The Dent de Morcles is a 2,969 metres high

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

located at western end of the

Bernese Alps The Bernese Alps are a mountain range of the Alps located in western Switzerland. Although the name suggests that they are located in the Berner Oberland region of the canton of Bern, portions of the Bernese Alps are in the adjacent cantons of Va ...

, overlooking the Rhone between

Martigny Martigny (; , ; ) is the capital city of the district of Martigny (district), Martigny, cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of Valais, Valais, Switzerland. It lies at an elevation of , and its population is approximately 20,000 inhabitants ( ...

and

St. Maurice Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, Maurits, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favourite and most widely venerated saints of that martyred group. He is t ...

. It is the westernmost summit of the Muverans massif, which in turn is the westernmost of the four distinct mountain massifs of the Bernese Alps that lie west of the

Gemmi Gemmi Pass is a high mountain pass across the Bernese Alps connecting Leukerbad (on the south) in the canton of Valais with Kandersteg (on the north) in the canton of Bern. The pass itself lies within the canton of Valais, at a height of above se ...

Pass. Its position at the end of this chain of mountains and the abrupt drop to the wide valley of the Rhone river below make the Dent de Morcles prominently visible from many points in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

and other populated areas on the north and northeastern shores of

Lake A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...

Geneva. The summit is sometimes distinguished by the name ''Grande Dent de Morcles'', the Petite Dent de Morcles being a lower summit (2,929 m) on the north-west side. Both summits are located on the border between

Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...

and

Vaud Vaud ( ; , ), more formally Canton of Vaud, is one of the Cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of Subdivisions of the canton of Vaud, ten districts; its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat ...

. On the northern slopes lies the small Glacier des Martinets. The Lac de Fully is located on the south side.

References

External links

Dent de Morcles on Summitpost
Bernese Alps Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Switzerland Mountains of the canton of Vaud Mountains of Valais Valais–Vaud border Two-thousanders of Switzerland {{Vaud-mountain-stub