VOSGES MOUNTAINS (Ger. Vogcsen, Fr. Lcs Vosges). A mountain range on the south western frontier of Germany. It rises from the Belfort depression (Trott de Belfort), which sepa rates it from the Jura Mountains, and extends in a north-northeast direction on the west side of the Rhine Valley, parallel with the Schwarz wald (Map: Germany, 13 4). in the southern portion the main ridge forms the boundary be tween France and Alsace, hut the northern por tion is wholly within German territory, partly within Alsace, partly on the boundary of Lor raine, while a northern continuation known as the Hardt Mountains extends through the Rhine Palatinate into Hesse. North of the Rhine Marne (•anal the elevations are generally less than 2000 feet, the southern portion being much the higher and the more rugged. The western or French slope falls somewhat gradually toward the plateau of Lorraine, but the eastern slope falls very abruptly into the Rhine Valley. while
the sides of the many transverse branch valleys of the latter are especially steep, and the spurs separating them are in some places higher than the main ridge. Indeed, the highest point in the whole range, the Sulzer Be!ellen, with an altitude of 4068 feet, is in one of these eastern spurs. Other high points are the lloneck, 4472 feet; the hleinkopf, 4373 feet: and the Itheinkopf, 4327 feet. The range is composed mainly Of crystal line schists and Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, chiefly Devonian and Carboniferous; mining has long been abandoned. The climate is rather mild, though snow remains for six months on the high est summits. Large forests in which wolves and wild boars are found still exist on the mono taills, but the valleys are very populous and con tain many important industrial centres.