Parpaillon Massif | |
---|---|
Highest point | |
Elevation | 3,046 m (9,993 ft) |
Parent peak | Grand Bérard |
Coordinates | 44°29′12″N 6°38′12″E / 44.4867558°N 6.6367305°E |
Naming | |
Native name | Massif du Parpaillon ( French) |
Geography | |
Country | France |
Departments | |
Region | Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur |
The Parpaillon massif are a massif in the French Alps. It serves as the boundary between the departments of Hautes-Alpes to the north and the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence to the south. Additionally, it separates the Embrun region from the Ubaye valley. The massif extends from the Serre-Ponçon lake in the west to the Col de Vars, which distinguishes it from the Escreins massif, and to the middle Ubaye valley in the southeast, near Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye, where it is bordered by the Mercantour-Argentera massif and the Chambeyron massif.
For some, the meaning of this toponym is papillon ( transl. butterfly), which is "parpalhon" in Occitan. [1] However, it is more likely derived from the pre-Gaulish ( Ligurian) term "pal," which is common in the names of mountains and escarpments.