fbpx
Wikipedia

Sistema Ibérico

January 01, 1970

Not to be confused with Iberian Massif.

The Iberian System (Spanish: Sistema Ibérico, pronounced [sisˈtemajˈβeɾiko]) is one of the major systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It consists of a vast and complex area of mostly relatively high and rugged mountain chains and massifs located in the central region of the Iberian Peninsula, but reaching almost the Mediterranean coast in the Valencian Community in the east.

Iberian System
Sistema Ibérico
Highest point
PeakMoncayo
Elevation2,313 m (7,589 ft)
Coordinates41°44′45″N 01°46′53″W / 41.74583°N 1.78139°W / 41.74583; -1.78139
Geography
Location of the Sistema Ibérico in the Iberian Peninsula
CountrySpain
CommunitiesAragon, Castile and León, La Rioja, Valencian Community, Catalonia and Castile-La Mancha
Geology
OrogenyAlpine
Age of rockTertiary
Type of rockNummulite limestone, marble and sandstone
Laguna Negra (Black Pond), Soria
Cerro del Padrastro hill close to Atienza, in the transition zone between the Sistema Ibérico and the Sistema Central
A griffon vulture
The Iberian wolf is a subspecies of grey wolf that is still found in some ranges of the system.
The marbled newt is common in humid areas of the system, especially in the northwestern region.

The system is hydrographically important, as it separates the watersheds of most of the major rivers in Spain and Portugal, including the Ebro basin to the east from the basins of the Douro, Tagus, Guadiana (Záncara-Gigüela), Júcar and Turia to the west and south.

There are important mining areas in some of the ranges such as Sierra Menera, Sierra de Arcos and Sierra de San Just, making the system one of the chief mining regions in Spain since ancient times.[1][2] One of the comarcas of Aragon located in the Iberian System was given the name of Cuencas Mineras, lit. 'Mining Basins', since mining is the main activity in the comarca.[3]

Location and description edit

The Sistema Ibérico mountain range borders the Meseta Central on its eastern end and separates the Meseta Central from the Ebro valley and from the Mediterranean coast.

This system runs northwest-southeast between the Ebro plain and the Meseta Central for over 500 km, from the La Bureba corridor in Burgos Province close to the Cordillera Cantábrica to the Mediterranean sea close to Valencia in the south and close to Tortosa and the Ebro Delta in the east. The bulk of the Sistema Ibérico is located in the southern half of Aragon. The Prebaetic System rises south of the southernmost end of the Iberian System.

The geology of the Iberian System is complex, for it can hardly be defined as a homogeneous system. It is composed of a haphazard and motley series of mountain ranges, massifs, plateaus and depressions without a definite common petrologic composition and overall structure. Nummulite limestone, marble and sandstone are common throughout the area. Some of the parts of the system stand geologically isolated, interrupting the continuity of the whole, linked to the other parts through high plateaus of varying altitudes.[4]

Ecology and human activity edit

Population decline edit

Large zones of the mountainous Iberian System have undergone heavy depopulation since the early 20th century. There are many ghost towns and abandoned villages scattered across different parts of the Iberian System, especially in Teruel Province.[5] Currently a great number of surviving towns have only a residual population. In some cases, many of the inhabitants are not natives anymore but immigrants from Romania or the Maghreb working as contract laborers in agricultural activities.[6]

The exodus from the rural mountainous areas in Spain rose after General Franco's Stabilization Plan in 1959. The population declined steeply as people emigrated towards the industrial areas of the large cities and the coastal towns where the tourism industry was growing. Other causes of high emigration have been the abandonment by the local youth of traditional agricultural practices that were the mainstay of the village economy, such as sheep and goat rearing, as well as the lifestyle changes that swept over rural Spain during the second half of the 20th century.[7]

