Swiss researchers find new highest peak in Jura mountain range

Due to concerns about biodiversity, the exact location of the new “roof of the Jura” has not been made public. Keystone-SDA

The Crêt de la Neige, a French mountain not far from Geneva, has lost its title as the highest in the Jura range after a team from the University of Lausanne (UNIL) found a hitherto unknown peak, baptised “J1”.

“J1 had not attracted much attention until now, probably because it is not very conspicuous and it is surrounded by trees; traditional triangulation calculation methods are based on the intervisibility of peaks,” György Hetényi, a professor at Lausanne’s Institute of Earth Sciences (ISTE) said in a statement on Monday.

Until now, two peaks in the French part of the Jura, Crêt de la Neige and Reculet, at 1,718 metres above sea level, have battled for the title of highest point in the 360-kilometre Jura massif along the French-Swiss border. Topographical maps still differ on this point today, writes UNIL.

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A team from ISTE decided to find out for sure. “I had spotted a contour line on one of the maps that was intriguing and not very legible,” says Hetényi.

Until now, two peaks in the French part of the Jura, Crêt de la Neige and Le Reculet, at 1,718 metres above sea level, have battled for the title of highest point in the 360-kilometre Jura massif along the French-Swiss border. Topographical maps still differ on this point today, continues UNIL.

The results turned the hierarchy of the Jura roof upside down. Not only did “J1”, which is also located in the French part of the massif, establish itself as the new king, dominating Crêt de la Neige by 2.75 metres; another newly-measured peak, “J2”, equalled Crêt de la Neige at 1,718 metres and a few centimetres. Le Reculet, at 1,717.14 metres, was relegated to fourth place.

The measurements were taken at the highest fixed points on each summit, and the calculations have a maximum margin of error of 5 centimetres, says UNIL. “We expected a difference, but not such a marked one,” says Hetényi.

Like Crêt de la Neige, “J1” – named in reference to K2 in Pakistan’s Karakorum – is part of the Haute Chaîne du Jura National Nature Reserve. This is home to rare species such as capercaillie and lynx, “highly sensitive to human wanderings, particularly off-piste”. For this reason, the exact location of “J1” has not been made public.

The highest peak in the Swiss Jura remains unchanged: the 1,679-metre Mont Tendre in canton Vaud.

Adapted from French by DeepL/dos

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