Transverse valley

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The River Arc, near Aussois, which runs through one of the largest transverse valleys of the Western Alps Gorges sous Forts de l'Esseilon 01 by Line1.jpg
The River Arc, near Aussois, which runs through one of the largest transverse valleys of the Western Alps

A transverse valley is a valley which cuts at right angles across a ridge [1] or, in mountainous terrain a valley that generally runs at right angles to the line of the main mountain chain or crest. Its geomorphological counterpart is the longitudinal valley.

During the course of a long valley, both forms may alternate.

Geologically transverse valleys frequently form a water gap where, during the course of earth history, the erosion of a river or large stream cuts a path through a mountain or hill range that stands tectonically at right angles to it.

The Val de Travers in the Jura Mountains is a longitudinal valley, despite its name.

See also

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Longitudinal valley Low-lying area between two parallel mountain chains

A longitudinal valley is an elongated valley found between two almost-parallel mountain chains in geologically young fold mountains, such as the Alps, Carpathians, Andes, or the highlands of Central Asia. They are often occupied and shaped by a subsequent stream. The term is frequently used if a mountain range also has prominent transverse valleys, where rivers cut through the mountain chains in so-called water gaps.

References

  1. Whittow, John (1984). Dictionary of Physical Geography. London: Penguin, 1984, p. 548. ISBN   0-14-051094-X.