The Catalan Central Depression ( ca, Depressió Central Catalana) is a natural depression between the

Pre-Pyrenees 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. On the French side the Pyrenees's slop ...

and the

Catalan Pre-Coastal Range The Catalan Pre-Coastal Range ( ca, Serralada Prelitoral Catalana) is a system of mountain ranges running parallel to the Mediterranean Sea coast in Catalonia. It is part of the Catalan Mediterranean System. Its main axis runs between the Catalan ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. It widens towards the west, linking with the Ebro Depression, ca, Depressió de l'Ebre, of which it could be considered an eastern extension. The Catalan Central Depression is about 180 km long with an average width of 50 km.

Description

The Catalan Central Depression consists of a succession of high

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

s between 800 and 1,000 metres in altitude that gradually lose height westwards until the Ebro Depression. There are

eroded Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as Surface runoff, water flow or wind) that removes soil, Rock (geology), rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust#Crust, Earth's crust, and then sediment transport, tra ...

river basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, the ...

s limiting these heights wherever the ground is made up of

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

marlstone Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part ...

. The Pla de Bages and the

Conca de Barberà Conca de Barberà () is a comarca (county) in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. Its total area is . At its creation in 1936, it contained 23 municipalities, but in 1990, several of these were amalgamated; Rojals was combined with Mon ...

are examples of these higher regions. The limits of the Central Depression are different whether considered from the point of view of their origin or their actual relief. Some mountain ranges outside of the depression, like

Montserrat Montserrat ( ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is part of the Leeward Islands, the northern portion of the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies. Montserrat is about long and wide, with r ...

and

Sant Llorenç del Munt Sant Llorenç del Munt is a largely rocky mountain massif in central Catalonia, Spain. The highest summit, where the Monestir de Sant Llorenç del Munt is located, has an elevation of above sea level and is known as ''La Mola''. Montcau is ano ...

, are formed by the same geologic materials that make up the Central Depression, even though geographically they are situated in the Pre-Coastal Range. These materials were piled up over the more ancient rocks of the

Catalan Mediterranean System The Catalan Mediterranean System, also known as Mediterranean System, Transversal Ibero-Pyrenaean System, and Catalanid System,Josep Guitart i Duran, Maria del Tura Bolòs et al. ''Història agrària dels Països Catalans (Volum 1) Antiguitat'', 2 ...

.Patronat de la Muntanya de Montserrat - Història i orígens
/ref> The Central Depression formed in the

Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

, when a great gulf, that later became a sea, had its boundaries in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

and the Catalan-Balearic Massif.M. Miró & M. Domingo, ''Medi natural: relleu'' Barcelona, 1986. Ed. Els Llibres de la Frontera. Marine

sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier. This is due to their motion through the fluid in response to the ...

formed clay, and other limestone materials, like bluish marl where the sedimentation had been part of a quiet and slow process, as well as conglomerate in the areas of the mouths of ancient rivers coming down from the Pyrenees and the former Catalan-Balearic Massif. Evaporation produced sodium and potassium salts, as well as

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywall. ...

in certain areas.

Mountain ranges

Some minor mountain ranges are scattered within the Central Depression without a regular pattern. The main ones are: * Serrat Gran de Postius * Serrat de la Minyona * Serrat de la Rodoreda * Serra de Castelltallat * Serra de Pinós * Serra de Brufaganya * Serra de Palomes * Serra de Rubió * Serra d'Almenara * Serra de Sant Miquel * Punta d'Ossós * Muntanya de Sant Mamet * Mont-Roig * Serra Carbonera * Serra d'Oliana *

Serra del Tallat Serra del Tallat is a mountain range of the Catalan Central Depression, Catalonia, Spain. It has an elevation of 802 metres above sea level.. The highest summit of the Serra del Tallat is the Tossal Gros de Vallbona; it is located between the mu ...

* Serra de Vilobí *

Montmeneu Montmeneu () or Punta de Montmaneu is a mountain in Catalonia, Spain. It is located within the La Granja d'Escarp and Seròs municipal limits, Segrià. Geography Montmeneu is an isolated hill of the Catalan Central Depression. Since it is surround ...

* Serra de Matalescabres * Serra de la Fatarella * Serra dels Pesells

References

External links

Depressió Central

Apunts sobre la Geologia de la ConcaHistòria geològica de Catalunya

Banyeres del Penedès - Geologia
{{coord, 41, 50, 00, N, 1, 11, 00, E, type:mountain_region:ES-CT, display=title Landforms of Catalonia Valleys of Spain

Description

Mountain ranges

See also

References

External links