Iberian System

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Major system of mountain ranges in Spain

title: "Iberian System" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["sistema-ibérico", "mountain-ranges-of-spain", "mountain-ranges-of-aragon", "mountain-ranges-of-castilla–la-mancha", "mountain-ranges-of-the-valencian-community", "mountain-ranges-of-castile-and-león", "mountain-ranges-in-la-rioja", "mountain-ranges-of-catalonia", "mountain-ranges-of-the-sistema-ibérico"] description: "Major system of mountain ranges in Spain" topic_path: "geography/spain" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iberian_System" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Major system of mountain ranges in Spain ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]

FieldValue
nameIberian System
other_nameSistema Ibérico (Spanish)
Sistema Iberico (Aragonese)
Sistema Ibèric (Catalan/Valencian)
photoVistas del pico de San miguel.jpg
photo_captionView of the Moncayo Massif from Alcalá de Moncayo
countrySpain
subdivision1_typeCommunities
subdivision1
geology
ageTertiary
orogenyAlpine
highestMoncayo
elevation_m2313
coordinates
map_imageSpain-2008-29-11.png
map_captionLocation of the Sistema Ibérico in the Iberian Peninsula
::

| name=Iberian System | other_name=Sistema Ibérico (Spanish) Sistema Iberico (Aragonese) Sistema Ibèric (Catalan/Valencian) | photo=Vistas del pico de San miguel.jpg | photo_caption=View of the Moncayo Massif from Alcalá de Moncayo | country= Spain | subdivision1_type=Communities | subdivision1= | geology= | age= Tertiary | orogeny=Alpine | area_km2= | length_km= | length_orientation= | width_km= | width_orientation= | highest=Moncayo | elevation_m= 2313 | coordinates= | map_image=Spain-2008-29-11.png | map_caption=Location of the Sistema Ibérico in the Iberian Peninsula ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Laguna_Negra_de_Urbión.JPG" caption="Soria"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Cerro_del_Padrastro.jpg" caption="Cerro del Padrastro hill close to [[Atienza]], in the transition zone between the Sistema Ibérico and the [[Sistema Central"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Gyps_fulvus_-Oakland_Zoo-8a.jpg" caption="A [[griffon vulture"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Iberian_Wolf.jpg" caption="The [[Iberian wolf]] is a subspecies of grey wolf that is still found in some ranges of the system."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Triturus_marmoratus_up2.JPG" caption="The [[marbled newt]] is common in humid areas of the system, especially in the northwestern region."] ::

The Iberian System is one of the major systems of mountain ranges in Spain. It consists of a vast and complex area of mostly relatively high and rugged mountain chains and massifs located in the central region of the Iberian Peninsula, but reaching almost the Mediterranean coast in the Valencian Community in the east.

The system is hydrographically important, as it separates the watersheds of most of the major rivers in Spain and Portugal, including the Ebro basin to the east from the basins of the Douro, Tagus, Guadiana (Záncara-Gigüela), Júcar and Turia to the west and south.

There are important mining areas in some of the ranges such as Sierra Menera, Sierra de Arcos and Sierra de San Just, making the system one of the chief mining regions in Spain since ancient times. One of the comarcas of Aragon located in the Iberian System was given the name of Cuencas Mineras, lit. 'Mining Basins', since mining is the main activity in the comarca.

Location and description

The Sistema Ibérico mountain range borders the Meseta Central on its eastern end and separates the Meseta Central from the Ebro valley and from the Mediterranean coast.

This system runs northwest-southeast between the Ebro plain and the Meseta Central for over 500 km, from the La Bureba corridor in Burgos Province close to the Cordillera Cantábrica to the Mediterranean sea close to Valencia in the south and close to Tortosa and the Ebro Delta in the east. The bulk of the Sistema Ibérico is located in the southern half of Aragon. The Prebaetic System rises south of the southernmost end of the Iberian System.

The geology of the Iberian System is complex, for it can hardly be defined as a homogeneous system. It is composed of a haphazard and motley series of mountain ranges, massifs, plateaus and depressions without a definite common petrologic composition and overall structure. Nummulite limestone, marble and sandstone are common throughout the area. Some of the parts of the system stand geologically isolated, interrupting the continuity of the whole, linked to the other parts through high plateaus of varying altitudes.

Ecology and human activity

Population decline

Large zones of the mountainous Iberian System have undergone heavy depopulation since the early 20th century. There are many ghost towns and abandoned villages scattered across different parts of the Iberian System, especially in Teruel Province. Currently a great number of surviving towns have only a residual population. In some cases, many of the inhabitants are not natives anymore but immigrants from Romania or the Maghreb working as contract laborers in agricultural activities.

The exodus from the rural mountainous areas in Spain rose after General Franco's Stabilization Plan in 1959. The population declined steeply as people emigrated towards the industrial areas of the large cities and the coastal towns where the tourism industry was growing. Other causes of high emigration have been the abandonment by the local youth of traditional agricultural practices that were the mainstay of the village economy, such as sheep and goat rearing, as well as the lifestyle changes that swept over rural Spain during the second half of the 20th century.

