The Lower Tauern or Niedere Tauern are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps, in the Austrian states of Salzburg and Styria. For the etymology of the name, see Tauern.

Geography

The range forms a part of the main chain of the Alps. The highest peak of the Lower Tauern is the Hochgolling, part of the Schladming Tauern, at 2,863 m (9,393 ft). Important mountain pass roads include Radstädter Tauern Pass (1738 m), Sölk Pass (1788 m), and Triebener Tauern Pass (1274 m). The range is also crossed by the Tauern Autobahn (A10) through the Tauern Road Tunnel.

Borders

In the west and south the Murtörl mountain pass and the River Mur separate them from the Hohe Tauern mountain range, while in the east and north the River Enns and the Schober Pass marks the border to the Northern Limestone Alps.

Alpine Club classification

According to the Alpine Club classification of the Eastern Alps, the Lower Tauern may be divided into four subgroups (from west to east): The four groups listed above (the Radstadt Tauern, Schladming Tauern, Rottenmann and Wölz Tauern and Seckau Alps) are considered Alpine subsections.

Notable summits

Some notable summits of the range are:

Geology and environment

The Lower Tauern mark the approximate eastern limit of the continuous ice sheet in the Alps during the Würm glaciation. Eastern parts of the group were therefore unglaciated, and served as an important refugium for silicicolous plants.

Winter sports

A number of skiing resorts are situated in the Lower Tauern, including Obertauern and Schladming.