Massif:
In geology, a massif ( /mæˈsiːf/ or /ˈmæsɪf/) is a section of a planet’s crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a group of mountains formed by such a structure. [Wikipedia]
Noted in “Forgotten mountain shrine to a Soviet superstar of astrophysics,” , NewScientists‘s Aperture column (20 January 2018):
A FORGOTTEN jewel in the crown of Soviet astronomy, the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory is located on the picturesque southern slope of Mount Aragats, a four-peaked volcano massif in Armenia.
Much of the mountain (above) once lay in the permanent grip of ice. Glaciers inside its crater weren’t discovered until after the second world war. Since then, the snow line has risen and sheep herders have abandoned the mountain’s waterlogged environs. Photographer Toby Smith, on assignment for Project Pressure, a charity documenting the world’s vanishing glaciers, also recorded the lives of those who remain on the mountain.
Nice pics, too.
