Lower Tauern
Hochgolling
Highest point
PeakHochgolling
Elevation2,863 m (9,393 ft)
Coordinates47°16′0″N 13°45′42″E / 47.26667°N 13.76167°E / 47.26667; 13.76167
Naming
Native nameNiedere Tauern (German)
Geography
Location within the Eastern Alps
CountryAustria
StatesSalzburg and Styria
Range coordinates47°18′N 14°0′E / 47.300°N 14.000°E / 47.300; 14.000
Parent rangeCentral Eastern Alps
Borders onWestern Tauern Alps, Northern Salzburg Alps, Salzkammergut and Upper Austria Alps, Northern Styrian Alps, Styrian Prealps and Carinthian-Styrian Alps
Geology
OrogenyAlpine orogeny

The Lower Tauern[1][2][3] or Niedere Tauern (Slovene: Nizke Ture) are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps, in the Austrian states of Salzburg and Styria.

For the etymology of the name, see Tauern.

Geography

The range forms a part of the main chain of the Alps. The highest peak of the Lower Tauern is the Hochgolling, part of the Schladming Tauern, at 2,863 m (9,393 ft).

Important mountain pass roads include Radstädter Tauern Pass (1,738 m (5,702 ft)), Sölk Pass (1,788 m (5,866 ft)), and Triebener Tauern Pass (1,274 m (4,180 ft)). The range is also crossed by the Tauern Autobahn (A10) through the Tauern Road Tunnel.

Borders

In the west and south the Murtörl mountain pass and the River Mur separate them from the Hohe Tauern mountain range, while in the east and north the River Enns and the Schober Pass marks the border to the Northern Limestone Alps.

Alpine Club classification

According to the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps, the Lower Tauern may be divided into four subgroups (from west to east):

The four groups listed above (the Radstadt Tauern, Schladming Tauern, Rottenmann and Wölz Tauern and Seckau Alps) are considered Alpine subsections.

Notable summits

Weißeck (2,711 m) from Zederhaus

Some notable summits of the range are:

Nameelevation (m)subsection
Hochgolling2,862Schladming Tauern
Weißeck2,711Radstadt Tauern
Mosermandl2,680Radstadt Tauern
Hochfeind2,687Radstadt Tauern
Großes Gurpitscheck2,526Schladming Tauern
Hundstein2,614Schladming Tauern
Hochwildstelle2,747Schladming Tauern
Roteck2,742Schladming Tauern
Großer Knallstein2,599Schladming Tauern
Rettlkirchspitze2,475Rottenmann and Wölz Tauern
Großer Bösenstein2,425Rottenmann and Wölz Tauern
Geierhaupt2,417Seckau Tauern
Hochreichhart2,416Seckau Tauern
Seckauer Zinken2,389Seckau Tauern
Maierangerkogel2,356Seckau Tauern

Geology and environment

The Lower Tauern mark the approximate eastern limit of the continuous ice sheet in the Alps during the Würm glaciation. Eastern parts of the group were therefore unglaciated, and served as an important refugium for silicicolous plants.

Winter sports

A number of skiing resorts are situated in the Lower Tauern, including Obertauern and Schladming.

References

  1. ↑ Bourne, Grant and Körner-Bourne, Sabine (2007). Walking in the Bavarian Alps, 2nd ed., Cicerone, Milnthorpe, p. 303. ISBN 978-1-85284-497-4.
  2. ↑ Jeep, John M. Medieval Germany: An Encyclopedia, New York and London: Garland, 2001, p. 716.
  3. ↑ The New Encyclopædia Britannica, Vol. 1, 2003, p. 86.
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