Fauna edit

The heavy depopulation has favored wildlife so that one of the last colonies of griffon vultures in Europe is in the Iberian System. Wolves and eagles (Aquila chrysaetos, Hieraaetus fasciatus, Hieraaetus pennatus, Circaetus gallicus) are also relatively common in the lonely heights. Among the mammals, the Spanish ibex, roe deer, wild boar, European badgers, common genets, among others, have their habitat in many of these desolate mountain ranges.[8]

The most common reptiles in the Iberian System are Lacerta lepida, Psammodromus algirus, Psammodromus hispanicus, Podarcis muralis and Podarcis hispanicus. Chalcides chalcides, Chalcides bedriagai and Anguis fragilis, are relatively rarer. The snakes present in these mountains are Natrix maura, Natrix natrix, Malpolon monspessulanus, Elaphe scalaris, Coronella girondica, Coronella austriaca and Vipera latastei.

Some amphibians are abundant in or near ponds and rivulets throughout the whole system, such as Rana perezi, Bufo bufo, Bufo calamita, Alytes obstetricans, Triturus marmoratus and Lissotriton helveticus, the latter also at high altitude, whether in intermittent or permanent bodies of water. Hyla arborea and Salamandra salamandra are somewhat rarer, but still having a wide distribution, especially in humid forested zones. The Iberian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl), however, is rarely found in the mountainous areas. Aquatic invertebrates, including the Austropotamobius pallipes crayfish, and certain fishes, such as Salaria fluviatilis and Cobitis paludica are common in the upper course of the Sistema Ibérico rivers.[9] Some mountain streams have been stocked with trout.[10]

Traditional cattle rearing activities, formerly so important in central Iberia, still survive on dry grasslands in certain villages around the system. There are also many hunters visiting some of the ranges, mainly those that are relatively closer to the urban areas and especially on weekends.[11]

Vegetation edit

Some ranges have forested patches, consisting mainly of Pinus pinaster, Pinus sylvestris and Pinus uncinata pines and Quercus rotundifolia, Quercus pyrenaica and Quercus faginea oaks, even Fagus sylvatica beeches and Betula pendula birches grow in some humid slopes, where Pteridium aquilinum, Polypodium vulgare ferns may also be found.

Other ranges are rocky and quite bare with heath (Erica arborea, Erica vagans, Calluna vulgaris), broom as well as thyme and Festuca and Nardus stricta grasslands. Thin forest or shrubland may include Juniperus communis, Juniperus thurifera, Cytisus purgans, Erinacea anthyllis and Calluna vulgaris shrub. Often the southern slopes are drier than the northern ones and may be subject to wildfires in periods of prolonged drought, especially in the summer.

Bogs are not common in the Iberian Peninsula, but high altitude bogs form in the few areas of the Sistema Ibérico where the water remains stagnant, such as near Orihuela del Tremedal, Bronchales and in the place known as Fuente del Hierro, at an altitude between 1.400 and 1.550 m. The plants growing in these bogs are mainly Polytrichum mosses, Potentilla erecta, Pinguicula vulgaris, Vaccinium myrtillus, Calluna vulgaris, and also Drosera rotundifolia, a carnivorous plant that does not grow further south in Western Europe.

Centaurea pinnata is an endangered species of plant present in the Sierra de Vicort and Sierra de Santa Cruz mountain ranges.[12]

Mountain ranges edit

The Sistema Ibérico comprises several mountain ranges and massifs:

Main subranges and features edit

Peaks edit

The main peaks of the system are: Moncayo (2,313 m), Monte San Lorenzo (2,262 m), Pico de Urbión (2,228 m), Pico San Millán (2,131 m), Peña Cebollera (2,129 m), Javalambre (2,020 m) and Peñarroya (2,019 m). Other locally important summits are Cerro Calderón (1,837 m), Mont Caro (1,441 m), Tossal d'Orenga (1,144 m) and Montegordo (837 m),

Rivers edit

The Sistema Ibérico is not as high as other mountain systems in Spain. It is, however, very significant from the hydrographic point of view for important rivers of the Iberian Peninsula have their source in its mountains, which divide the Atlantic from the Mediterranean watershed. The following rivers rise in the Sistema Ibérico:

