Albères

The Albera Massif (; ) is a mountain range located in the south of Pyrénées-Orientales and the north of Catalonia, between France and Spain. It is the main easternmost prolongation of the Pyrenees. Its highest peak is the Puig Neulós, with an elevation of 1,256 metres.

Most of the southern side of the range is part of the Paratge Natural d'Interès Nacional de l'Albera natural reserve. There are some ancient megaliths in the range. The Col du Perthus marks the western boundary of the massif.

The massif is at the eastern end of the "Axial Zone" of the Pyrenees mountain range. As in most of that zone, the geological formations in the massif are mostly of Paleozoic and earlier ages, with granite, gneiss, and schists (and other metasediments) being the predominant formations.Notice explicative de la feuille Argelès-sur-Mer - Cerbère (1097) à 1/50 000
BRGM Éditions, Orléans, 2015.

On the northern slopes of the massif, the Albères fault (which runs roughly west to east from near Le Boulou to near Argelès) marks a clear geological and topographical boundary between the Palaeozoic and older formations of the Albera massif and the Neogene deposits of the Roussillon basin.Marc Calvet, Magali Delmas, Yanni Gunnell, Bernard Laumonier, ''Geology and Landscapes of the Eastern Pyrenees'', Springer International Publishing, Kindle edition, 2022, pages 314-333.

History

The Albera Range became the border between France and Spain following the Treaty of the Pyrenees, when Philip IV of Spain ceded a part of the Spanish kingdom to Louis XIV of France, dividing Northern Catalonia from Historical Catalonia.

Toponymy

The etymology of the word ''Albères'' is largely unknown due to a lack of documentation (the earliest being dated to the 9th century) and because several very common roots seem to correspond with the name.

One of the more notable proposed hypotheses is that it may derive from the Latin ''Albaria'' by adding the collective suffix ''-aria'' to the adjective ''albus'', meaning "white". However, this explanation is considered unreliable because the massif is not white in color. Rarely snow-covered, it likely did not show white rocks in the Middle Ages, as it was covered with forests. It could also come from ''alba'', dawn, because it is the easternmost of the Pyrenees, or from the pre-Latin root ''Alp'' found in many mountain names in Western Europe.

Lluis Basseda favors another hypothesis: the root ''Alp'' followed either by the Latin collective suffix ''-aria'' or the Iberian-Basque suffix ''-erri''. The term ''Albera'' would designate a steep, high mountain but rich in pasture, in contrast to ''Corbera'', used for a rounded, lower relief covered with bushes, as seen in the region in names such as the commune Corbère-les-Cabanes or the Corbières massif. This hypothesis aligns with the layout of the places in question.

The name first appeared in Latin in 844 in a text by the future Emperor Charles the Bald, which mentions a place located ''in monte Albario''. The term is found interchangeably in the singular or plural during the Middle Ages. It eventually became fixed in the singular in Catalan as ''Albera'' and in the plural in French. Thus, in French, the expression "les Albères" refers to the massif, while L'Albère is the name of a French commune located within this massif.

Geography

Topography

The Albères massif is bounded to the west by the Col du Perthus and the Rome river, which separates it from the Salines massif, to the east by the Mediterranean Sea between Argelès-sur-Mer in France and Port-Bou and Llançà in Spain. The Albères dominate the lower Tech valley and the plain of Roussillon to the north and the plan of Empordà to the south. The mountains on the right side of the Tech, to the west, the boundary is uncertain and almost impossible to determine. To the south, the Cap de Creus massif is sometimes considered to be part of the Albères. It culminates at 1,256 meters above sea level, at Puig Neulós.

The summit ridge of the Albères helps making the demarcation of the border between France and Spain. Thus, the massif is geographically part of the Pyrenees. Administratively, it is located in the department of Pyrénées-Orientales in France, and in the province of Girona in Catalonia (Spain).

Geology

The Albères massif is located at the eastern end of the axial zone of the Pyrenees mountain range. This area is mainly made up of Paleozoic and older formations (dating from around 550 millions of years to around 300 millions of years) which outcrop in a broader range, running from west to east, from the Hautes-Pyrénées to the Canigou massif and the Vermeille coast, passing through Andorra.

In the Albères massif, the two main groups of formations are metamorphosed formations of sedimentary origin (notably schists), and formations of plutonic origin (mainly granites and gneisses).

On its northern slope, the Albères fault (which extends approximately from west to east from around Le Boulou to around Argelès) marks a clear geological and topographical limit between the Paleozoic and older formations of the Massif des Albères and the Neogene deposits of the Roussillon basin.

Of mainly siliceous geological origin, this massif produces acidic soils; hence the presence of maquis and not scrubland (present on limestone soils).

Gallery

Massís de l'Albera (Alt Empordà) - 4.jpg, Albera Massif
Massís de l'Albera (Alt Empordà) - 2.jpg, Albera Massif
Massís de l'Albera (Alt Empordà) - 3.jpg, Albera Massif
Massís de l'Albera (Alt Empordà) - 1.jpg, Albera Massif
Pic Neulós Albères.jpg, Puig Neulós
Puig Sallfort depuis la tour de Querroig 2.jpg, Puig Sallfort seen from the Tour de Querroig.
Sant Cristau côté sud.jpg, Puig de Sant Cristau, towards the western end of the massif.
Formation granitique La Jonquera.jpg, Granite outcrop, above La Jonquera.

See also

*Treaty of the Pyrenees
*Mountains of Catalonia
* Coll de Banyuls

References

External links

Paratge Natural d'Interès Nacional de l'AlberaRequesens - Puig Neulós hiking routeManel Figuera i Abadal, ''50 ascensions fàcils pel Pirineu català'', Valls, Cossetània, 2008Centre de reproducció de tortugues de l'Albera

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Mountain ranges of Catalonia
Pyrenees
Northeastern Spain and Southern France Mediterranean forests