The Matterhorn, Alps, Switzerland

The Matterhorn is an iconic mountain peak in the Swiss Alps whose summit reaches a height of 4478 meters. The base and lower part of the mountain consist of successive layers of ophiolites and sedimentary rocks, whereas the rocks of the upper part consist of a series of gneisses.


Information source: Encyclopaedia Brittannica, Wikipedia

Image: The Matterhorn in the Alps, Switzerland. Credit: Zacharie Grossen, Wikimedia Commons.

The Alps, Southern Europe

The Alps are a great mountain range in Europe, ranging across France and Switzerland in the west, Germany in the north, Austria and Slovenia in the east and Italy in the South. They have been formed as a result of the collision between the Eurasian and African tectonic plates, which occurred in the late Mesozoic and Cenozoic. During the Alpine orogeny, marine sedimentary rocks of the Tethys Sea were thrusted and folded into high mountain peaks, among which are the Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.


Information source: Encyclopaedia Brittannica, Wikipedia

Image: Peaks of Aiguilles de Chamonix in the Alps, France. Credit: Simo Räsänen, Wikimedia Commons.