# Col

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{{short description|Lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks}}
{{other uses|Col (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Saslonch.jpg|thumb|The [Langkofel Group](/source/Langkofel_Group) in the [Dolomites](/source/Dolomites) of the [Italian Alps](/source/Italian_Alps), with the clearly visible Langkofel Col ({{lang|de|Langkofelscharte}}) left of centre]]

A '''col''' in [geomorphology](/source/geomorphology) is the lowest point on a mountain [ridge](/source/ridge) between two [peaks](/source/Summit).<ref name="Whittow">Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, 1984, p. 103. {{ISBN|0-14-051094-X}}.</ref> It may also be called a [gap](/source/Gap_(landform)) or [pass](/source/mountain_pass).<ref name="Whittow"/> Particularly rugged and forbidding cols in the terrain are usually referred to as '''notches'''. They are generally unsuitable as [mountain pass](/source/mountain_pass)es, but are occasionally crossed by [mule](/source/mule) tracks or climbers' routes. Derived from the French {{lang|fr|col}} ("collar, neck") from [Latin](/source/Latin) ''collum'', "neck",<ref>{{lang|fr|[https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/col "col"]}}, in {{lang|fr|[Trésor de la langue française informatisé](/source/Tr%C3%A9sor_de_la_langue_fran%C3%A7aise_informatis%C3%A9)}} [''Digitized Treasury of the French Language''], 2012.</ref>  the term tends to be associated more with mountain than hill ranges.<ref>''Chambers 21st Century Dictionary'', Allied.</ref>  The distinction with other names for breaks in mountain ridges such as [saddle](/source/saddle_(landform)), [wind gap](/source/wind_gap) or notch is not sharply defined and may vary from place to place. Many [double summit](/source/double_summit)s are separated by prominent cols.

The height of a summit above its highest col (called the [key col](/source/key_col)) is effectively a measure of a mountain's [topographic prominence](/source/topographic_prominence). 

Cols lie on the line of the [watershed](/source/drainage_divide) between two [mountain](/source/mountain)s, often on a prominent ridge or [arête](/source/ar%C3%AAte). For example, the highest col in Austria, the {{lang|de|Obere Glocknerscharte}} ("Upper Glockner Col", {{Höhe|3766|AT|link=true}}) lies between the [Kleinglockner](/source/Kleinglockner) ({{Höhe|3783|AT}}) and [Grossglockner](/source/Grossglockner) ({{Höhe|3798|AT}}) mountains, giving the Kleinglockner a minimum prominence of 17&nbsp;metres.<ref>Willi End, Hubert Peterka (1990). {{lang|de|[http://www.rother.de/titpage/1266.php Alpenvereinsführer Glockner- und Granatspitzgruppe]}}. Munich: Bergverlag Rudolf Rother. {{ISBN|3-7633-1258-7}}.</ref>

{{gallery | width=200 height=150
|File:Brecha rolando.jpg|[Brèche de Roland](/source/Br%C3%A8che_de_Roland) in the [Pyrenees](/source/Pyrenees)
|File:Aiguilles de Peuterey 001.JPG|The Peuterey Ridge on the [Mt. Blanc](/source/Mt._Blanc) massif. From left to right {{lang|fr|[Aiguille Noire de Peuterey](/source/Aiguille_Noire_de_Peuterey)}} (3773&nbsp;m), {{lang|fr|Brèche-sud}} (3429&nbsp;m), the {{lang|fr|Dames Anglaises}} (3601&nbsp;m), {{lang|fr|Brèche-central}}, {{lang|fr|L'Isolée}}, {{lang|fr|Brèche-nord}} (3491&nbsp;m), {{lang|fr|[Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey](/source/Aiguille_Blanche_de_Peuterey)}} (4112&nbsp;m) and {{lang|fr|Col de Peuterey}} (3934&nbsp;m)
|File:Summit camp Everest.jpg|The [South Col](/source/South_Col) of [Mount Everest](/source/Mount_Everest), at {{convert|7,906|m|ft|abbr=on}} the upper staging point for attempts on its summit.
}}

==See also==
* {{Annotated link|Arête}}
* [Saddle (landform)](/source/Saddle_(landform))

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary}}
{{Commons|Category:Mountain saddles|Col}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020509123930/http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/lemke/alpine_glacial_glossary/landforms/col.html Illustrated Glossary of Alpine Mountain Landforms: Col]. Retrieved 16 August 2015.

Category:Landforms
Category:Oronyms
Category:Geographical terminology in mountaineering

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Col](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Col) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Col?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.