Intermontane

Intermontane is a physiographic adjective formed from the prefix "inter-" ("signifying among, between, amid, during, within, mutual, reciprocal) and the adjective "montane" ("inhabiting, or growing in mountainous regions, especially cool, moist upland slopes below the timberline.") Usage includes intermontane basin such as New Zealand's Mackenzie Basin and intermontane steppe such as the Sayan Intermontane Steppe.

The corresponding physiographic noun is intermountain, while the noun intermontane is an ecologic noun meaning among, between, amid, or within "flora and fauna of a montane habitat." As an example, an alpine region would be an intermontane for a species that migrates between a glacial region and a subalpine region.

Intermontane may refer to:

  • Intermontane Belt, a physiogeological region in the North American Pacific Northwest.
  • Intermontane Plateaus, the United States physiographic region of the Intermountain West.

In palaeogeography, intermontane may refer to

  • Intermontane Islands, an ancient Pacific Ocean chain of volcanic islands of the Intermontane Plate that were active during the Triassic period.
  • Intermontane Plate, an ancient oceanic tectonic plate on the west coast of North America about 195 million years ago.
  • Intermontane Trench, an ancient oceanic trench of the Triassic period along the west coast of North America in the former Slide Mountain Ocean.
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