300px, Rocky limestone landscape in the monti Picentini. The Monti Picentini 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 ...

and national park in southern Italy, part of the

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...

, traditionally part in the

Campania Campania is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy located in Southern Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian Peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islan ...

n Apennines. They are included between the

Monti Lattari The Monti Lattari (Lattari Mountains) are a mountain range in Campania, southern Italy, which constitutes the backbone of the Sorrentine peninsula and of the Amalfi Coast. Geography The Monti Lattari are the western extension of the Monti Picent ...

, the Partenio mount, the

Irpinia Irpinia ( Modern Latin ''Hirpinia'') is a geographical and cultural region of Southern Italy. It was the inland territory of the ancient '' Hirpini'' tribe, and its extent matches approximately today's province of Avellino. Geography The territ ...

n plateau and the

Sele Sele may refer to: Places Africa *Sele, Burkina Faso, a village in the Ouéleni Department of Burkina Fase. * Sele, Ethiopia, a town in Agbe municipality Asia *Sele, Turkey, a Turkish village in Kailar in Ottoman times *Şələ, Azerbaijan *Seleu ...

river valley. The chain is included in the

Monti Picentini Regional Park The Monti Picentini Regional Park (Italian: ''Parco regionale Monti Picentini'') is a natural preserve in Campania, southern Italy. Geography It is based on the Monti Picentini chain, a dolomitic-limestone area in the provinces of Avellino and S ...

. The highest peak is the Monte Cervialto (1,809 m), in the eastern sector, followed by the Monte Terminio (1,783 m), which is instead in the western part of the range.

Geology, landscape and climate

Overview

The range is mostly made up of dolomite and

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) ...

rocks, different from the surroundings areas, which are dominated by

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

rocks. A central depression, joining the valleys of the

Calore Irpino The Calore Irpino or Calore Beneventano or Calore river is a river in southwestern Italy. It rises from ''Colle Finestra'' ( above sea level), a mountain saddle between Monte Acellica and the Terminio sub-group in the Monti Picentini, sub-range o ...

and

Tusciano The Tusciano is a river of Campania in southern Italy. Course The source is between Monte Polveracchio and Monte Cervialto, in the Monti Picentini range of the southern Apennines. It passes through the territories of Acerno and Campagna, wh ...

rivers, divided the range in two geologically different sectors: the western one, where rocks are predominantly dolomite, and the eastern one, mostly made up of limestone and has generally a less sharp landscape.

Karst topography Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

is widely present, from which, in the valleys below, originates several springs. Snow is present in winter over 1,000 m of altitude. Vegetation is generally low, somewhere mixed with chestnut woods.

Rivers

Rivers starting from the Monti Picentini include: *

* Picentino *

* Sabato *

Ofanto The Ofanto (), known in ancient times as Aufidus or Canna, is a 134 or 170 km (83 or 110 mi, depending on the sources) river in southern Italy that flows through the regions of Campania, Basilicata, and Apulia, into the Gulf of Manfredonia near ...

References

Mountain ranges of Italy Mountains of Campania {{Campania-geo-stub

Geology, landscape and climate

Overview

Rivers

See also

References