The Sierra Sur de Jaén (Southern Range of Jaén) is a
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...
that is part of the central belt of the
Baetic System,
Andalusia
Andalusia ( , ; , ) is the southernmost autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain, located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, in southwestern Europe. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomou ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. Its name derives from its location in the southwestern part of
Jaén Province. The highest summit in the range is 1,872 m high
Pico Pandera; 1,722 m high
Cerro de la Cruz is another notable peak.
This range gives its name to an administrative comarca in the region, the
Sierra Sur de Jaén Comarca, as well as to the
wine of the area, the
Sierra Sur de Jaén (DO).
Geography
The Sierra Sur de Jaén is located in the area where the
Subbaetic System
The Subbaetic or Sub-Baetic System ( or ''Cordillera Subbética'') is one of the three systems of mountain ranges of the Baetic System in the southern Iberian Peninsula. Highest point high Peña de la Cruz in Sierra Arana. Its northern limit i ...
is overlapping with the
Prebaetic System. The latter begins east of
Martos.
The Sierra Sur includes the subranges of
Sierra de la Pandera, the
Sierra de Ventisqueros, the
Sierra del Trigo and the
Sierra Caracolera, among others. The neighboring range of
Sierra Mágina is located to the east of Sierra Sur de Jaén.
Most of the lower slopes and
intermontane basins of the range are covered with
olive groves. Some of the undisturbed higher slopes and hidden valleys of the mountains have preserved the original
Mediterranean forest cover with
Yew,
Portuguese Oak,
Holm Oak and
Juniper trees. The highest altitudes of the range are mostly denuded of forest and thorny
shrubland
Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominance (ecology), dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbaceous plant, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally o ...
predominates. The mountaintops are usually covered with snow in the winter.
Otíñar is a zone of the range that includes ancient ruins and caves set in valleys among relatively unspoilt
wilderness
Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plurale tantum, plural) are Earth, Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human impact on the environment, human activity, or any urbanization, nonurbanized land not u ...
. It was declared
Bien de Interés Cultural in 2009.
Geology
The ranges of the Sierra Sur de Jaén, as well as the
Sierra de Segura were formed during the
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic Era is the Era (geology), era of Earth's Geologic time scale, geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous Period (geology), Periods. It is characterized by the dominance of archosaurian r ...
. The geological materials that compose them were formed in a relatively shallow sea and are mainly made up of
Cenozoic sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock formed by the cementation (geology), cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or de ...
s, including
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
,
dolomite and
marl.
Towards the east of the Sierra Sur de Jaén another mountainous subsystem begins, the
Prebaetic System, an offshoot of the Subbaetic System stretching further northeastwards.
Morfología kárstica del sector oriental del Prebético andaluz
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See also
* Baetic System
* Sierra Sur de Jaén Comarca
* Geography of Spain
* Geology of the Iberian Peninsula
References
External links
La PanderaSierra Sur de Jaén by bikeRelleno sedimentario y destrucción de una pequeña cuenca fluvio-lacustre en la Sierra Sur de Jaén (Cordilleras Béticas)Acuíferos de la Sierra Sur de Jaén
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sierra Sur de Jaen
Baetic System
Landforms of the Province of Jaén (Spain)