Albera Massif

History

The Albera Range became the border between France and Spain following the Treaty of the Pyrenees, when Philip IV of Spain ceded a part of the Spanish kingdom to Louis XIV of France, dividing Northern Catalonia from Historical Catalonia.

Toponymy

The etymology of the word Albères is largely unknown due to a lack of documentation (the earliest being dated to the 9th century) and because several very common roots seem to correspond with the name.

One of the more notable proposed hypotheses is that it may derive from the Latin Albaria by adding the collective suffix -aria to the adjective albus, meaning "white". However, this explanation is considered unreliable because the massif is not white in color. Rarely snow-covered, it likely did not show white rocks in the Middle Ages, as it was covered with forests. It could also come from alba, dawn, because it is the easternmost of the Pyrenees, or from the pre-Latin root Alp found in many mountain names in Western Europe.

Lluis Basseda favors another hypothesis: the root Alp followed either by the Latin collective suffix -aria or the Iberian-Basque suffix -erri. The term Albera would designate a steep, high mountain but rich in pasture, in contrast to Corbera, used for a rounded, lower relief covered with bushes, as seen in the region in names such as the commune Corbère-les-Cabanes or the Corbières massif. This hypothesis aligns with the layout of the places in question.

The name first appeared in Latin in 844 in a text by the future Emperor Charles the Bald, which mentions a place located in monte Albario. The term is found interchangeably in the singular or plural during the Middle Ages. It eventually became fixed in the singular in Catalan as Albera and in the plural in French. Thus, in French, the expression "les Albères" refers to the massif, while L'Albère is the name of a French commune located within this massif.

Geography

Topography

The Albères massif is bounded to the west by the Col du Perthus and the Rome river, which separates it from the Salines massif, to the east by the Mediterranean Sea between Argelès-sur-Mer in France and Port-Bou and Llançà in Spain. The Albères dominate the lower Tech valley and the plain of Roussillon to the north and the plan of Empordà to the south. The mountains on the right side of the Tech, to the west, the boundary is uncertain and almost impossible to determine. To the south, the Cap de Creus massif is sometimes considered to be part of the Albères. It culminates at 1,256 meters above sea level, at Puig Neulós.

The summit ridge of the Albères helps making the demarcation of the border between France and Spain. Thus, the massif is geographically part of the Pyrenees. Administratively, it is located in the department of Pyrénées-Orientales in France, and in the province of Girona in Catalonia (Spain).

Geology

The Albères massif is located at the eastern end of the axial zone of the Pyrenees mountain range. This area is mainly made up of Paleozoic and older formations (dating from around 550 millions of years to around 300 millions of years) which outcrop in a broader range, running from west to east, from the Hautes-Pyrénées to the Canigou massif and the Vermeille coast, passing through Andorra.

In the Albères massif, the two main groups of formations are metamorphosed formations of sedimentary origin (notably schists), and formations of plutonic origin (mainly granites and gneisses).

On its northern slope, the Albères fault (which extends approximately from west to east from around Le Boulou to around Argelès) marks a clear geological and topographical limit between the Paleozoic and older formations of the Massif des Albères and the Neogene deposits of the Roussillon basin.

Of mainly siliceous geological origin, this massif produces acidic soils; hence the presence of maquis and not scrubland (present on limestone soils).

Gallery

Massís de l'Albera (Alt Empordà) - 4.jpg|Albera Massif Massís de l'Albera (Alt Empordà) - 2.jpg|Albera Massif Massís de l'Albera (Alt Empordà) - 3.jpg|Albera Massif Massís de l'Albera (Alt Empordà) - 1.jpg|Albera Massif Pic Neulós Albères.jpg|Puig Neulós Puig Sallfort depuis la tour de Querroig 2.jpg|Puig Sallfort seen from the Tour de Querroig. Sant Cristau côté sud.jpg|Puig de Sant Cristau, towards the western end of the massif. Formation granitique La Jonquera.jpg|Granite outcrop, above La Jonquera.

References

References

1. [https://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/carte?c=2.99,42.478&z=0.00022&l0=GEOGRAPHICALGRIDSYSTEMS.MAPS::GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS%281%29&permalink=yes Topographical map extract] (in [[Géoportail]]).
2. ''Paratge Natural d'Interès Nacional de l'Albera. Col·lecció 1:25.000. Espais naturals protegits'', Barcelona, Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya, 1999
3. [http://www.xtec.es/~cmolins3/megalit2.htm Monuments megalítics de l'Albera]
4. [http://ficheinfoterre.brgm.fr/Notices/1097N.pdf Notice explicative de la feuille Argelès-sur-Mer - Cerbère (1097) à 1/50 000], BRGM Éditions, Orléans, 2015.
5. Marc Calvet, Magali Delmas, Yanni Gunnell, Bernard Laumonier, ''Geology and Landscapes of the Eastern Pyrenees'', Springer International Publishing, Kindle edition, 2022, pages 314-333.