Sierra Nevada (Spain)

Sierra Nevada
Sierra Nevada
	View of the Sierra Nevada
Highest point
Peak	Mulhacén
Elevation	3,479 m (11,414 ft)
Coordinates	37°3′12″N 3°18′41″W / 37.05333°N 3.31139°W
Geography
	Sierra Nevada Location in Spain
Location	Provinces of Granada, Almería and Málaga
Country	Spain
Region	Andalucia
Parent range	Penibaetic System
Geology
Age of rock	Tertiary
Mountain type	Alpine

Sierra Nevada (Spanish: [ˈsjera neˈβaða]; meaning "snow-covered mountain range") is a mountain range in the Andalusian province of Granada in Spain. It contains the highest point of continental Spain:^{[note 1]} Mulhacén, at 3,479 metres (11,414 ft) above sea level.

It is a popular tourist destination, as its high peaks make skiing possible in one of Europe's most southerly ski resorts, in an area along the Mediterranean Sea predominantly known for its high temperatures and abundant sunshine. At its foothills is found the city of Granada, and a little further south, Almería and Motril.

Parts of the range have been included in the Sierra Nevada National Park. The range has also been declared a biosphere reserve. The Sierra Nevada Observatory, the Calar Alto Observatory, and the IRAM 30m telescope are located on the northern slopes at an elevation of 2,800 metres (9,200 ft).

Formation

The 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

Sierra Nevada from Alquería de Fargue near Granada

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 3,000 metres (9,800 ft). This is sufficient altitude for the peaks to be consistently snow-covered.^[1]

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.^[1]

Highest peaks

Highest peaks of Sierra Nevada
Peak (> 3,000m)	Height (m)
Mulhacén	3,479
Veleta	3,398
Alcazaba	3,371
Cerro los Machos	3,324
Puntal de Siete Lagunas	3,248
Puntal de la Caldera	3,226
Pico de Elorrieta	3,206
Crestones Río Seco	3,198
Loma Pelada	3,187
Cerro Pelado	3,179
Tajos de la Virgen	3,160
Tosal del Cartujo	3,152
Pico de La Atalaya	3,148
Puntal de Vacares	3,143
Cerro Rasero	3,139
Tajos del Nevero	3,120
Raspones Río Seco	3,120
Tajos Altos	3,111
Picón de Jeres	3,090
Tajo de los Machos	3,088
Cerrillo Redondo	3,058
Juego de Bolos	3,018
Pico del Caballo	3,011

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Sierra Nevada has a Mediterranean climate, with different variations depending on the altitude. Above 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) the climate is Mediterranean-influenced subarctic (Dsc), due to the location's high elevation and low summer precipitation. With June and September being around the threshold of 10 °C (50 °F) in mean temperature to avoid the subarctic classification, the climate at a slightly lower elevation is continental highland climate. At an elevation slightly lower than that classification area; where February means average above −3 °C (27 °F); 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 (39 °F) with Granada having an average of 24 °C (75 °F). The yearly temperature of 3.9 °C (39.0 °F) at the ski station of Pradollano is in stark contrast to Granada's 15.7 °C (60.3 °F) and coastal Málaga's 18.5 °C (65.3 °F).^[2]^[3]

Climate data for Pradollano Ski Station (1975–1989); 2,507 m (8,225 ft)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	0.3 (32.5)	−0.9 (30.4)	0.6 (33.1)	3.2 (37.8)	4.6 (40.3)	14.9 (58.8)	21.6 (70.9)	19.8 (67.6)	14.2 (57.6)	10.4 (50.7)	3.5 (38.3)	2.6 (36.7)	7.8 (46.0)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−2.9 (26.8)	−4.4 (24.1)	−3.4 (25.9)	−0.6 (30.9)	0.9 (33.6)	9.9 (49.8)	16.6 (61.9)	15.2 (59.4)	9.9 (49.8)	6.3 (43.3)	0.1 (32.2)	−0.7 (30.7)	3.9 (39.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−6.1 (21.0)	−7.9 (17.8)	−7.5 (18.5)	−4.3 (24.3)	−2.9 (26.8)	5.6 (42.1)	11.9 (53.4)	10.6 (51.1)	5.7 (42.3)	2.2 (36.0)	−3.3 (26.1)	−4.0 (24.8)	0.0 (32.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	86.7 (3.41)	91.2 (3.59)	78.8 (3.10)	53.8 (2.12)	53.6 (2.11)	29.7 (1.17)	6.1 (0.24)	11.7 (0.46)	33.7 (1.33)	69.0 (2.72)	85.2 (3.35)	93.1 (3.67)	692.0 (27.24)
Source 1: Phytosociological Research Center^[4]
Source 2: Worldwide Bioclimatic Classification System (Complutense University of Madrid)^[5]

Sport

Sierra Nevada Ski Station

Gallery

Sierra Nevada - view from Granada city
Alcazaba mountain
Landscape south of Pitres
Stone bridge over Rio Poqueira, Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada Ski Station
Sierra Nevada Radiotelescope
Calar Alto Observatory

Notes

^ The highest peak in Spanish territory is Teide on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, which is politically Spanish but geographically part of Africa.

References

^ ^a ^b Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sierra Nevada, The" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 57.
^ "Standard climate values for Granada". Aemet.es. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
^ "Standard climate values for Málaga". Aemet.es. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
^ "Datos climátológicos de Sierra Nevada" (in Spanish). Phytosociological Research Center. Archived from the original on 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2011-07-02.
^ "Diagramas Climáticos de Pradollano" (in Spanish). S.Rivas-Martínez, Centro de Investigaciones Fitosociológicas, Madrid. 23 June 2020. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2020.

Bibliography

Francisco Pérez Raya, Joaquín Molero Mesa, Francisco Valle Tendero, 1992: "Parque Natural de Sierra Nevada. Paisaje, fauna, flora, itinerarios". Ed. Rueda. Madrid. ISBN 84-7207-067-0 (Spanish)
"Flora de la Tundra de Sierra Nevada". Pablo Prieto Fernández, Ed. Universidad de Granada. ISBN 84-600-1810-5 (Spanish)
"Sierra Nevada: Guía de Montaña". Aurelio del Castillo y Antonio del Castillo. Ed. Penibética, 2003. ISBN 84-932022-3-1 (Spanish)