The Catalan Central Depression ( ca, Depressió Central Catalana) is a natural depression between the Pre-Pyrenees 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 Catala ...

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") , ...

. 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 ...

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 water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is disti ...

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, ...

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 pa ...

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 Pla de Bages is a Spanish Denominación de Origen Protegida (DOP) (''Denominació d'Origen Protegida'' in Catalan) for Catalan wines, located in the province of Barcelona ( Catalonia, Spain), and is one of the smallest DOPs in Spain, coveri ...

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 Mo ...

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 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 roughly of coastline. It is n ...

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 an ...

, 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.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 ...

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 Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** ...

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 drywa ...

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 is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Joan Manuel Serrat (born 1943), Spanish singer-songwriter *Fabienne Serrat Fabienne Serrat (born 5 July 1956) is a former world champion alpine ski racer. At age 17, Serrat won two ...

Serrat de la Minyona Serrat is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Joan Manuel Serrat (born 1943), Spanish singer-songwriter *Fabienne Serrat Fabienne Serrat (born 5 July 1956) is a former world champion alpine ski racer. At age 17, Serrat won two ...

Serrat de la Rodoreda Serrat is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Joan Manuel Serrat (born 1943), Spanish singer-songwriter *Fabienne Serrat Fabienne Serrat (born 5 July 1956) is a former world champion alpine ski racer. At age 17, Serrat won two ...

Serra de Castelltallat The Castelltallat range ( Catalan: Serra de Castelltallat) is located in central Catalonia (Spain) between the comarcas of Bages and Solsonès, extending over the provinces of Barcelona and Lleida, and occupying an area of about 65 square kilom ...

Serra de Pinós Serra (Latin for "saw") may refer to: People * Serra (footballer) (born 1961), Portuguese footballer * Serra (surname) * Serra (given name) Cities, towns, municipalities Brazil *Serra, Espírito Santo, a city in the Greater Vitória area * Amp ...

Serra de Brufaganya Serra (Latin for "saw") may refer to: People * Serra (footballer) (born 1961), Portuguese footballer * Serra (surname) * Serra (given name) Cities, towns, municipalities Brazil *Serra, Espírito Santo, a city in the Greater Vitória area * Amp ...

Serra de Palomes Serra (Latin for "saw") may refer to: People * Serra (footballer) (born 1961), Portuguese footballer * Serra (surname) * Serra (given name) Cities, towns, municipalities Brazil *Serra, Espírito Santo, a city in the Greater Vitória area * Amp ...

Serra de Rubió The Serra de Rubió is a mountain range located in Catalonia, Spain, between the ''comarques'' of Anoia and Bages, and among the municipalities of Rubió, Castellfollit del Boix, Òdena and Els Prats de Rei. Its highest peak is the Còpia de Pal ...

* 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 de Vilobí * Montmeneu * Serra de Matalescabres *

Serra de la Fatarella Serra de la Fatarella is one of the isolated mountain ranges of the Catalan Central Depression located off the southern end of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range between La Fatarella and Ascó in Spain. The ridge's highest point is 563.5 m; another im ...

* 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