The Lajas Valley (Spanish: ''Valle de Lajas''), or the Yauco-Boquerón Valley (''Valle de Yauco-Boquerón''),
is an
anticlinal Anticlinal may refer to:
*Anticline, in structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core.
*Anticlinal, in stereochemistry, a torsion angle between 90° to 150°, and –90° to –150°; see Alkane_st ...
valley
A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...
that runs 30 km (19 mi) long and 5 km (3 mi) wide east-to-west in southwestern
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, within the municipalities of
Lajas,
Cabo Rojo,
Guánica, and
Sabana Grande. It is surrounded by the
Cordillera Central Central Cordillera refers to the New Guinea Highlands.
Cordillera Central, meaning ''central range'' in Spanish, may refer to the following mountain ranges:
* Cordillera Central, Andes (disambiguation), several mountain ranges in South America
** ...
and the Santa Marta hills to the north, the
Sierra Bermeja
Sierra Bermeja is a mountain range in southwestern Puerto Rico. It forms the southern boundary of the Lajas Valley and it is bordered by La Parguera in the Caribbean Sea coast. It extends from the municipality of Cabo Rojo in the west to Lajas i ...
(a small range in Lajas and Cabo Rojo) to the south, the
Boqueron Bay in Cabo Rojo to the west, and the Guánica Bay and southern karst to the east. The climate is considered moist to dry subhumid tropical. Its large extension and fertile soil have made it a good place for agriculture. However, it is one of the driest places of Puerto Rico, making irrigation necessary.
A
Tethered Aerostat Radar System
The Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) is an American low-level airborne ground surveillance system that uses aerostats (moored balloons) as radar platforms. Similar systems include the EL/M-2083 and JLENS.
System
The aerostats are large fa ...
aerostat is located at the Lajas Valley.
Seismological research in 2005 determined there is an ancient fault, the
South Lajas Valley Fault
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
(SLVF), in the vicinity.
Gallery
File:Sierra Bermeja mountain range, Lajas Valley, Puerto Rico, 1935.jpg, alt=, Lajas Valley, Sierra Bermeja
Sierra Bermeja is a mountain range in southwestern Puerto Rico. It forms the southern boundary of the Lajas Valley and it is bordered by La Parguera in the Caribbean Sea coast. It extends from the municipality of Cabo Rojo in the west to Lajas i ...
in the background. 1935
File:Laguna Cartagena National Wildlife Refuge, Puerto Rico.jpg, alt=, Laguna Cartagena, west Lajas Valley.
File:Plaza in Lajas barrio-pueblo, Lajas, Puerto Rico.jpg, alt=, The town of Lajas is located near the north center of the valley.
References
Geography of Puerto Rico
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
Guánica, Puerto Rico
Lajas, Puerto Rico
{{CaboRojoPR-geo-stub