Fauna

The heavy depopulation has favored wildlife so that one of the last colonies of griffon vultures in Europe is in the Iberian System. Wolves and eagles (Aquila chrysaetos, Hieraaetus fasciatus, Hieraaetus pennatus, Circaetus gallicus) are also relatively common in the lonely heights. Among the mammals, the Spanish ibex, roe deer, wild boar, European badgers, common genets, among others, have their habitat in many of these desolate mountain ranges.

The most common reptiles in the Iberian System are Lacerta lepida, Psammodromus algirus, Psammodromus hispanicus, Podarcis muralis and Podarcis hispanicus. Chalcides chalcides, Chalcides bedriagai and Anguis fragilis, are relatively rarer. The snakes present in these mountains are Natrix maura, Natrix natrix, Malpolon monspessulanus, Elaphe scalaris, Coronella girondica, Coronella austriaca and Vipera latastei.

Some amphibians are abundant in or near ponds and rivulets throughout the whole system, such as Rana perezi, Bufo bufo, Bufo calamita, Alytes obstetricans, Triturus marmoratus and Lissotriton helveticus, the latter also at high altitude, whether in intermittent or permanent bodies of water. Hyla arborea and Salamandra salamandra are somewhat rarer, but still having a wide distribution, especially in humid forested zones. The Iberian ribbed newt (Pleurodeles waltl), however, is rarely found in the mountainous areas. Aquatic invertebrates, including the Austropotamobius pallipes crayfish, and certain fishes, such as Salaria fluviatilis and Cobitis paludica are common in the upper course of the Sistema Ibérico rivers. Some mountain streams have been stocked with trout.

Traditional cattle rearing activities, formerly so important in central Iberia, still survive on dry grasslands in certain villages around the system. There are also many hunters visiting some of the ranges, mainly those that are relatively closer to the urban areas and especially on weekends.

Vegetation

Some ranges have forested patches, consisting mainly of Pinus pinaster, Pinus sylvestris and Pinus uncinata pines and Quercus rotundifolia, Quercus pyrenaica and Quercus faginea oaks, even Fagus sylvatica beeches and Betula pendula birches grow in some humid slopes, where Pteridium aquilinum, Polypodium vulgare ferns may also be found.

Other ranges are rocky and quite bare with heath (Erica arborea, Erica vagans, Calluna vulgaris), broom as well as thyme and Festuca and Nardus stricta grasslands. Thin forest or shrubland may include Juniperus communis, Juniperus thurifera, Cytisus purgans, Erinacea anthyllis and Calluna vulgaris shrub. Often the southern slopes are drier than the northern ones and may be subject to wildfires in periods of prolonged drought, especially in the summer.

Bogs are not common in the Iberian Peninsula, but high altitude bogs form in the few areas of the Sistema Ibérico where the water remains stagnant, such as near Orihuela del Tremedal, Bronchales and in the place known as Fuente del Hierro, at an altitude between 1.400 and 1.550 m. The plants growing in these bogs are mainly Polytrichum mosses, Potentilla erecta, Pinguicula vulgaris, Vaccinium myrtillus, Calluna vulgaris, and also Drosera rotundifolia, a carnivorous plant that does not grow further south in Western Europe.

Centaurea pinnata is an endangered species of plant present in the Sierra de Vicort and Sierra de Santa Cruz mountain ranges.

Mountain ranges

The Sistema Ibérico comprises several mountain ranges and massifs:

Main subranges and features

File:Molinos50.JPG|The arid Sierra de los Caballos range rises behind Molinos File:Cueva de agreda24.JPG|The main peaks of the Moncayo Massif rising behind Cueva de Agreda File:Bollón89.JPG|Sierra del Bollón, foothills of the Moncayo Massif, near Fuendejalón File:Daroca - Vista general 01.JPG|Sierra de Santa Cruz near Daroca File:Roques de Benet.jpg|The massive Roques de Benet in the western side of the Ports de Beseit File:Serra de Mayabona.jpg|Sierra Mayabona File:Vista Valle del Sol, Concha de Pineda y cordal de La Demanda desde el Mencilla.jpg|View of the Sierra de la Demanda from Mencilla Peak File:Laguna Negra Sierra Urbion.jpg|The Laguna Negra in the Picos de Urbión area File:Ejulve (Andorra-Sierra de Arcos, Teruel, Aragón.jpg|Sierra de San Just above Ejulve File:Monasterio de Piedra - Cola de Caballo.jpg|Waterfall in the Monasterio de Piedra Natural Park File:Sierra-de-algairen400.JPG|Sierra de Algairén towering behind Almonacid de la Sierra File:Sierra de Albarracín II.jpg|Rugged Sierra de Albarracín File:BosquePinoNegroValdelinares.JPG|Black pine trees near Valdelinares, Sierra de Gúdar File:La Modorra34.JPG|La Modorra, highest peak in the Sierra de Cucalón system File:Gotor2.JPG|Sierra de la Virgen behind Gotor File:Morella Panorama 2.jpg|View of Morella File:20080817-Calatayud.jpg|Calatayud with the Sierra de Vicort in the background File:Purujosa Cabezo.jpg|Purujosa from the Cabezo File:Detall extracions ferro.JPG|Open-pit mining of iron ore in Sierra Menera File:Penyagolosa pic1.JPG|The Penyagolosa summit File:Sierra de Alcarama La Rioja Spain 878.JPG|Sierra de Alcarama in La Rioja File:Rubielos de la Cérida impact structure central uplift chain.jpg|"Pico Palomera", part of the central-uplift chain in the Rubielos de la Cérida impact structure in Sierra Palomera File:Brieva01.jpg|Cabezo del Santo, Sierra de Castejón, Brieva de Cameros, La Rioja File:Los Callejones de Las Majadas 2.jpg|Los Callejones de Las Majadas in the Serranía de Cuenca File:Calmarza.jpg|View of Calmarza with the Sierra de Solorio cliffs above the town File:Penalcazar.jpg|Sierra de Miñana seen from Peñalcázar castle, Soria Province File:Pico Ranera.jpg|Ranera Peak in Sierra de Mira File:Sierra Carrascosa34.JPG|Northeastern end of Sierra Carrascosa with the "Guerrero Romano" rock formation File:Monegre90.JPG|Monegre peak in Sierra de Nava Alta File:Isasa.JPG|South face of Isasa Peak, Sierra de Peñalmonte File:Laguna de Gallocanta.jpg|Laguna de Gallocanta, located in an endorheic basin within the Iberian System File:Sierra de arcos71.JPG|Hill in the Sierra de Arcos area with unusual rock formations on top File:VISTABELLA.jpg|Vistabella de Huerva below Sierra de Herrera range File:Paridera Cueva del Río Piedra.jpg|Paridera cave, in the Piedra river, next to Monasterio de Piedra, Spain File:Montenegro de Cameros.jpg|Montenegro de Cameros, typical village in the northern part of the range File:ValleDelOjaYSanLorenzo.jpg|Beech and pine forests in the Sierra de la Demanda

Peaks

The main peaks of the system are: Moncayo (2,313 m), Monte San Lorenzo (2,262 m), Pico de Urbión (2,228 m), Pico San Millán (2,131 m), Peña Cebollera (2,129 m), Javalambre (2,020 m) and Peñarroya (2,019 m). Other locally important summits are Cerro Calderón (1,837 m), Mont Caro (1,441 m), Tossal d'Orenga (1,144 m) and Montegordo (837 m),

Rivers

The Sistema Ibérico is not as high as other mountain systems in Spain. It is, however, very significant from the hydrographic point of view for important rivers of the Iberian Peninsula have their source in its mountains, which divide the Atlantic from the Mediterranean watershed. The following rivers rise in the Sistema Ibérico:

Notes

References

References

  1. "Recursos minerales de España - Universidad de Zaragoza".
  2. Luis Diego Arribas, ''Contemporary Art and Opencast Mining'', University of Zaragoza, 2009
  3. [http://www.comarcaacomarca.com/id/15/comarca.asp?q=Cuencas%20Mineras Comarcas de Aragón - Cuencas Mineras]
  4. [https://naturaxilocae.blogspot.com/2011/05/geolodia-2011-entre-la-sierra-de.html Natura Xilocae - Entre la sierra de Caldereros y el Maestrazgo de Teruel]
  5. [https://lospueblosdeshabitados.blogspot.com/search/label/TERUEL%20%20-Collado%20de%20la%20Grulla- Pueblos deshabitados - Collado de la Grulla (Teruel)]
  6. [http://www.mibolso.com/reportajes/un_pueblo_de_teruel_salvado_por_la_inmigracion_1.html Un pueblo de Teruel, salvado por la inmigración]
  7. [http://despoblacion.blogia.com/temas/la-despoblacion-en-aragon.php Despoblación en Aragon] {{webarchive. link. (2012-08-23)
  8. [https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-131432781 Walking In Spain]
  9. "Número de especies y endemismos".
  10. link. (2012-03-25)
  11. [http://www.marm.es/es/biodiversidad/temas/red-natura-2000/ES2430102_tcm7-153810.pdf MARM / Biodiversidad - Sierra de Vicort] {{webarchive. link. (2011-08-07)
  12. [http://derutas.wordpress.com/parajes/sierras/sierra-vicor/ De Rutas - Sierra de Vicor] {{webarchive. link. (2011-05-28)
  13. [http://countrystudies.us/spain/30.htm Country Studies]
  14. [http://www.montipedia.com/iberico.htm Montipedia - Spanish] {{webarchive. link. (2012-09-05)

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sistema-ibéricomountain-ranges-of-spainmountain-ranges-of-aragonmountain-ranges-of-castilla–la-manchamountain-ranges-of-the-valencian-communitymountain-ranges-of-castile-and-leónmountain-ranges-in-la-riojamountain-ranges-of-cataloniamountain-ranges-of-the-sistema-ibérico