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ . Archived from the original on 2011-08-10. Retrieved 2011-06-05.
  2. ^ Luis Diego Arribas, Contemporary Art and Opencast Mining, University of Zaragoza, 2009
  3. ^ Comarcas de Aragón - Cuencas Mineras
  4. ^ Natura Xilocae - Entre la sierra de Caldereros y el Maestrazgo de Teruel
  5. ^ Pueblos deshabitados - Collado de la Grulla (Teruel)
  6. ^ Un pueblo de Teruel, salvado por la inmigración
  7. ^ Despoblación en Aragon 2012-08-23 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Walking In Spain
  9. ^ . Archived from the original on 2013-06-19. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  10. ^ Mapa de la trucha del Sistema Ibérico 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ MARM / Biodiversidad - Sierra de Vicort 2011-08-07 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ De Rutas - Sierra de Vicor 2011-05-28 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Country Studies
  14. ^ Montipedia - Spanish Archived 2012-09-05 at archive.today

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sistema Ibérico.
  • Spain - The Valley Of The Ebro, Aragon And Catalonia
  • Enciclopedia Aragonesa (in Spanish)
  • Aragonese part of the Sistema Ibérico[permanent dead link]
  • Sierra de la Demanda, Burgos, Sistema Ibérico
  • Sierra de Cucalón
  • Mendikat - Moncayo 2014-07-28 at the Wayback Machine
  • Ascensión a el Bollón (1036 m) 2020-10-01 at the Wayback Machine

