!!!Nördliche Kalkalpen

Northern Limestone Alps, one of the main parts of the Austrian Alps  
Alps. The Northern Limestone Alps cross Austria from Vorarlberg to the 
Vienna basin (width: 25-45 km). They are bordered by the  Greywacke 
Zone in the south, which constitutes its original geological 
substratum; during the process of formation the Northern Limestone 
Alps were pushed northwards over the central Alpine massif on top of 
the northern  Flysch Zone and the molasse; the only part that remained 
in the south is the Drauzug mountain range. The Northern Limestone 
Alps are typical overthrust mountains and mainly consist of rock from 
the Mesozoic age with remarkable formations from the Alpine Triassic 
period,  Wetterstein Limestone,  Lunz Strata,  Main Dolomite Rock,  
Dachstein Limestone).

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The Northern Limestone Alps rise from the lower and wooded Limestone 
Pre-alps in the North (in Upper and Lower Austria) to the rocky and 
high Limestone Alps; east of the Kitzbueheler Ache river limestone 
stocks with rather dry tablelands prevail, east of the river steep 
mountain ranges with large talus slopes are predominant. They are 
heavily karstified but are hardly glacierized because of their steep 
crests in the west and their low altitude in the east (alt. of tops: 
1,900 m - 2,500 m). Only mountains of the central range such as the  
Dachstein Massif (alt. 2,995 m), the  Hochkoenig Mountain 
(2,941 m) and the  Schesaplana Mountain (2,965 m) in the 
outermost west are covered by glaciers. The highest peak in the 
Northern Limestone Alps is the  Parseierspitze Peak (alt. 
3,036 m) in the  Lechtal Alps. The climate (especially in the 
west) is wet and cool; the Northern Limestone Alps are divided up 
according to provinces from west to east:  North Tyrolean Limestone 
Alps,  Salzburg Limestone Alps,  Upper Austrian Limestone Alps and  
Styrian-Lower-Austrian Limestone Alps.


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