Editing Montserrat (mountain)

{{short description|Mountain range in Catalonia, Spain}}
{{About|the mountain||Montserrat (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox mountain
 | name              = Montserrat
 | photo             = Montserrat des de Manresa.JPG
 | photo_caption     = Montserrat seen from [[Manresa]]
 | elevation_m       = 1236
 | elevation_ref     = 
 | prominence_m      = 
 | prominence_ref    = 
 | map               = Spain Catalonia
 | location          = [[Bages]], [[Anoia]], [[Baix Llobregat]], Catalonia, Spain
 | range             = [[Catalan Pre-Coastal Range]]
 | coordinates       = {{coord|41|35|30|N|1|50|16|E|type:mountain_region:ES-CT_scale:100000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
 | range_coordinates = 
 | type              = [[Conglomerate (geology)|Conglomerate]]
 | first_ascent      = 
 | easiest_route     = Via road BP-1121 from [[Monistrol de Montserrat]]
}}
'''Montserrat''' ({{IPA|ca|munsəˈrat}}) is a multi-peaked mountain range near [[Barcelona]], in Catalonia, Spain. It is part of the [[Catalan Pre-Coastal Range]]. The main peaks are Sant Jeroni (1,236 m), Montgrós (1,120 m) and Les Agulles (903 m).<ref>[http://www.icc.cat/vissir3/ Mapa Topogràfic de Catalunya - Institut Cartogràfic de Catalunya]</ref>

It is the site of the [[Order of Saint Benedict|Benedictine]] [[abbey]], [[Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey|Santa Maria de Montserrat]], which hosts the [[Virgin of Montserrat]] sanctuary.  

"Montserrat" literally means "[[Serration|serrated]] (like the common handsaw) mountain" in [[Catalan language|Catalan]]. It describes its peculiar aspect with a multitude of [[List of rock formations|rock formation]]s that are visible from a great distance. The mountain is composed of strikingly pink [[conglomerate (geology)|conglomerate]], a form of [[sedimentary rock]]. Montserrat was designated as a National Park in 1987. The Monastery of Montserrat which houses the virgin that gives its name to the monastery is also on the mountain, although it is also known as ''La Moreneta'' ("the little tan/dark one" in [[Catalan language|Catalan]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Las mejores rutas del norte español: Asturias y Cataluña |url=https://www.vipealo.com/blog/las-mejores-rutas-del-norte-espanol-asturias-y-cataluna/ |website=Vipealo |date=15 December 2020 |access-date=15 December 2020}}</ref>

==Hiking and climbing==
* The highest summit of Montserrat is called ''Sant Jeroni'' (Saint Jerome) and stands at {{convert|1,236|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} above sea-level. It is accessible by hiking trails which connect from the top entrance to the [[Sant Joan Funicular|Sant Joan funicular]], the monastery, or the base of the mountain. Montserrat is part of the [[GR footpath]] 172. The Cavall Bernat {{convert|1,111|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} is an important rock feature popular with [[rock climbing|climbers]].
* The well-known [[via ferrata]] ''Canal de las Damas'' ([[via ferrata#Grading|difficulty level]] D) leads from [[Collbató]] through a canal.<ref name="vehslage">{{cite book |last1=Vehslage |first1=Dany |last2=Vehslage |first2=Thorsten |date=2022 |title=25 Klettersteige in Europa mit besonderem Charakter |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=oXB_EAAAQBAJ |language=German |edition=3rd |pages=106–109 |isbn=978-3-7562-0415-1}}</ref>
{{wide image|Montserrat Mountains, Catalonia, Spain - Jan 2007.jpg|800px|Panorama of the view from the ''Sant Jeroni'' summit of Montserrat}}
[[File:Montserrat des del Puig Lluent.jpg|thumb|Mountain seen from Puig Lluent with a sea of clouds.]]

