Sulcis Mountains
Encyclopedia
The Sulcis Mountains is a mountain chain in Sardinia
, Italy
. Together with the Monte Linas massif, from which they are separated by the flood plain of the Cixerri River, they form the Sulcis-Iglesiente Mountains, one of the most ancient geological formations in the island.
period). Their age is also shown by the rather mild nature of the reliefs, with a few peaks over 1000 m of altitude, presenting what remains of the superficial erosion
which has partly left untouched the magmatic intrusion
s and the metamorphic rock
s originated before the Variscan orogeny
.
The western side of the chain has been made rather mild by the erosion and flood processes, with modest altitude reliefs. The inner and eastern sectors are sharper and more irregular, with numerous reliefs and narrow valleys. The western side contains the oldest formations from the Cambrian, consisting in seadimentary depots of marine origin, later subject to metamorphic phenomena. Here Karst topography
is also present (Is Zuddas Grottoes).
Most of the sedimentary formations from the Carboniferous
to the Permian
underwent to metamorphic processes in the Variscan Orogney, and to the intrusion of graniti
c marbles. The post-Variscan erosion and the tectonic lifts of the Cenozoic
caused the appearance of magmatic (leucogranite
s) and metamorphic (schist
s) intrusions which made the eastern sector more eterogeneous.
The plateau-like formations at the feet of the chain have a double origin: on the western side are the most ancient ones (Cenozoic), formed by flood depots and, partly, by lava; on the eastern and south-easters sides are instead small flood depots from the Quaternary
.
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Together with the Monte Linas massif, from which they are separated by the flood plain of the Cixerri River, they form the Sulcis-Iglesiente Mountains, one of the most ancient geological formations in the island.
Geology
The Sulcis Mountains geological structure is rather intricated, due to their very ancient origin which, in the first formations, dates to more than 600 millions years ago (CambrianCambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
period). Their age is also shown by the rather mild nature of the reliefs, with a few peaks over 1000 m of altitude, presenting what remains of the superficial erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
which has partly left untouched the magmatic intrusion
Intrusion
An intrusion is liquid rock that forms under Earth's surface. Magma from under the surface is slowly pushed up from deep within the earth into any cracks or spaces it can find, sometimes pushing existing country rock out of the way, a process that can take millions of years. As the rock slowly...
s and the metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock is the transformation of an existing rock type, the protolith, in a process called metamorphism, which means "change in form". The protolith is subjected to heat and pressure causing profound physical and/or chemical change...
s originated before the Variscan orogeny
Variscan orogeny
The Variscan orogeny is a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic continental collision between Euramerica and Gondwana to form the supercontinent of Pangaea.-Naming:...
.
The western side of the chain has been made rather mild by the erosion and flood processes, with modest altitude reliefs. The inner and eastern sectors are sharper and more irregular, with numerous reliefs and narrow valleys. The western side contains the oldest formations from the Cambrian, consisting in seadimentary depots of marine origin, later subject to metamorphic phenomena. Here Karst topography
Karst topography
Karst topography is a geologic formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite, but has also been documented for weathering resistant rocks like quartzite given the right conditions.Due to subterranean drainage, there...
is also present (Is Zuddas Grottoes).
Most of the sedimentary formations from the Carboniferous
Carboniferous
The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Permian Period, about 299.0 ± 0.8 Mya . The name is derived from the Latin word for coal, carbo. Carboniferous means "coal-bearing"...
to the Permian
Permian
The PermianThe term "Permian" was introduced into geology in 1841 by Sir Sir R. I. Murchison, president of the Geological Society of London, who identified typical strata in extensive Russian explorations undertaken with Edouard de Verneuil; Murchison asserted in 1841 that he named his "Permian...
underwent to metamorphic processes in the Variscan Orogney, and to the intrusion of graniti
Graniti
Graniti is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 160 km east of Palermo and about 45 km southwest of Messina. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,550 and an area of 10.0 km².Graniti borders the following municipalities: Antillo,...
c marbles. The post-Variscan erosion and the tectonic lifts of the Cenozoic
Cenozoic
The Cenozoic era is the current and most recent of the three Phanerozoic geological eras and covers the period from 65.5 mya to the present. The era began in the wake of the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous that saw the demise of the last non-avian dinosaurs and...
caused the appearance of magmatic (leucogranite
Leucogranite
In geology, leucogranites are amongst the youngest intrusions related to anatexis of continental crust anywhere in the world. Leucogranites are commonly found in deformed metapelitic/metagraywacke sequences that have been thrusted over basements during crustal thickening associated with continental...
s) and metamorphic (schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
s) intrusions which made the eastern sector more eterogeneous.
The plateau-like formations at the feet of the chain have a double origin: on the western side are the most ancient ones (Cenozoic), formed by flood depots and, partly, by lava; on the eastern and south-easters sides are instead small flood depots from the Quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
.
Main peaks
- Monte Is Caravius (1116 m)
- Monte Tiriccu (1105 m)
- Punta Sa Cruxitta (1093 m)
- Monte Sa Mirra (1087 m)
- Monte Lattias (1086 m)
- Monte Nieddu (1040 m)
- Monte Maxia (1017 m)
- Sa Punta Sa Berrita de Currei (1008 m)
- Punta Rocca Steria (1008 m)
- Punta Sebera (979 m)
- Monte Genna Spina (970 m)
- Punta Allimeddus (966 m)
- Monte ArcosuMonte ArcosuMonte Arcosu is a mountain in the Sulcis massif, in southern Sardinia, Italy. It has an elevation of .The mountain has a characteristically truncated cone shape, resulting from the differential erosion which followed its formation during the Variscan orogeny...
(948 m)