Gendarme (mountaineering)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thompson's Flake on Mount Kenya (centre of image on skyline) is a gendarme.

A Gendarme is a pinnacle of rock on a mountain ridge. They are typical of Alpine areas. Gendarmes often form on the intersection of two ridges due to the lower erosion of glaciers here.[1] The name originates from the French Alps, where they were seen as resembling the gendarmerie police.[citation needed]

References

  1. Baker, B. H. (1967). Geology of the Mount Kenya area. Nairobi: Geological Survey of Kenya. 
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.