Pre-Pyrenees

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pre-Pyrenees

Montsec d'Ares, part of the Pyrenees Foothills, at Sant Esteve de la Sarga
Dimensions
Length 425 km (264 mi) E/W
Width 40 km (25 mi) N/S
Geography
Countries Spain and France
Range coordinates 42°20′N 1°00′E / 42.33°N 1°E / 42.33; 1Coordinates: 42°20′N 1°00′E / 42.33°N 1°E / 42.33; 1
Geology
Orogeny Alpine orogeny
Geomorphologic map of Catalonia:
  Pyrenees
  Pre-Pyrenees
  Catalan Central Depression
  Smaller mountain ranges of the Central Depression
  Catalan Transversal Range
  Catalan Pre-Coastal Range
  Catalan Coastal Range
  Catalan Coastal Depression and other coastal and pre-coastal plains

The Pre-Pyrenees are the foothills of the Pyrenees.

Description

As a mountainous system the Pre-Pyrenees are part of the Pyrenees. They run parallel to the main mountain range in a west to east direction. At the eastern end lies the area known as the Sub-Pyrenees.

On the French side the Pyrenees's slopes descend rather abruptly, thus on the northern side, the Pre-Pyrenees are confined to the Corbières Range, towards the eastern end of the mountain system. The Massif de Plantaurel further west deserves mention as well, although not as clearly a foothill.

On the Iberian side, however, the picture is very different: a large and complex system of foothill ranges stretches from Navarre, across northern Aragon, reaching the Mediterranean coast on the Catalan end of the Pyrenees.

Main ranges

Although the highest peaks in the Pre-Pyrenees are not as high as those in the Pyrenees proper, some summits reach 2,600 m (8,500 ft). The main ranges include:

Northern Slope:

  • Corberes
  • Massif de Plantaurel

Southern Slope:

Gallery

View of El Turbón in Aragon 
Serra del Cucuc and Montsec de Rúbies at Gavet de la Conca 
Summits of the Corberes range, the only foothill of the Pyrenees on their northern side 
View of Serra del Cadí 

See also

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pre-Pyrenees.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.