Montes Universales
Encyclopedia
Montes Universales is a 32 km (20 mi) long mountain range in the southwestern end of the Iberian System
. Its highest point is the 1,935 m high summit known as Caimodorro. The 1,830 m high Muela de San Juan is another important peak.
Administratively the Montes Universales belong to the Sierra de Albarracín
comarca of Aragon, therefore there are often confused with the geographical Sierra de Albarracín
mountain range.
The range is aligned in a NW - SE direction and is not as high as neighboring mountain ranges. It is, however, very significant from the hydrographic point of view for important rivers of the Iberian Peninsula
have their source in these mountains, which divide the Atlantic
from the Mediterranean
watershed
. Among the Iberian rivers that originate in the Montes Universales the most important are Tagus
on the western slopes, and the Túria
, Cabriel
and Xúquer on the eastern.
The Montes Universales limit on the northeast with the paleozoic
massifs of Caimodorro and Loma Alta, in the southeast with the Serranía de Cuenca and with the Sierra de Jabalón and the Túria Valley in the east.
Erebia zapateri is an endemic butterfly of these mountains.
, oak
and Iberian Juniper
(Juniperus thurifera) forest.
Radiocarbon samples from Ojos del Tremedal show that birch
es, now almost absent from these mountains, were very common in the Montes Universales during the ice age
around 9,600 years ago. Signs of human interference with the vegetation have been detected beginning from about 3,500 years before.
Sistema Ibérico
The Sistema Ibérico or Iberian System is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.It is a vast and complex system of mountain chains and massifs located in the central regions of the Iberian Peninsula, but reaching almost the Mediterranean coast in the Land of Valencia in the east.From...
. Its highest point is the 1,935 m high summit known as Caimodorro. The 1,830 m high Muela de San Juan is another important peak.
Administratively the Montes Universales belong to the Sierra de Albarracín
Sierra de Albarracín Comarca
Sierra de Albarracín Comarca is a comarca in Aragon, Spain. It is located in the Iberian System, in an area formerly known locally as Tierra de Albarracín, roughly corresponding to the ancient Señorío de Albarracín feudal manor...
comarca of Aragon, therefore there are often confused with the geographical Sierra de Albarracín
Sierra de Albarracín
Sierra de Albarracín is a long mountain range in the southwestern end of the Iberian System. Its highest point is the 1,856 m high summit known as Sierra Alta....
mountain range.
The range is aligned in a NW - SE direction and is not as high as neighboring mountain ranges. It is, however, very significant from the hydrographic point of view for important rivers of the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
have their source in these mountains, which divide the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
from the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
. Among the Iberian rivers that originate in the Montes Universales the most important are Tagus
Tagus
The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. It is long, in Spain, along the border between Portugal and Spain and in Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of . The Tagus is highly utilized for most of its course...
on the western slopes, and the Túria
Turia
Turia can refer to:*Turia , a river in southeastern Spain*Turía , a small river in northern Spain*Turía , a small Web development company in india*Turia Valley, a valley in northern Spain...
, Cabriel
Cabriel
Cabriel or Cabriol is a tributary of Júcar River.It has its source in the Montes Universales.- External links :...
and Xúquer on the eastern.
The Montes Universales limit on the northeast with the paleozoic
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
massifs of Caimodorro and Loma Alta, in the southeast with the Serranía de Cuenca and with the Sierra de Jabalón and the Túria Valley in the east.
Erebia zapateri is an endemic butterfly of these mountains.
Vegetation
These mountains are covered with mostly not very dense clumps of pinePine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and Iberian Juniper
Juniperus thurifera
Juniperus thurifera is a species of juniper native to the mountains of the western Mediterranean region, from southern France across eastern and central Spain to Morocco and locally in northern Algeria....
(Juniperus thurifera) forest.
Radiocarbon samples from Ojos del Tremedal show that birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
es, now almost absent from these mountains, were very common in the Montes Universales during the ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
around 9,600 years ago. Signs of human interference with the vegetation have been detected beginning from about 3,500 years before.