Sierra de Vicort
Encyclopedia
Sierra de Vicort, also known as Sierra de Vicor , is a 20 km (12 mi) long mountain range in the Comunidad de Calatayud
and Campo de Daroca
comarcas of Aragon, Spain
.
The ridge is aligned in a NW-SE direction. It stretches southeast of the Sierra de la Virgen
in the same direction roughly between Paracuellos de la Ribera
and Codos
. It is separated from Sierra de la Virgen by the Jalón River valley. Sierra de Algairén
runs north of Sierra de Vicort with a long tectonic basin between them, the Grio River Valley, a tributary of the Jalón having its source in Sierra de Vicort.
Sierra de Vicort's highest point is Pico del Rayo (1,420 m). The range forks into two subranges towards its southeastern end, Sierra del Espigar, highest point 1,277 m and Sierra de la Modorra, highest point 1,279 m. The northeastern side of the range is abrupt, while its southwestern flanks, descending towards the Sediles
and Mara
plateaux are much smoother.
Highway Carretera Nacional N-II crosses the northern end of the range, near El Frasno
. There are ancient Celtiberian
archaeological remains in and around the range. Some authors claim that the name "Vicort" itself is of Celtiberian
origin.
and broom
and Calluna vulgaris shrub, as well as thyme
and Festuca grassland in between.
Centaurea pinnata is an endangered species
of plant present in this mountain range. The southern slopes of Sierra de Vicort are often subject to wildfires in periods of prolonged drought.
Traditional cattle
rearing activities still survive on dry grasslands in certain villages around the range. There are also a number of hunters visiting Sierra de Vicort, especially on weekends. The largely ruined ghost town
of Aldehuela de Santa Cruz and almost uninhabited Viver de Vicort are located in this range.
On 1,411 m high Pico de Santa Brígida there is a weather radar
antenna, part of the Inogés military base. There is also a Virgin Mary shrine located in the heights of the mountain range, the sanctuary known as Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Jerusalen.
Comunidad de Calatayud
The Comunidad de Calatayud is one of the comarcas of Aragon, Spain. It is one twelve comarcas of the province of Zaragoza in Aragón. The administrative headquarters are in the city of Calatayud. Local wine achieved Denominación de Origen status in 1990 and it is the second largest wine producing...
and Campo de Daroca
Campo de Daroca
Campo de Daroca is one of the comarcas of Aragon, in the Province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. It is located in the mountainous Iberian System area.-Municipalities:...
comarcas of Aragon, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The ridge is aligned in a NW-SE direction. It stretches southeast of the Sierra de la Virgen
Sierra de la Virgen
Sierra de la Virgen is a mountain range in the Aranda and Comunidad de Calatayud comarcas, Aragon, Spain. It is located south of the Moncayo Massif between the valleys of the Jalón and the Aranda rivers, rising north of the N-234 road, roughly between Calatayud and Torrelapaja.The ridge is aligned...
in the same direction roughly between Paracuellos de la Ribera
Paracuellos de la Ribera
Paracuellos de la Ribera is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2010 census the municipality has a population of 194 inhabitants....
and Codos
Codos, Aragon
Codos is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2009 census , the municipality has a population of 260 inhabitants....
. It is separated from Sierra de la Virgen by the Jalón River valley. Sierra de Algairén
Sierra de Algairén
Sierra de Algairén is a mountain range in Aragon, Spain, located between the comarcas of Campo de Cariñena and Comunidad de Calatayud. The ridge's highest summit is Pico de Valdemadera ....
runs north of Sierra de Vicort with a long tectonic basin between them, the Grio River Valley, a tributary of the Jalón having its source in Sierra de Vicort.
Sierra de Vicort's highest point is Pico del Rayo (1,420 m). The range forks into two subranges towards its southeastern end, Sierra del Espigar, highest point 1,277 m and Sierra de la Modorra, highest point 1,279 m. The northeastern side of the range is abrupt, while its southwestern flanks, descending towards the Sediles
Sediles
Sediles is a municipality located in the Comunidad de Calatayud, province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 93 inhabitants.The town is located at the feet of the Sierra de Vicort range....
and Mara
Mara, Aragon
Mara is a municipality in province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2008 census , the municipality has a population of 212 inhabitants....
plateaux are much smoother.
Highway Carretera Nacional N-II crosses the northern end of the range, near El Frasno
El Frasno
El Frasno is a municipality in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 476 inhabitants.This town is located in the Sierra de Vicort range close to the Carretera Nacional N-II highway...
. There are ancient Celtiberian
Celtiberians
The Celtiberians were Celtic-speaking people of the Iberian Peninsula in the final centuries BC. The group used the Celtic Celtiberian language.Archaeologically, the Celtiberians participated in the Hallstatt culture in what is now north-central Spain...
archaeological remains in and around the range. Some authors claim that the name "Vicort" itself is of Celtiberian
Celtiberian language
Celtiberian is an extinct Indo-European language of the Celtic branch spoken by the Celtiberians in an area of the Iberian Peninsula lyingbetween the headwaters of the Duero, Tajo, Júcar and Turia rivers and the Ebro river...
origin.
Flora and human activity
These mountains have many forested patches, consisting mainly of pine and Quercus rotundifolia, Quercus pyrenaica and Quercus faginea oaks with heathHeath
-Habitats:* Heath or heathland, low-growing woody vegetation, mostly consisting of heathers and related species* Heaths in the British National Vegetation Classification system...
and broom
Broom (shrub)
Brooms are a group of evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous shrubs in the subfamily Faboideae of the legume family Fabaceae, mainly in the three genera Chamaecytisus, Cytisus and Genista, but also in many other small genera . All genera in this group are from the tribe Genisteae...
and Calluna vulgaris shrub, as well as thyme
Thymus (genus)
The genus Thymus contains about 350species of aromatic perennial herbaceous plants and subshrubs to 40 cm tall in the family Lamiaceae, native to temperate regions in Europe, North Africa and Asia....
and Festuca grassland in between.
Centaurea pinnata is an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
of plant present in this mountain range. The southern slopes of Sierra de Vicort are often subject to wildfires in periods of prolonged drought.
Traditional cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
rearing activities still survive on dry grasslands in certain villages around the range. There are also a number of hunters visiting Sierra de Vicort, especially on weekends. The largely ruined ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
of Aldehuela de Santa Cruz and almost uninhabited Viver de Vicort are located in this range.
On 1,411 m high Pico de Santa Brígida there is a weather radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
antenna, part of the Inogés military base. There is also a Virgin Mary shrine located in the heights of the mountain range, the sanctuary known as Ermita de Nuestra Señora de Jerusalen.