Montseny Massif

Montseny (Catalan pronunciation: [munˈsɛɲ]) is a mountain range west of the coastal hills north of Barcelona. It is part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range.

Montseny
Les Agudes seen from the summit of El Matagalls
Highest point
Elevation1,706 m (5,597 ft)
Listing
Coordinates41°47′36″N 2°24′11″E 
Geography
Montseny
Catalonia, Spain
LocationVallès Oriental, la Selva, Osona
Catalonia
Parent rangeCatalan Pre-Coastal Range
Geology
Mountain typeSedimentary rock layers over igneous and metamorphic rocks[1]

Features

The Montseny massif is located within a triangle formed by the AP-7, C-17 and C-25 roads. It has the highest mountains in the area south of the Pyrenees and dominates the plains south of Girona. To the south lies the plateau of La Calma. In between is the Valley of the Tordera River.

The highest peaks are Turó de l'Home (1,712 m), Les Agudes (1,703 m), El Matagalls (1,697 m) and Puig Drau (1,344 m).

Meteorological Observatory at the top of the Turó de l'Home in the Montseny Massif

There are a large number of megalithic structures in the massif, such as menhirs, indicating that the area was inhabited since very ancient times.[2]

The Santa Fe Reservoir is located in the area of range; construction work began in 1920 and was completed in 1935.[3]

North face of the Turó de l'Home, the highest summit of the range
The massive Matagalls seen from Arbúcies.

Ecology

The Montseny is a protected area, UNESCO designated the massif a biosphere reserve in 1978.[4] The Generalitat of Catalonia regional government designated it a natural park in 1987, the Montseny Natural Park (Parc Natural del Montseny).[5]

The Park is home to a wide variety of fauna from Mediterranean to alpine. The critically endangered Montseny brook newt is only known from the area of this massif.[6]

References
  1. Geologia - Massís del Montseny
  2. Josep Tarrús i Galter (2011). Menhirs i art megalític a Catalunya: les darreres descobertes i el seu context. p. 93-102
  3. Wikiloc - Santa Fe Reservoir
  4. "Biosphere Reserve Information - Montseny". UNESCO. Retrieved 2007-03-23.
  5. Parc Natural del Montseny - Xarxa de Parcs Naturals
  6. Salvador Carranza; Iñigo Martínez-Solano (2009). "Calotriton arnoldi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2009: e.T136131A4246722. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2009.RLTS.T136131A4246722.en. Retrieved 10 January 2018.


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