The galaic massif It is also known as the Galician-Leonese massif and it is a mountainous system whose location is towards the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula. Most of this system can be found in the Spanish autonomous community of Galicia, although other provinces such as León and Zamora are also covered by these mountains..
One of the most characteristic aspects of the Galician massif is its antiquity. The rocks that make up this mountain system date back to the Paleozoic. Its average altitude is 500 meters and the maximum altitude it reaches is 2,127 meters in the Peña Trevinca area, summit of the Trevinca massif, one of the systems that make up the Galician massif..
Another peculiar element of these mountains is that their limits to the east are mixed with the mountains of León and the Cantabrian mountain range; this implies that the Galician massif has an important extension.
The entire massif is inhabited by flora and fauna of very particular characteristics. There you can find different varieties of oak, hazelnut, birch, holly and fern, among other plant species..
As for the fauna, the Galician massif is home to various vertebrate species, among which the capercaillie and the bear stand out, which are in danger of extinction. Powerful rivers, cold winters and humid climate characterize this mountainous system that refers to a time as distant as the Paleozoic..
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The Galaic massif is part of the so-called Paleozoic base, which is nothing more than a plateau made up of relatively hard metamorphic and magmatic rocks, whose deposited materials correspond to the Alpine orogenic cycle..
This Spanish mountainous system dates from an earlier time that is associated with the Paleozoic period. In the secondary period it suffered significant devastation and later, in the Tertiary era, it fractured as a result of the process of alpine orogenesis, generating various blocks.
Along with metamorphic and magmatic materials, those of the Paleozoic era coexist, such as granite, a characteristic component of this mountain system..
Some of the other geological elements that make up the Galician massif are schist, slate, micacite and gneiss..
One of the main characteristics of the Galician massif is that it can be considered an extension of the Central Plateau through the northwestern area. This plateau is the oldest in the Iberian Peninsula, its size covers about 400,000 square kilometers and reaches average heights close to 600 meters above sea level..
This mountain system has different relevant elevations; The main ones include the Sierra de San Mamede, the Sierra de Courel, the Sierra de Cabrera, the Peña Trevinca massif, the Sierra de Queixa, the Sierra de Segundodera, the Sierra del Oribio and the Invernadeiro mountains, among many others..
The precipitations in the Galician massif occur with abundance and regularity. It has been determined that the average humidity in this area is around 80% and temperatures are normally between 15 ° C and 8 ° C.
The prevailing climate in this massif is oceanic, which is also known as Atlantic or maritime. There are usually fogs in the mornings and the winds that it receives from the west bring as a consequence copious and constant rains..
As a consequence of the low temperatures that this area experiences in winter (it reaches up to 6 ° C), it is common for higher areas to have snow instead of rain, and it also tends to hail quite a bit in general..
The reliefs in this area are characterized by being soft. The entire system rises from the sea in a somewhat domed staggered fashion. After reaching the summits (which tend to be rather flat), the relief descends again until it reaches the plateau, which is crammed with eroded materials on its eastern side..
Just as it is possible to find great heights such as those of the Sierra de Segundodera and the Peña Trevinca, in the same way you can find tectonic trenches that filled their spaces in the Tertiary and Quaternary periods..
The structures of the system favor that each of the rivers found there are deeply encased in the faults, located in such a way that they do not oppose them..
All the rivers in the area flow into either the Cantabrian Sea or the ocean. As rainfall in the area is abundant, the rivers are mighty. The extension of these bodies of water are not very long and this is due to the fact that their source is generated very close to the coasts..
The Miño river is the main one in the area, and the Sil river corresponds to its main tributary. These rivers produce significant erosion, which contributes to the conformation of the complex relief that this system has..
This same erosion has been exploited by man, since various reservoirs have been built whose purpose is the generation of electrical energy.
The most prevalent in the Galician massif are the deciduous forests, as well as the moors (plant formation that is usually not very diverse and with thorns) and the meadows.
In spite of the scarce alignment of the mountains of the massif, it is possible to find a vegetation of great uniformity in all its extension. Oak is the most common tree in the area and is accompanied by other species such as chestnut, yew, ash and hazel, among others.
In the Galician massif, meadows and bushes coexist with large deciduous forests, and the plant diversity of the area is such that in 2006 one of the mountain ranges of the massif (the Sierra de Ancares) was recognized as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO..
Several vertebrate animals such as bears and grouse are the main inhabitants of these mountains; it is also possible to find golden eagles and royal owls.
Likewise, deer, foxes, otters, wild cats, wolves, weasels, reptiles, martens, amphibians, martens, roe deer and many other species inhabit the Galician massif. As we mentioned earlier, several of the beings that make life in this mountainous system are in danger of extinction..
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