Eastern Alps - Geography

Geography

The Eastern Alps include the eastern parts of Switzerland (i.e. Graubünden), whole Liechtenstein and most of Austria from Vorarlberg to the east, as well as parts of extreme Southern Germany (Upper Bavaria), northeastern Italy (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia) as well as a good portion of northern Slovenia (Upper Carniola and Lower Styria). While in the south the range is bound by the Italian Padan Plain, in the north the valley of the Danube river separates it from the Bohemian Massif. The easternmost spur is formed by the Vienna Woods range, with the Leopoldsberg overlooking the Danube River and the Vienna basin, which is the transition zone to the arch of the Carpathian Mountains.

The highest mountain in the Eastern Alps is Swiss Mt. Piz Bernina at 4,049 m (13,284 ft) in the Bernina Group of the Western Rhaetian Alps. The sole four-thousander of the range takes its name from the Bernina Pass and was given in 1850 by Johann Coaz, who also made the first ascent. The rocks composing Piz Bernina are diorites and gabbros, while the massif in general is composed of granites (Piz Corvatsch, Piz Palü). Excepting other peaks in the Bernina range, the next highest is the Ortler at 3,905 m (12,812 ft) in Italian South Tyrol and third the Großglockner at 3,798 m (12,461 ft), the highest mountain of Austria. The region around the Großglockner and the adjacent Pasterze Glacier has formed as special protection area within the High Tauern National Park since 1986.

Mt. Sulzfluh is a mountain, well frequented by climers, in the Rätikon range of the Alps, located on the border between Austria and Switzerland. The eastern side has a mountain path, of grade T4, allowing non-climbers to reach the 2817 metre summit. There are a total of six known caves into the limestone mountain, with lengths between 800 to 3000 or more yards, with all entrances on the Eastern side, in Switzerland.

Mt. Grauspitz (Vorder Grauspitze or Vorder Grauspitz on some maps) is the highest summit of the Rätikon of the Alps, located on the border between Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

The Rätikon mountain range, in the Central Eastern Alps, derives its name from Raetia.

Only about 30% of Graubünden is commonly regarded as productive land of which forests cover about a fifth of the total area. The canton is entirely mountainous, comprising the highlands of the Rhine and Inn river valleys. In its southeastern part lies the only official Swiss National Park. In its northern part the mountains were formed as part of the thrust fault that was declared a geologic UNESCO World Heritage Site, under the name Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona, in 2008. Another Biosphere Reserve is the Biosfera Val Müstair adjacent to the Swiss National Park whereas Ela Nature Park is one of the regionally supported parks.