Geographical definition

For the geographers, the préalpes are a whole of mountainous solid masses of average altitude training the Western part of the the Alps. In geology, these solid masses are named " solid masses subalpins". In the Alps of north, the various solid masses of the préalpes are easily identifiable by clear geographical separations, for example the cluse of Grenoble between Vercors and Chartreuse, or that of Chambéry between Bauges and Chartreuse. In the southern Alps known, they generally disordered and are deprived of deep valleys.

Préalpes Frenchwomen are composed of the following solid masses (of north in the south):

• Chablais

• Terminals - Aravis
• Wallows
• Chartreuse (2082 m)
• Vercors, sometimes called the French Dolomites
• Dévoluy - Bochaine, culminating point of the French préalpes (2789 m)
• Diois - Baronnies
• Mounts of Vaucluse - Luberon
• Préalpes de Digne
• Préalpes de Castellane
• Préalpes of Nice

as well as part of the following solid masses:

• Mercantour
• Three bishoprices
• Pelat

There exist several mythical tops in the préalpes:

• the Mont Ventoux, called the Giant of Provence
• the Mont Switches, vestige of the calcareous plate of Vercors which extended then until there

Geological definition

For the geologists, the préalpes correspond to the sedimentary layers which were raised, deformed and moved by the orogenesis of the Alps themselves. They offer a karstic relief of the type. They are mountainous solid masses immigrant external part of the alpine arc. Erosion their fact of losing the altitude of one centimetre per annum on average.

External bonds

• Seen general organization of the French Alps

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