Corsica

Mountains of Corsica

The island of Corsica lies some 180km south of the main French coast in the western half of the Mediterranean Sea.  It is the third largest island in the western Mediterranean.  It has the loftiest mountains and more rivers than any other Mediterranean island.  The rugged coastline extends for over 950km. Twenty-one of its mountains are over 2000m.  The average altitude of the island is 560m.  The mountains run in a general south-east to north-west direction, cutting the island in two.  For further information on the island, see the Wikipedia article at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsica.

 There are four main massifs:

•  Cinto:  This range lies on the north-western side of the island.  The mountains are very rough and broken.  They are formed of granitic rocks – mainly volcanic rhyolites.  The range has the highest summits on the island.  

• Rotondo:  This range lies in the north central region of the island.  This area is also composed of granitic rocks and is very uneven.  There are several glacial lakes.  It reaches its highest point at Monte Rotondo (2625m).

• Renoso:  This range lies in the south central region of the island.  It is also mainly composed of granite, but is a less dramatic landscape.  Monte Renoso is the highest point of the range at 2357m.

• Incudine-Bavella: This range lies in the southern part of the island.  It is also mainly granite, but with limestone as well.  The landscape varies from undulating to jagged peaks like the Aiguilles de Bavella.  The highest summit is the Incudine at 2136m. 

There are also mountains of lesser altitude on the north-eastern side of the island and on the Cap Corse Peninsula in the far north.

The mountains of Corsica are geologically part of the mainland Alpine system.  Their granite backbone was laid down some 250 million years ago.  These rocks were raised in the Alpine period of orogeny some 50 million years ago.  On the eastern side of the island a mass of sedimentary rocks was pushed up against the granite, becoming a folded metamorphosed bed of hard resistant schists.  As on the mainland, glaciers carved the ranges into sharp crests and ridges, and deep valleys.  Extensive rainfall changed the glacial valleys into V-shaped form.

There is now no permanent snow, or glaciers – although snow can lie on the highest summits into May despite their southern latitude. 

Above the areas of cultivation and deciduous and pine forest, the mid level of the mountains is covered in maquis – harsh resilient bushes like broom, gorse and myrtle.   The highest areas have an Alpine climate and vegetation.

The highest mountain on the island is Monte Cinto.  This has an altitude of 2706m and equal prominence.