The Strážov Mountains ( sk, Strážovské vrchy, ) are 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 arise ...

in northwestern

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

, being part of Inner Western Carpathians, and of the

Fatra-Tatra Area The Fatra-Tatra Area (in geomorphology) or the Tatra-Fatra Belt of core mountains (in geology) is a part of the Inner Western Carpathians, a subprovince of the Western Carpathians. Most of the area lies in Slovakia with small parts reaching into A ...

. They are situated between the towns of

Trenčín Trenčín (, also known by other alternative names) is a city in western Slovakia of the central Váh River valley near the Czech border, around from Bratislava. It has a population of more than 55,000, which makes it the eighth largest municip ...

Považská Bystrica Považská Bystrica (; german: Waagbistritz; hu, Vágbeszterce) is a town in northwestern Slovakia. It is located on the Váh river, around 30 km from the city of Žilina. It belongs to Upper Váh region of tourism. Profile Považská B ...

Rajec Rajec ( hu, Rajec; german: Rajetz) is a town in the Žilina District, Žilina Region in northern Slovakia. Etymology Rajec, Rajčianka, Rajčanka are derived from Proto-Slavic appelative ''*rajь'' – a wet, muddy place (modern Slovak ''raj' ...

, Prievidza and

Bánovce nad Bebravou Bánovce nad Bebravou (german: Banowitz, hu, Bán) is a town in Slovakia, in the Trenčín Region. Names The name is derived from the personal name or title Ban (title), Bán meaning "the village of Bán's people". "Nad Bebravou" means "above Be ...

, bordering White Carpathians and the

Váh The Váh (; german: Waag, ; hu, Vág; pl, WagWag
w Słowniku geograficznym Królestwa Polskiego i innych krajów ...

river in the northwest and west,

Javorníky The Maple Mountains, Javornik Mountains, or Javorniks (Czech and Slovak: ''Javorníky'') are a mountain range of the Slovak-Moravian Carpathians that forms part of the border between the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Its highest point is Veľký ...

in the north, Malá Fatra in the east, Vtáčnik and Nitra river in the south and

Považský Inovec Považský Inovec is a mountain range in western Slovakia, named after the Váh river. It is 48 km (30 mi) long and 15–25 km (9-16 mi) wide mountain range. It is situated from the city of Hlohovec, raising from the Danubia ...

in the southwest. The highest mountain is Strážov (1,213 m AMSL) The Strážov Mountains and

Súľov Mountains The Súľov Mountains (in Slovak, ''Súľovské vrchy'') is a rugged mountain range in Slovakia, the northwestern part of the Fatra-Tatra Area of the Inner Western Carpathians. Its highest peak is Veľký Manín, at 890 meters. The Súľov Mo ...

are protected by the

Strážov Mountains Protected Landscape Area Strážov Mountains Protected Landscape Area ( sk, Chránená krajinná oblasť Strážovské vrchy) is one of the 14 protected landscape areas in Slovakia. The Landscape Area is situated in the Strážov Mountains and the Súľov Mountains, part ...

since 1989. The

Súľov Rocks The Súľov Rocks ( sk, Súľovské skaly) is a national nature reserve situated within the Súľov Mountains region of Slovakia. It was declared in 1973 and is located in the Bytča District in Žilina Region. Rocky crags take the shape of towe ...

in the northwest have been designated as a nature reserve. Many thermal springs can be found here, inspiring the establishment of many spa centres in the region, for example

Trenčianske Teplice Trenčianske Teplice (german: Trentschin-Teplitz; hu, Trencsénteplic) is a health resort and small spa town in western Slovakia, in the valley of the river Teplička, at the foothills of the Strážovské vrchy mountains, a few kilometres away ...

Rajecké Teplice Rajecké Teplice ( hu, Rajecfürdő) is a spa town in the Žilina District, Žilina Region in northern Slovakia. History The first reliable written record was in 1376. It has town status since 1989. Geography The town lies in the Rajčanka riv ...

Geomorphology

According to geomorphological division, the mountain range is divided into: * Zliechovská hornatina * Nitrické vrchy * Trenčianska vrchovina * Malá Magura

Geology

The Strážovské vrchy Mts. are one of the largest mountain ranges in the

of Slovakia. Whole mountain range is a

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

horst that modifies older

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceo ...

nappe structure.Vass, D., (Editor), 1988, ''Vysvetlivky k mape regionálne geologické členenie Západných Karpát a severných výbežkov Panónskej panvy na území ČSSR.'' Geologický ústav Dionýza Štúra, Bratislava, 65 pp. Oldest rock form the crystalline core which is eccentrically situated at the southern periphery of the mountain range in two massifs denoted the Suchý and the Malá Magura massifs. Massifs are composed of migmatites,

gneiss Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures an ...

es,

amphibolite Amphibolite () is a metamorphic rock that contains amphibole, especially hornblende and actinolite, as well as plagioclase feldspar, but with little or no quartz. It is typically dark-colored and dense, with a weakly foliated or schistose (flaky ...

s and

granitoid A granitoid is a generic term for a diverse category of coarse-grained igneous rocks that consist predominantly of quartz, plagioclase, and alkali feldspar. Granitoids range from plagioclase-rich tonalites to alkali-rich syenites and from quartz ...

rocks. Crystalline core is overlapped by the

Triassic The Triassic ( ) is a geologic period and system which spans 50.6 million years from the end of the Permian Period 251.902 million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Jurassic Period 201.36 Mya. The Triassic is the first and shortest period ...

Lower Cretaceous Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eight ...

( Albian) deposits.Maheľ, M., 1982 (Editor), ''Vysvetlivky ku geologickej mape Strážovských vrchov. 1 : 50 000.'' Geologický ústav Dionýza Štúra, Bratislava, 89 s. Two largescale nappe units are overlying the basement and its sedimentary cover. The lower Fatric Unit composed of Lower Triassic to

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous Series. An age is a unit of geochronology; it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the s ...

sediments of two types, the Zliechov succession, distinguished by deep marine

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The J ...

facies and the Belá succession with the shallow marine facies deposited in the same time. Uppermost nappe unit of the nappe structure is called the Hronic unit, with the

Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleoz ...

extensive volcanosedimentary succession ( Ipoltica Group) and Triassic, less often Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

s and

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

s (the Čierny Váh, Biely Váh and Bebrava successions). In the NW portion of the mountain range the boundary with the Pieniny Klippen Belt consists of the Manin unit that is probably a frontal element of Fatric unit incorporated into Klippen Belt strike-slip zone.

References

External links

"The quiet Strážov hills"
a
Spectacular Slovakia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strazov Mountains Mountain ranges of Slovakia Mountain ranges of the Western Carpathians Horsts (geology)