Sierra de Cucalón is a long system of mountain ranges in
Aragon
Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...
,
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 ...
, located between the
comarcas
A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...
of
Jiloca and
Cuencas Mineras
Cuencas Mineras is a comarca in Aragon, Spain. It is located in Teruel Province, in the mountainous area of the Sistema Ibérico.
The administrative capital is Utrillas, with 3,346 inhabitants the largest town of the comarca, but the historical ...
.
Geography
These mountains are part of the
Iberian System
Iberian refers to Iberia. Most commonly Iberian refers to:
*Someone or something originating in the Iberian Peninsula, namely from Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra.
The term ''Iberian'' is also used to refer to anything pertaining to the fo ...
and are often covered with
snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
in the winter. Rivers
Huerva
The Huerva River is a river in Aragon, Spain. It is a tributary of the Ebro. Its mean annual discharge is only .
Course
This long river rises in the Sierra de Cucalón, near Fonfría in the Jiloca Comarca. Flowing northwestwards near Lagueruel ...
and
Martín have their source in these ranges.
The Ermita de la Virgen de Pelarda is located in the Pelarda range, close to
Olalla.
Subranges
Two main ranges run parallel to each other, the northern one is Sierra de Oriche, also known as "Las Rochas", and the southern one, smoother and covered with forest, as Sierra de Pelarda or Sierra de la Pelarda (also known as "Sierra de Fonfría" after the town of
Fonfría in its central section) extending eastwards as Sierra Pedregosa.
This whole system of mountain ranges is named after the town of
Cucalón, located at the western end.
The ridge's highest summits are Pelarda (1,517 m), in Sierra de Pelarda, and La Modorra (1,478 m), located at the NW end of the Sierra de Oriche. Other important summits are El Marujal (1,486 m), Cerro del Ortigal (1,429 m), Alto del Puerto de Fonfría (1,501 m), La Rocha (1,340 m) and La Retuerta (1,492 m). All main peaks are inconspicuous except for La Modorra.
Ecology
The Sierra de Pelarda mountains are covered with forest made up
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
, ''Carrasca'' (''
Quercus ilex
''Quercus ilex'', the evergreen oak, holly oak or holm oak is a large evergreen oak native to the Mediterranean region. It is a member of the ''Ilex'' section of the genus, with acorns that mature in a single summer.
Description
An evergreen tr ...
''),
cork oak
''Quercus suber'', commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is the primary source of cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, such as cork flooring and as the cores ...
, and
juniper
Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...
trees.
Guía general de las sierras de Cucalón, Oriche y Fonfría
/ref> There are many endangered species living in these relatively uninhabited mountains, far from human intervention.
Features
File:La Modorra34.JPG, View of La Modorra from Lanzuela
Lanzuela is a municipality located in the province of Teruel, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2010 census the municipality has a population of 102 inhabitants.Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)
Lanzuela is located at the western end of t ...
File:La-pelarda14.JPG, View of Sierra de Pelarda from Bea
File:Sabinar Olalla 2.jpg, Juniper
Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...
trees and garbage near Olalla
References
External links
*
Sierra de CucalónSantuario de la Virgen de Pelarda
Cucalon
Cucalon
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