Transverse valley

A transverse valley is a valley which cuts at right angles across a ridge or, in mountainous terrain a valley that generally runs at right angles to the line of the main mountain chain or crest. Its geomorphological counterpart is the longitudinal valley.

The River Arc, near Aussois, which runs through one of the largest transverse valleys of the Western Alps

During the course of a long valley, both forms may alternate.

Geologically transverse valleys frequently form a water gap where, during the course of earth history, the erosion of a river or large stream cuts a path through a mountain or hill range that stands tectonically at right angles to it.

The Val de Travers in the Jura Mountains is a longitudinal valley, despite its name.

See also

• Transverse Valleys (Chile)