Serra del Cadí

Serra del Cadí
View of the Cadí mountain range
Highest point
PeakVulturó
Elevation2,648 m (8,688 ft)[1]
Coordinates42°17′24.50″N 1°37′08.33″E / 42.2901389°N 1.6189806°E / 42.2901389; 1.6189806
Dimensions
Length22.6 km (14.0 mi) E/W
Width8 km (5.0 mi) N/S
Geography
Serra del Cadí is located in Pyrenees
Serra del Cadí
Serra del Cadí
Location in the Pre-Pyrenees area
CountrySpain
CommunityCatalonia
ComarquesAlt Urgell, Baixa Cerdanya and Berguedà
Parent rangePre-Pyrenees, central/eastern zone
Geology
OrogenyAlpine orogeny
Rock ageEocene
Rock typeLimestone

The Serra del Cadí is a mountain range in the north of Catalonia, Spain, part of the Pre-Pyrenees. Its highest peak is the Vulturó, with an altitude of 2,648 metres (8,688 ft).

It stretches from east to west between Alt Urgell and Berguedà. The Llobregat River has its sources in Castellar de n'Hug at an altitude of 1,259 meters on the Serra del Cadí.

Description

Geologically the northern slopes are made up of Jurassic materials while the peaks are Eocene limestone. The northern face is an almost continuous series of sheer cliffs. The present structure formed during the Tertiary as a consequence of the orogenesis of the Pyrenees and is characterized by its Alpine folding.[2]

This jagged mountain range was formerly a natural barrier hampering communication between Barcelona and Cerdanya, but the situation was resolved after the Cadí Tunnel was built together with the C-16 highway which follows the valley of the Llobregat.[3]

Believed to be extinct in Catalonia, the first wolf in 80 years was found recently in the Serra del Cadí.[4]

Protected areas

Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park was created in July 1983 to protect the Serra del Cadí, as well as the adjacent Serra de Moixeró, Pedraforca mountain, and part of the Tosa d'Alp and Puigllançada.[5]

References