg
Massa del Turlo
Namemetres
Cima Altemberg 2,395
Monte Capio 2,172
Massa del Turlo1,960
Mottarone 1,491

Winter sports

In the Alpi Cusiane is located the ski resort of Mottarone, with 21 km of downhill skiing slopes; it's connected with Stresa by a cableway. [4]

References

  1. ↑ AA.VV. (1913). Le Alpi (in Italian). Vol. 32. Club Alpino Italiano. p. 2010. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  2. ↑ Marazzi, Sergio (2005). Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA (in Italian). Priuli & Verlucca. p. 134. ISBN   978-88-8068-273-8.
  3. ↑ Falletti, Paolo; Chiara Girelli (2009). Itinerari geologici in Piemonte - La Valsesia. ARPA - Piemonte. ISBN   978-88-7479-120-0 . Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  4. ↑ Le piste del Mottarone, web page on www.mottaroneski.it (accessed on March 2012)

Maps

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