==Geology==
[[File:Muntanya Montserrat.jpg|thumb|250px|Large-scale layering in the conglomerate sequence]]
[[File:Montserrat cgl with sst layer.jpg|thumb|250px|Conglomerate with a rare sandstone layer on the path to Sant Jeroni on the flank of La Gorra Frigia. The conglomerate is polymict, clast-supported and poorly sorted with clasts ranging from pebble to boulder size]]
Montserrat is formed of conglomerate that was originally deposited in a fan delta at the margin of the [[Ebro Basin]], part of the [[foreland basin]] to the [[Pyrenees]], during the middle [[Eocene]]. The conglomerate was derived from the uplifting [[Catalan Coastal Range]]s to the southeast of the basin and the clast type is dominated by [[Triassic]] [[sedimentary rocks]]. The fan had an original size of between 100 and 150 square kilometres.<ref name="Lopez_Blanco_etal_2000">{{Cite journal |last1=López-Blanco M. |last2=Marzo M. |last3=Burbank D.W. |last4=Vergés J. |last5=Roca E. |last6=Anadón P. |last7=Piña J. |year=2000 |title=Tectonic and climatic controls on the development of foreland fan deltas: Montserrat and Sant Llorenç del Munt systems (Middle Eocene, Ebro Basin, NE Spain) |url=http://www.geol.ucsb.edu/faculty/burbank/Site/Publications_files/Lopez%20et%20al%20Sedim%20Geol%20.pdf |journal=Sedimentary Geology |volume=138 |issue=1–4 |pages=17–39 |doi=10.1016/S0037-0738(00)00142-1|bibcode=2000SedG..138...17L }}</ref> The resistance of the Montserrat conglomerate to erosion compared to the rest of the fill of the Ebro Basin explains its current mountainous nature.<ref name="Guerreroetal_2014">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1pHFBAAAQBAJ&dq=Conglomerate+Monoliths+and+Karst+in+the+Ebro+Cenozoic+Basin%2C+NE+Spain&pg=PA81 |chapter=Conglomerate Monoliths and Karst in the Ebro Cenozoic Basin, NE Spain |last1=Guerrero J. |last2= Gutiérrez F. |last3=Gutiérrez M.|author-link3=Mateo Gutiérrez |title=Landscapes and Landforms of Spain |publisher=Springer |year=2014 |isbn=978-94-017-8627-0 |editor-last=Gutiérrez F. |editor-last2= Gutiérrez M. }}</ref>

The dominant clast [[lithology]] in the conglomerate is [[limestone]] and the sequence is [[cement (geology)|cemented]] by [[calcite]]. The presence of so much carbonate in the rock has led to the formation of typical [[karst]] landforms, such as cave systems and karst towers.<ref name="Guerreroetal_2014"/>

==Namesakes==
In 1493, Christopher Columbus named the [[Caribbean]] island of [[Montserrat]] ''Santa Maria de Montserrate'', after the ''Virgin of Montserrat''.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=qM5XAAAAYAAJ&q=%22virgin+of+montserrat%22+columbus The Complete Guide to National Symbols and Emblems: Volume 2], page 724</ref> Again, in 1606, the Spanish expedition of [[Luís Vaz de Torres|Luis Vaéz de Torres]] charted [[Torres Strait Islands|Mount Ernest]] island in the [[Torres Strait]] as ''Santa Maria de Montserrate'', due to its relatively high peak.<ref name="Hilder">{{cite book |last1=Hilder |first1=Brett |title=The voyage of Torres : the discovery of the southern coastline of New Guinea and Torres Strait by Captain Luis Baéz de Torres in 1606 |date=1980 |publisher=University of Queensland Press |location=Hong Kong}}</ref>{{rp|83}}

In [[Bogotá]], the [[Monserrate]] mountain (3,152 m high) has a [[funicular]] and [[aerial lift]] similar to those at Montserrat.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons|Montserrat (mountain)|Montserrat}}
* {{Wikivoyage inline|Montserrat (Spain)}}
* [http://www.montserratvisita.com/ LARSA Montserrat] Montserrat General Information
*[https://www.flickr.com/photos/docsearls/sets/72157639251295255/# Gallery of oblique aerial photos of Montserrat], by [[Doc Searls]]
*[http://www.travblog.com/spain/barcelona/montserrat-barcelona.html/# Getting to Montserrat from Barcelona city]
*[https://chasingwhereabouts.com/blog/montserrat-day-trip-how-to-visit-montserrat-from-barcelona/# Day Trip to Montserrat from Barcelona]

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[[Category:Mountains of Catalonia]]
[[Category:Shrines to the Virgin Mary]]
[[Category:Rock formations of Catalonia]]
[[Category:Christian hermitages in Spain]]
[[Category:Mountains associated with Christian monasticism]]