Bardenas Reales
Encyclopedia
The Bardenas Reales is a semi-desert of some 42,000 ha in southeast Navarre
(Spain
). The soils are made up of clay
, chalk
and sandstone
and have been eroded by water and wind creating surprising shapes, canyons, plateaus, tabular structures and isolated hills, called seamounts. Bardenas lacks urban areas, vegetation is scarce and the many streams that cross the territory have a markedly seasonal flow, staying dry most of the year.
. It is located in the middle of the depression of the Ebro valley at the foot of the mountains of the Yugo
and the Zaragoza
region of Cinco Villas. It is 45 km from north to south and 24 east-west and at an altitude ranging between 280 and 659 meters. Its area is 41,845 ha. Limited to sixteen municipalities, of which thirteen are in Navarre and three in the province of Zaragoza. The Navarrese are Valtierra, Arguedas, Carcastillo, Santacara, Mélida, Rada, Caparroso, Villafranca, Cadreita, Tudela, Cabanillas, Fustiñana and Buñuel, while the Zaragozan are: Taussig, Ejea de los Caballeros and Sádaba.
Bardenas are divided into several distinct areas where mainly include two, Bardena White and Black, but there are other smaller areas of great singularity.
The White Bardena divides into two, the White Lower and Upper White. The first is the most depressed and the second extending from Pisquerra and Eguaras to Carcastillo.
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
(Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
). The soils are made up of clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
, chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and have been eroded by water and wind creating surprising shapes, canyons, plateaus, tabular structures and isolated hills, called seamounts. Bardenas lacks urban areas, vegetation is scarce and the many streams that cross the territory have a markedly seasonal flow, staying dry most of the year.
Situation
The Bardenas is in the southeast of Navarra, bordering AragonAragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
. It is located in the middle of the depression of the Ebro valley at the foot of the mountains of the Yugo
Yugo
Yugo may refer to:Automobiles* Yugo or Zastava Koral, a subcompact vehicle built by Zastava corporationPlaces* Yugo, Baltistan, a small village in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir regionEntertainment...
and the Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
region of Cinco Villas. It is 45 km from north to south and 24 east-west and at an altitude ranging between 280 and 659 meters. Its area is 41,845 ha. Limited to sixteen municipalities, of which thirteen are in Navarre and three in the province of Zaragoza. The Navarrese are Valtierra, Arguedas, Carcastillo, Santacara, Mélida, Rada, Caparroso, Villafranca, Cadreita, Tudela, Cabanillas, Fustiñana and Buñuel, while the Zaragozan are: Taussig, Ejea de los Caballeros and Sádaba.
Bardenas are divided into several distinct areas where mainly include two, Bardena White and Black, but there are other smaller areas of great singularity.
White Bardena
It is the central area and more desert. Its relief is characterized by extensive plains and deep gorges through which rivers flow. This Bardena owes its name to the presence of white salt that extend over the surface due to the abundance of gypsum in the soil.The White Bardena divides into two, the White Lower and Upper White. The first is the most depressed and the second extending from Pisquerra and Eguaras to Carcastillo.