A mountain chain is a row of high mountain summits , a linear sequence of interconnected or related mountains, or a contiguous ridge of mountains within a larger mountain range . The term is also used for elongated fold mountains with several parallel chains ("chain mountains").
17-694: Auts ( Catalan pronunciation: [ˈawts] ) is a mountain chain that is located southeast of Mequinenza , close to the Ebro river in the Bajo Cinca comarca , Aragon , Spain . Its maximum elevation is 434 metres. These moderately high, dry mountains were the scenario of one of the most bloody confrontations during the Battle of the Ebro in the Spanish Civil War (1936–39). On 25 July 1938
34-602: A common geological age, but may consist of various types of rock . For example, in the Central Alps, granitic rocks, gneisses and metamorphic slate are found, while to the north and south, are the Limestone Alps . The Northern Limestone Alps are, in turn, followed by soft flysch mountains and the molasse zone. The type of rock influences the appearance of the mountain ranges very markedly, because erosion leads to very different topography depending on
51-475: A complex structure, which is usually the result of folding and faulting accompanied by volcanic activity . In South America, the ranges include numerous volcanic peaks . The Andes cordillera has Ojos del Salado , the highest active volcano in the world and second-highest point in the Western Hemisphere (though not itself a volcano, Argentina's Aconcagua , at 6,960 m or 22,830 ft,
68-635: A floral offering at the foot of the monument, the veterans recalled the thirst, heat and illness they suffered at those spaces. The name "Auts" comes most likely from an ancient Catalan word for "heights", "alts" in modern Catalan. Referring to hills this name appears, for example, in Ramon Llull 's following text: «Los cavaliers veem que fant castells i forces en los auts munts, per tal que si son vensuts ni sobrats en los píans, que fugen en los munts» . Mountain chain While in mountain ranges,
85-473: A less robust structure, that are deposited in the synclines . As a result of orogenic movements, strata of folded rock are formed that are crumpled out of their original horizontal plane and thrust against one another. The longitudinal stretching of the folds takes place at right angles to the direction of the lateral thrusting. The overthrust folds of a nappe belt (e.g. the Central Alps ) are formed in
102-590: A similar way. Although the fold mountains, chain mountains and nappe belts around the world were formed at different times in the Earth's history, all during their initial mountain building phases, they are nevertheless morphologically similar. Harder rock forms continuous arêtes or ridges that follow the strike of the beds and folds. The mountain chains or ridges therefore run approximately parallel to one another. They are only interrupted by short, usually narrow, transverse valleys , which often form water gaps . During
119-482: A truncated upland is eroded into a high table land , the incision of valleys can lead to the formations of mountain or hill chains. The chain-like arrangement of summits and the formation of long, jagged mountain crests – known in Spanish as sierras ("saws") – is a consequence of their collective formation by mountain building forces . The often linear structure is linked to the direction of these thrust forces and
136-737: The 42nd Division of the Spanish Republican Army successfully crossed the river in this area and occupied the Auts area taking positions in the hills. Initially the feat of the Republican troops was hailed as a great victory by the Spanish Republic , eager to see a positive outcome of the Battle of the Ebro effort. But the 226th and 227th mixed brigades of the division were soon surrounded and relentlessly massacred in
153-494: The hardness of the rock and its petrological structure. In addition to height and climate, other factors are the layering of the rock, its gradient and aspect , the types of waterbody and the lines of dislocation . For hard rock massifs, rugged rock faces (e.g. in the Dolomites ) and mighty scree slopes are typical. By contrast, flysch or slate forms gentler mountain shapes and kuppen or domed mountaintops, because
170-468: The Auts by General Franco 's rebel faction . After having suffered a great number of casualties the few battered survivors of the division had to cross back the Ebro River. There is a monument to the many soldiers who died in the Auts at the feet of the range near the road leading to Mequinenza. Six decades after the events, on August 8, 1998, the "Quinta del Biberón", a group of survivors inaugurated
187-404: The course of Earth history, erosion by water, ice and wind carried away the highest points of the mountain crests and carved out individual summits or summit chains . Between them, notches were formed that, depending on altitude and rock-type, form knife-edged cols or gentler mountain passes and saddles . Nappe or fold mountains, with their roughly parallel mountain chains, generally have
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#1732776204921204-459: The formation of parallel chains of mountains. The tendency, especially of fold mountains (e. g. the Cordilleras ) to produce roughly parallel chains is due to their rock structure and the propulsive forces of plate tectonics . The uplifted rock masses are either magmatic plutonic rocks , easily shaped because of their higher temperature, or sediments or metamorphic rocks , which have
221-663: The monument erected on the hillside of the Alto de los Auts, a key position, the highest and most strongly defended by the Republicans of the Mequinenza-Fayón battle. The monument, designed by Javier Torres, is chaired by two plaques, in Catalan and Spanish, and two helmets on each side. The plaque says: 'To all those who lost, who were all'. The event involved up to 250 "biberones" accompanied by their families. After making
238-463: The resulting mountain folding which in turn relates to the fault lines in the upper part of the Earth's crust , that run between the individual mountain chains. In these fault zones , the rock, which has sometimes been pulverised, is easily eroded, so that large river valleys are carved out. These, so called longitudinal valleys reinforce the trend, during the early mountain building phase, towards
255-456: The rock is not porous, but easily shaped. Cordilleras A cordillera is a small chain and/or network system of mountain ranges , such as those in the west coast of the Americas . The term is borrowed from Spanish , where the word comes from cordilla , a diminutive of cuerda ('rope'). The term is most commonly used in physical geography and is particularly applied to
272-479: The term mountain chain is common, in hill ranges a sequence of hills tends to be referred to a ridge or hill chain . Elongated mountain chains occur most frequently in the orogeny of fold mountains, (that are folded by lateral pressure), and nappe belts (where a sheetlike body of rock has been pushed over another rock mass). Other types of range such as horst ranges , fault block mountain or truncated uplands rarely form parallel mountain chains. However, if
289-708: The various large mountain systems of the American Cordillera , such as the Andes of South America , and less frequently to other mountain ranges in the " ridge " that rims the Pacific Ocean . In Colombia and Venezuela , cordilleras are named according to their position: Cordillera Occidental , Central , and Oriental . Various local names are used for the cordilleras in Ecuador , Peru , Bolivia , Chile and Argentina . Such mountain systems have
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