January 01, 1970
sistema, ibérico, confused, with, iberian, massif, iberian, system, spanish, pronounced, sisˈtemajˈβeɾiko, major, systems, mountain, ranges, spain, consists, vast, complex, area, mostly, relatively, high, rugged, mountain, chains, massifs, located, central, re. Not to be confused with Iberian Massif The Iberian System Spanish Sistema Iberico pronounced sisˈtemajˈbeɾiko is one of the major systems of mountain ranges in Spain It consists of a vast and complex area of mostly relatively high and rugged mountain chains and massifs located in the central region of the Iberian Peninsula but reaching almost the Mediterranean coast in the Valencian Community in the east Iberian SystemSistema IbericoView of the Moncayo Massif from Alcala de MoncayoHighest pointPeakMoncayoElevation2 313 m 7 589 ft Coordinates41 44 45 N 01 46 53 W 41 74583 N 1 78139 W 41 74583 1 78139GeographyLocation of the Sistema Iberico in the Iberian PeninsulaCountrySpainCommunitiesAragon Castile and Leon La Rioja Valencian Community Catalonia and Castile La ManchaGeologyOrogenyAlpineAge of rockTertiaryType of rockNummulite limestone marble and sandstone Laguna Negra Black Pond Soria Cerro del Padrastro hill close to Atienza in the transition zone between the Sistema Iberico and the Sistema Central A griffon vulture The Iberian wolf is a subspecies of grey wolf that is still found in some ranges of the system The marbled newt is common in humid areas of the system especially in the northwestern region The system is hydrographically important as it separates the watersheds of most of the major rivers in Spain and Portugal including the Ebro basin to the east from the basins of the Douro Tagus Guadiana Zancara Giguela Jucar and Turia to the west and south There are important mining areas in some of the ranges such as Sierra Menera Sierra de Arcos and Sierra de San Just making the system one of the chief mining regions in Spain since ancient times 1 2 One of the comarcas of Aragon located in the Iberian System was given the name of Cuencas Mineras lit Mining Basins since mining is the main activity in the comarca 3 Contents 1 Location and description 2 Ecology and human activity 2 1 Population decline 2 2 Fauna 2 3 Vegetation 3 Mountain ranges 3 1 Main subranges and features 3 2 Peaks 4 Rivers 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksLocation and description editThe Sistema Iberico mountain range borders the Meseta Central on its eastern end and separates the Meseta Central from the Ebro valley and from the Mediterranean coast This system runs northwest southeast between the Ebro plain and the Meseta Central for over 500 km from the La Bureba corridor in Burgos Province close to the Cordillera Cantabrica to the Mediterranean sea close to Valencia in the south and close to Tortosa and the Ebro Delta in the east The bulk of the Sistema Iberico is located in the southern half of Aragon The Prebaetic System rises south of the southernmost end of the Iberian System The geology of the Iberian System is complex for it can hardly be defined as a homogeneous system It is composed of a haphazard and motley series of mountain ranges massifs plateaus and depressions without a definite common petrologic composition and overall structure Nummulite limestone marble and sandstone are common throughout the area Some of the parts of the system stand geologically isolated interrupting the continuity of the whole linked to the other parts through high plateaus of varying altitudes 4 Ecology and human activity editPopulation decline edit Large zones of the mountainous Iberian System have undergone heavy depopulation since the early 20th century There are many ghost towns and abandoned villages scattered across different parts of the Iberian System especially in Teruel Province 5 Currently a great number of surviving towns have only a residual population In some cases many of the inhabitants are not natives anymore but immigrants from Romania or the Maghreb working as contract laborers in agricultural activities 6 The exodus from the rural mountainous areas in Spain rose after General Franco s Stabilization Plan in 1959 The population declined steeply as people emigrated towards the industrial areas of the large cities and the coastal towns where the tourism industry was growing Other causes of high emigration have been the abandonment by the local youth of traditional agricultural practices that were the mainstay of the village economy such as sheep and goat rearing as well as the lifestyle changes that swept over rural Spain during the second half of the 20th century 7 Fauna edit The heavy depopulation has favored wildlife so that one of the last colonies of griffon vultures in Europe is in the Iberian System Wolves and eagles Aquila chrysaetos Hieraaetus fasciatus Hieraaetus pennatus