Alpi Cusiane

The Alpi Cusiane (or Prealpi Cusiane[1]) are a sub-range of the Pennine Alps located in Piemonte (Italy).

Alpi Cusiane
Prealpi Cusiane
Mottarone summit
Highest point
PeakCima Altemberg
Elevation2,395 m (7,858 ft)
Coordinates45°56′10″N 8°12′13″E 
Geography
Alpi Cusiane
CountryItaly
Region/ProvincesPiedmont, Novara, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and Vercelli
RiversTicino, Sesia and Agogna
SettlementOmegna, Stresa, Arona
Parent rangePennine Alps
Geology
OrogenyAlpine orogeny

Etymology

Alpi Cusiane literally means Alps of Cusio; Cusio is the geographical and historical area surrounding Lake of Orta, nowadays part of the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.

Geography

Administratively the westernmost part of the range belongs to the province of Vercelli, the southern part to province of Novara and the eastern and central ones to province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola.

Borders

Borders of the Alpi Cusiane are (clockwise):

SOIUSA classification
Tesslu pass

According to SOIUSA (International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps) the mountain range is an Alpine supergroup classified in the following way:[2]

  • main part = Western Alps
  • major sector = North-Western Alps
  • section = Pennine Alps
  • subsection = Southern Valsesia Alps
  • supergroup =Alpi Cusiane
  • code = I/B-9.IV-B

Subdivision

The Alpi Cusiane are divided into two Alpine groups, none of them further subdivided in subgroups (in brackets is reported their SOIUSA code):

  • costiera Capio-Massa del Turlo ( I/B-9.IV-B.1)
  • massiccio del Mottarone ( I/B-9.IV-B.2)

These two groups are connected by a low saddle not faraway from Gozzano.

Geology

From the geological point of view the Alpi Cusiane are considered part of the Prealpine zone, divided from the crystalline zone of the Alps by the Insubric line. This important geologic fault forms the border between the Adriatic plate and the European plate. Hills and mountains located south-east of the line, like the Alpi Cusiane, can be considered part of southern Apulian foreland.[3]

Notable summits
Massa del Turlo
Namemetres
Cima Altemberg2,395
Monte Capio2,172
Massa del Turlo1,960
Mottarone1,491

Winter sports

In the Alpi Cusiane is located the ski resort of Mottarone, with 21 km of downhill skiing slopes; it's connected with Stresa by a cableway.[4]

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References
  1. AA.VV. (1913). Le Alpi (in Italian). 32. Club Alpino Italiano. p. 2010. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  2. Marazzi, Sergio (2005). Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA (in Italian). Priuli & Verlucca. p. 134. ISBN 978-88-8068-273-8.
  3. Falletti, Paolo; Chiara Girelli (2009). Itinerari geologici in Piemonte - La Valsesia. ARPA - Piemonte. ISBN 978-88-7479-120-0. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  4. Le piste del Mottarone, web page on www.mottaroneski.it (accessed on March 2012)

Maps

Media related to Alpi Cusiane at Wikimedia Commons

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