Klippe

For the style of coin, see Klippe (coin).

Schematic overview of a thrust system. The shaded material is called a nappe. The erosional hole is called a window or fenster. The klippe is the isolated block of the nappe overlying autochthonous material.

Beckov Castle, Slovakia, perched on a limestone klippe

A klippe (German for cliff or crag) is a geological feature of thrust fault terrains. The klippe is the remnant portion of a nappe after erosion has removed connecting portions of the nappe. This process results in an outlier of exotic, often nearly horizontally translated strata overlying autochthonous strata.

Examples

• Chief Mountain, Montana
• Mount Yamnuska, Alberta
• The Rock of Gibraltar
• Acropolis of Athens, Greece

Klippes may also be found in the Pre-Alps of Switzerland and some of the isolated mountains in Assynt, Sutherland, in NW Scotland.