Circaetus gallicus are also relatively common in the lonely heights Among the mammals the Spanish ibex roe deer wild boar European badgers common genets among others have their habitat in many of these desolate mountain ranges 8 The most common reptiles in the Iberian System are Lacerta lepida Psammodromus algirus Psammodromus hispanicus Podarcis muralis and Podarcis hispanicus Chalcides chalcides Chalcides bedriagai and Anguis fragilis are relatively rarer The snakes present in these mountains are Natrix maura Natrix natrix Malpolon monspessulanus Elaphe scalaris Coronella girondica Coronella austriaca and Vipera latastei Some amphibians are abundant in or near ponds and rivulets throughout the whole system such as Rana perezi Bufo bufo Bufo calamita Alytes obstetricans Triturus marmoratus and Lissotriton helveticus the latter also at high altitude whether in intermittent or permanent bodies of water Hyla arborea and Salamandra salamandra are somewhat rarer but still having a wide distribution especially in humid forested zones The Iberian ribbed newt Pleurodeles waltl however is rarely found in the mountainous areas Aquatic invertebrates including the Austropotamobius pallipes crayfish and certain fishes such as Salaria fluviatilis and Cobitis paludica are common in the upper course of the Sistema Iberico rivers 9 Some mountain streams have been stocked with trout 10 Traditional cattle rearing activities formerly so important in central Iberia still survive on dry grasslands in certain villages around the system There are also many hunters visiting some of the ranges mainly those that are relatively closer to the urban areas and especially on weekends 11 Vegetation edit Some ranges have forested patches consisting mainly of Pinus pinaster Pinus sylvestris and Pinus uncinata pines and Quercus rotundifolia Quercus pyrenaica and Quercus faginea oaks even Fagus sylvatica beeches and Betula pendula birches grow in some humid slopes where Pteridium aquilinum Polypodium vulgare ferns may also be found Other ranges are rocky and quite bare with heath Erica arborea Erica vagans Calluna vulgaris broom as well as thyme and Festuca and Nardus stricta grasslands Thin forest or shrubland may include Juniperus communis Juniperus thurifera Cytisus purgans Erinacea anthyllis and Calluna vulgaris shrub Often the southern slopes are drier than the northern ones and may be subject to wildfires in periods of prolonged drought especially in the summer Bogs are not common in the Iberian Peninsula but high altitude bogs form in the few areas of the Sistema Iberico where the water remains stagnant such as near Orihuela del Tremedal Bronchales and in the place known as Fuente del Hierro at an altitude between 1 400 and 1 550 m The plants growing in these bogs are mainly Polytrichum mosses Potentilla erecta Pinguicula vulgaris Vaccinium myrtillus Calluna vulgaris and also Drosera rotundifolia a carnivorous plant that does not grow further south in Western Europe Centaurea pinnata is an endangered species of plant present in the Sierra de Vicort and Sierra de Santa Cruz mountain ranges 12 Mountain ranges editThe Sistema Iberico comprises several mountain ranges and massifs Northern Sierra de la Demanda Sierra de Neila Mesa de Cebollera and the Picos de Urbion in the northwest the Sierra de Alcarama Sierra de Penalmonte Sierra de Moncalvillo and the isolated Moncayo Massif in the north always crested with snow in the winter with its eastern prolongation the Sierra de Nava Alta Western Smaller and drier mountain ranges close to the transition area with the Sistema Central such as Sierra de Perdices Sierra Ministra Sierra de Caldereros Aguila 1 443 m Sierra de Pardos Sierra de Minana Sierra de Solorio Sierra de Selas Aragoncillo 1 517 m and Parameras de Molina Mojon Alto 1 408 m Central Numerous mountain ranges located at the heart of the system such as Sierra de la Virgen Sierra de Vicort Sierra de Algairen Sierra de Santa Cruz Sierra de Cucalon Sierra de Herrera Sierra de San Just Sierra de Lidon and Sierra Palomera among others Southwestern Serrania de Cuenca Sierra Menera Sierra de Albarracin Montes de Picaza Colmenarejo 1 426 m Montes Universales and Sierra de Mira Southeastern Sierra de Javalambre Sierra del Toro Sierra de Gudar Sierra de Mayabona Sierra de Camarena Sierra de Sollavientos Sierra del Rayo and Sierra de Pina Eastern A succession of ranges that reaches the Mediterranean Sea including the Maestrat or Maestrazgo with the Penyagolosa Massif Sierra de la Lastra Sierra de los Caballos Sierra de Garrocha Sierra de la Canada Sierra Carrascosa the Ports de Morella Serra de la Creu Serra d En Segures Serra d en Galceran Serra d Esparreguera Serra de Vallivana Serra d En Celler Serra del Turmell Serra de l Espadella and the Moles de Xert as well as the Talaies d Alcala