Jura, Vercors, and Northern Provence (Diois and Baronnies) as an example of morphotectonics of the outer chains of the Alpine orogens

Under consideration are folded mountains of the western margin of the Alpine orogenic belt, formed in the layered upper tectonic slab, which moved, under conditions of horizontal compression, toward the foreland and underwent folding and tectonic heaping. The main Jurassic and sub-Alpian morphotectonic features--synclinal valleys and anticlinal ridges, monoclinal crests, and uplifted cores of synclines--have been described. A model for the formation of folded mountains (Jurassic mechanism of orogeny) is proposed. Jurassic-type folded mountains or relief are specific for the morphotectonics of the outer chains of the Alpine-Himalayan mobile belt.