Sierra Nevada (Spain)

Formation

Sierra Nevada was formed during the Alpine Orogeny, a mountain-building event that also formed the European Alps to the east and the Atlas Mountains of northern Africa across the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The Sierra as observed today formed during the Paleogene and Neogene Periods (66 to 1.8 million years ago) from the collision of the African and Eurasian continental plates.

Geography

Central to the mountain range is a ridge running broadly west-south-west - east-north-east. For a substantial distance, the watershed stays consistently above 3000 m.

On the southern side of the range, several long, narrow river valleys lead off towards the south-west, separated by a number of subsidiary ridges. On the steeper and craggier northern side, the valleys have less regular orientations. This side is dominated by the Rio Genil which starts near Mulhacén and into which many of the other rivers flow.

Geologically, the range is composed chiefly of soft micaceous schists, sloping steeply to the north, but more gradually to the south and south-east.

Highest peaks

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Sierra Nevada has a Mediterranean climate (Csa/Csb), with different variations depending on the altitude. Above 2500 m the climate is subarctic (Dsc), due to the location's high elevation and low summer precipitation. With June and September being around the threshold of 10 C in mean temperature to avoid the subarctic classification, the climate at a slightly lower elevation is humid continental (Dsa/Dsb). At an elevation slightly lower than that classification area; where February means average above -3 C; it falls into the normal cool-summer mediterranean classification transitioning with the hot-summer variety in surrounding lowland areas. This renders Sierra Nevada's climate a highland cooled-down variety of a typical mediterranean climate. Summer and winter daytime temperatures are some 12 °C lower than found in Granada, differences that are even greater in spring as Sierra Nevada takes longer to approach the short summers. In May daytime highs in Sierra Nevada are around 4 C with Granada having an average of 24 C. The yearly temperature of 3.9 C at the ski station of Pradollano is in stark contrast to Granada's 15.7 C and coastal Málaga's 18.5 C.

Sport

• Sierra Nevada Ski Station

In Media

The British Electronic-Duo The KLF filmed a portion of their unreleased 1989 Road Film "The White Room" around and on Sierra Nevada.

Gallery

File:Avenida de la Constitución (Granada).jpg|Sierra Nevada—view from Granada city File:JDCANO ALCAZABA.JPG|Alcazaba mountain File:Landschaft in der Sierra Nevada06.jpg|Landscape south of Pitres File:Rio Poqueira01.jpg|Stone bridge over Rio Poqueira, Sierra Nevada File:Sierra Nevada Borreguiles 6.jpg|The Sierra Nevada Ski Station File:The IRAM 30-meter telescope.jpg|Sierra Nevada Radiotelescope File:Observatorio de Calar Alto, en Gérgal (Almería).jpg|Calar Alto Observatory

Notes

References

Bibliography

• Francisco Pérez Raya, Joaquín Molero Mesa, Francisco Valle Tendero, 1992: "Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada. Paisaje, fauna, flora, itinerarios". Ed. Rueda. Madrid. (Spanish)
• "Flora de la Tundra de Sierra Nevada". Pablo Prieto Fernández, Ed. Universidad de Granada. (Spanish)
• "Sierra Nevada: Guía de Montaña". Aurelio del Castillo y Antonio del Castillo. Ed. Penibética, 2003. (Spanish)

References

1. {{Cite EB1911
2. "Standard climate values for Granada". Aemet.es.
3. "Standard climate values for Málaga". Aemet.es.
4. "Datos climátológicos de Sierra Nevada". Phytosociological Research Center.
5. (23 June 2020). "Diagramas Climáticos de Pradollano". S.Rivas-Martínez, Centro de Investigaciones Fitosociológicas, Madrid..
6. (2024-12-29). "Other Creative Exploits".
7. Butt, Bill. "The White Room". KLF Communications.