Serra de la Vall d Angel the Cervera Mountains Serra de Sant Pere Serra Calderona and Serra d Espada foothills at the eastern end Northeastern A complex mountainous area connecting with the Catalan Pre Coastal Range which includes the Ports de Tortosa Beseit 13 14 and the Benifassa Mountains Main subranges and features edit nbsp The arid Sierra de los Caballos range rises behind Molinos nbsp The main peaks of the Moncayo Massif rising behind Cueva de Agreda nbsp Sierra del Bollon foothills of the Moncayo Massif near Fuendejalon nbsp Sierra de Santa Cruz near Daroca nbsp The massive Roques de Benet in the western side of the Ports de Beseit nbsp Sierra Mayabona nbsp The Laguna Negra in the Picos de Urbion area nbsp Sierra de San Just above Ejulve nbsp Waterfall in the Monasterio de Piedra Natural Park nbsp Sierra de Algairen towering behind Almonacid de la Sierra nbsp Rugged Sierra de Albarracin nbsp Black pine trees near Valdelinares Sierra de Gudar nbsp La Modorra highest peak in the Sierra de Cucalon system nbsp Sierra de la Virgen behind Gotor nbsp View of Morella nbsp Calatayud with the Sierra de Vicort in the background nbsp Purujosa from the Cabezo nbsp Open pit mining of iron ore in Sierra Menera nbsp The Penyagolosa summit nbsp Sierra de Alcarama in La Rioja nbsp Pico Palomera part of the central uplift chain in the Rubielos de la Cerida impact structure in Sierra Palomera nbsp Cabezo del Santo Sierra de Castejon Brieva de Cameros La Rioja nbsp Los Callejones de Las Majadas in the Serrania de Cuenca nbsp View of Calmarza with the Sierra de Solorio cliffs above the town nbsp Sierra de Minana seen from Penalcazar castle Soria Province nbsp Ranera Peak in Sierra de Mira nbsp Northeastern end of Sierra Carrascosa with the Guerrero Romano rock formation nbsp Monegre peak in Sierra de Nava Alta nbsp South face of Isasa Peak Sierra de Penalmonte nbsp Laguna de Gallocanta located in an endorheic basin within the Iberian System nbsp Hill in the Sierra de Arcos area with unusual rock formations on top nbsp Vistabella de Huerva below Sierra de Herrera range nbsp Paridera cave in the Piedra river next to Monasterio de Piedra Spain nbsp Montenegro de Cameros typical village in the northern part of the range Peaks edit The main peaks of the system are Moncayo 2 313 m Monte San Lorenzo 2 262 m Pico de Urbion 2 228 m Pico San Millan 2 131 m Pena Cebollera 2 129 m Javalambre 2 020 m and Penarroya 2 019 m Other locally important summits are Cerro Calderon 1 837 m Mont Caro 1 441 m Tossal d Orenga 1 144 m and Montegordo 837 m Rivers editThe Sistema Iberico is not as high as other mountain systems in Spain It is however very significant from the hydrographic point of view for important rivers of the Iberian Peninsula have their source in its mountains which divide the Atlantic from the Mediterranean watershed The following rivers rise in the Sistema Iberico The Douro and the Tagus flowing westwards across the Meseta Central towards Portugal The Jalon River one of the main tributaries of the Ebro flowing northwards as well as the Huerva and the Aranda River The Turia the Jucar and the Cabriel flowing eastwards across the Valencian Community towards the Mediterranean SeaSee also editList of mountains in Aragon List of mountains in the Valencian Community List of mountains in Catalonia Monasterio de Piedra Laguna de Gallocanta Forests of the Iberian PeninsulaReferences edit Recursos minerales de Espana Universidad de Zaragoza Archived from the original on 2011 08 10 Retrieved 2011 06 05 Luis Diego Arribas Contemporary Art and Opencast Mining University of Zaragoza 2009 Comarcas de Aragon Cuencas Mineras Natura Xilocae Entre la sierra de Caldereros y el Maestrazgo de Teruel Pueblos deshabitados Collado de la Grulla Teruel Un pueblo de Teruel salvado por la inmigracion Despoblacion en Aragon Archived 2012 08 23 at the Wayback Machine Walking In Spain Numero de especies y endemismos Archived from the original on 2013 06 19 Retrieved 2011 06 20 Mapa de la trucha del Sistema Iberico Archived 2012 03 25 at the Wayback Machine MARM Biodiversidad Sierra de Vicort Archived 2011 08 07 at the Wayback Machine De Rutas Sierra de Vicor Archived 2011 05 28 at the Wayback Machine Country Studies Montipedia Spanish Archived 2012 09 05 at archive todayExternal links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sistema Iberico Spain The Valley Of The Ebro Aragon And Catalonia Enciclopedia Aragonesa in Spanish Aragonese part of the Sistema Iberico permanent dead link Sierra de la Demanda Burgos Sistema Iberico Sierra de Cucalon Mendikat Moncayo Archived 2014 07 28 at the Wayback Machine Ascension a el Bollon 1036 m Archived 2020 10 01 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sistema Iberico amp oldid 1221176969, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.