Limestone mountain range in E France and W Switzerland, on Franco-Swiss border, forming a plateau 250 km/155 mi long by 50 km/31 mi wide; highest point in France, Crêt de la Neige (1718 m/5636 ft), in Switzerland, Mt Tendre (1682 m/5518 ft); forested slopes, with poor pasture; caving, winter sports.
The Jura folds are located north of the main Alpine orogenic front and are being continually deformed, accommodating the northwards compression due to Alpine folding.
The Jura (the rock after which the mountains are named) comprises three major lithological units: the Malm, Dogger, and Lias (giving rise to the name for the Jurassic Geologic period);
Structurally, the Jura consists of a sequence of "box" folds, the formation of which is facilitated by an evaporitic decollement layer.
The box folds are still relatively young, and this is evident in the fact that they define the shape of the overlying landscape, meaning that they have not existed long enough to experience erosion.
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