Franconian Jura

(also Franconian Alps; in German Fränkischer Jura or Fränkische Alb), a cuesta-like ridge in the southeastern Federal Republic of Germany; the northeastern part of the Swabian Jura. The Franconian Jura is approximately 200 km long and reaches a maximum elevation of 657 m, at Mount Pop-berg. The western and northwestern slopes are steep and deeply dissected, and the eastern and southeastern slopes are gentle; the surface of the divide is plateau-like. The axial zone is composed of Jurassic limestones and dolomites and has developed karst formations; along the periphery are primarily Cretaceous sandstones and shales. There are fanciful rock formations in the north, in the area known as Franconian Switzerland. The vegetation consists of coniferous and beech forests and shrub thickets.