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Why do parts of the Outer Western Carpathians resemble a hilly plateau rather than high mountains?

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Carpathian Mountains; cross section of the Western Carpathians — Carpathian Mountains Regional division of the Carpathian Mountains (top) and a geologic cross section of the Western Carpathians (bottom). The location of the cross section is shown by the line N–S on the map.

The Outer Western Carpathians are generally characterized by low altitudes, with their highest point, Mount Babia, reaching only 5,659 feet. A significant portion of this region lacks a traditional high-mountain landscape, instead resembling a hilly plateau elevated to approximately 1,300–1,600 feet above sea level.1

This appearance is largely due to the region's geological composition and the specific erosional processes that have shaped it. Unlike the higher, more rugged Central Western Carpathians—which feature crystalline and metamorphic rocks and were shaped by glacial activity—the Outer Carpathians are primarily composed of flysch, a sedimentary rock formation consisting of sandstone and shale. Furthermore, while the highest peaks of the Carpathian system were affected by glaciation, the relief of the Carpathians as a whole has been primarily shaped by the action of running water rather than the extensive glacial erosion that defined the Alps.12