Sierra del Escudo de Cabuérniga

Sierra del Escudo de Cabuérniga

View of the range above Celis, a village of Rionansa municipality
Highest point
Peak Gándara
Elevation 927 m (3,041 ft)
Dimensions
Length 50 km (31 mi) E/W
Width 15 km (9.3 mi) N/S
Geography

Location in Spain

Location Asturias
Country Spain
Range coordinates 43°16′N 4°19′W / 43.27°N 4.32°W / 43.27; -4.32Coordinates: 43°16′N 4°19′W / 43.27°N 4.32°W / 43.27; -4.32
Parent range Cantabrian Mountains
Geology
Orogeny Alpine orogeny
Age of rock Mesozoic
Type of rock Sandstone

The Sierra del Escudo de Cabuérniga is a mountain range in Cantabria, Spain. It is a northern foothill of the Cantabrian Mountains, located between the main ranges and the Bay of Biscay. Its highest point is 927 m high Gándara.[1]

Traditionally in Cantabria this range has been considered the border between La Marina (The Coast) and La Montaña (The Mountain).

Geography

The Sierra del Escudo de Cabuérniga runs parallel to the coast, separated 15–20 km from it. The altitude of its summits averages between 600 and 1,000 meters above sea level.

The range is broken in several places by gorges eroded by the rivers which flow perpendicularly from the Cantabrian Mountains into the sea. Its continuity is very well marked in the western zone of Cantabria, while to the east, its orography starts to dilute, although the appearance of great faults mark its East-West route. The Escudo River has its sources in this range.[2]

Geologically the Sierra del Escudo de Cabuérniga is an inverted basin geological fault where Paleozoico stands exposed, along with Mesozoic rocks of the Jurassic and Cretacean periods.[3]

787.02 hectares of the central strip of the range, near Carmona, are catalogued as a Site of Community Importance.[4]

References


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