Chaines Subalpine Nappe

Representation and status

Color CMYK

n/a

Color RGB

R: 241 G: 239 B: 237

Rank

nappe

Validity

Unit is in Use

Status

valid

Nomenclature

Deutsch

Chaines-Subalpines-Decke

Français

Nappe des Chaines Subalpines

Italiano

Falda delle Chaines Subalpines

English

Chaines Subalpine Nappe

Historical Variants

chaînes subalpines dauphinoises (Gignoux & Moret 1944), Catene Subalpine (Sturani 1971, Dal Piaz et al. 1992a), Subalpine Ketten (Trümpy 1974), massifs subalpins, zone subalpine (Pairis et al. 1992), chaîne subalpine, Chaines Subalpine Nappe (TK500 / Gouffon et al. 2024)

Nomenclatorial Remarks

"Préalpes" des géographes

Description

Description

FR: Nappes les plus externes de la chaîne alpine dans les régions situées au sud du Jura. Leurs faciès font (paléogéographiquement) transition entre le domaine jurassien et le domaine dauphinois.

Hierarchy and sequence

Subordinate units

• Chaînes Subalpines Septentrionales
• Chaînes Subalpines Méridionales

Geography

Geographical extent

Alpes françaises, de Nice à la vallée de l'Arve: Baronnies, Dévoluy, Diois (chaînes méridionales), ainsi que Vercors, Chartreuse, Bauges, Bornes-Aravis et Haut Giffre (chaînes septentrionales, qui se raccordent ensuite au domaine helvétique).

Palaenography and tectonic

Paleogeography

European continental plate

Tectonic unit (resp. main category)

• Helvetic

References

Definition

Gouffon Yves (Editor) (2024) : Tectonic Map of Switzerland 1:500000, Explanatory notes. Federal Office of Topography swisstopo, Wabern

p.35: The Chaines Subalpines Nappe is constituted by a Jurassic–Cenozoic sedimentary series affected by a succession of large folds with NW vergence to the north of the latitude of Annecy and with W vergence to the south. Its eastern contact is a thrust fault plunging NW over the Aiguilles Rouges and Belledonne massifs. It is overlain to the north by the Pillon Mélange Zone just below the Penninic Prealps, and overlies the southern end of the Subalpine Molasse to the west. The Chaines Subalpines Nappe is subdivided into several units by thrust faults. All these units are composed of Jurassic–Cenozoic sediments of North Helvetic origin, except the most external one, located south of Annecy, whose series is similar to that of the Internal Folded Jura. As is the case with the Upper Helvetic Drusberg and Säntis nappes further east, the Chaines Subalpines Nappe forms a broad synform, south of the Arve Valley, in the core of which klippen of the Pillon Mélange Zone and the Middle Penninic Préalpes Médianes Nappe are preserved.