Plain of Vic
Encyclopedia
The Plain of Vic is a 30 km long depression
located at the eastern end of the Catalan Central Depression
in the Osona
comarca
. It is named after the town of Vic
, an important and ancient urban center in the region that lies in the midst of the plain. Other significant towns in the plain are Manlleu
and Tona.
This natural depression carved by river Ter
and its tributaries is longer than it is wide and stretches in a N / S direction. It is completely surrounded by mountains: The Sub-Pyrenees
, with Bellmunt
mountain towering in the north, the Lluçanès
and Moianès high plateaus in the West, the Montseny
in the southeast and the Guilleries
, located at the apex of the Catalan Transversal Range
and the Pre-Coastal Range
, in the east.
s, like carbonatic lutite
, from the eocene
. The most remarkable characteristic of the landsacape in the plain are certain low regular isolated hills located here and there known as turons testimoni, "testimonial hills". Fossil
s are quite abundant in certain areas of the Plain of Vic.
The plain is subject to a phenomenon of thermal inversion
, especially marked in calm weather days during the fall and the winter, by which the sorrounding mountain ranges are often warmer that the plain. This inversion in temperature also reflects in the vegetation. The original vegetation of the plain was oak (Quercus pubescens) forest, but little is left owing to continuous human intervention since ancient times. Some very ancient oaks have been preserved as a tourist attraction.
Depression (geology)
A depression in geology is a landform sunken or depressed below the surrounding area. Depressions may be formed by various mechanisms.Structural or tectonic related:...
located at the eastern end of the Catalan Central Depression
Catalan Central Depression
The Catalan Central Depression is a natural depression between the Pre-Pyrenees and the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range. It widens towards the west, linking with the Ebro Depression, , of which it could be considered an eastern extension...
in the Osona
Osona
County of Osona was one of the Catalan counties of the Marca Hispanica in the Early and High Middle Ages. It was based around the capital city of Vic and the corresponding diocese, whose territory was roughly the current comarca of Osona....
comarca
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
. It is named after the town of Vic
Vic
Vic is the capital of the comarca of Osona, in the Barcelona Province, Catalonia, Spain. Vic's location, only 69 km far from Barcelona and 60 km from Girona, has made it one of the most important towns in central Catalonia.-History:...
, an important and ancient urban center in the region that lies in the midst of the plain. Other significant towns in the plain are Manlleu
Manlleu
Manlleu is a town and municipality in the comarca of Osona, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia, northern Spain.Manlleu is located in a large plain, La Plana de Vic, at around 460 metres above sea level on average. The highest point is Puig Agut church at around 594 m above the sea level...
and Tona.
This natural depression carved by river Ter
River Ter
The River Ter is a river in Essex, England that houses various aquatic creatures, such as the marsh heron famous for its large red bill. The river rises in Stebbing Green and flowing via Terling it joins the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation at near Rushes Lock. A small part of it, near Great...
and its tributaries is longer than it is wide and stretches in a N / S direction. It is completely surrounded by mountains: The Sub-Pyrenees
Sub-Pyrenees
The Sub-Pyrenees are a chain of mountains in Spain. They form a section of the southern foothills of the Pyrenees. They are located at the eastern end of the Pre-Pyrenees, west of the Catalan Transversal Range, between the lower Ripollès and an area of the high Garrotxa.The Sub-Pyrenees consist of...
, with Bellmunt
Bellmunt (Sant Pere de Torelló)
Bellmunt is a mountain of Catalonia, Spain. It has an altitude of 1246 metres above sea level.This mountain dominates the landscape of the Plain of Vic....
mountain towering in the north, the Lluçanès
Lluçanès
Lluçanès is a natural comarca, transitioning between the Plain of Vic and Berguedà, in the pre-Pyrenees. Although not an officially recognized comarca of Catalonia, it has a strong historical, natural and social personality.-Corresponding Municipalities:...
and Moianès high plateaus in the West, the Montseny
Montseny
Montseny is a mountain range west of the coastal hills north of Barcelona. It is part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range.-Features:The Montseny massif is located within a triangle formed by the AP-7, C-17 and C-25 roads. It has the highest mountains in the area south of the Pyrenees and dominates...
in the southeast and the Guilleries
Guilleries
The Guilleries Massif is a mountain system located at the apex of the Catalan Transversal Range and the Pre-Coastal Range...
, located at the apex of the Catalan Transversal Range
Catalan Transversal Range
The Catalan Transversal Range is a system of minor mountain ranges at the eastern end of the Pre-Pyrenees, between the Osona and Garrotxa comarques...
and the Pre-Coastal Range
Catalan Pre-Coastal Range
The Catalan Pre-Coastal Range is a system of mountain ranges running parallel to the Mediterranean Sea coast in Catalonia. It is part of the Catalan Mediterranean System. Its main axis runs between the Catalan Transversal Range and the Serra de l'Espina, which connects with the Ports de...
, in the east.
Characteristics
The Plain of Vic was the bed of an ancient sea. It is mainly formed by sedimentary rockSedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution....
s, like carbonatic lutite
Lutite
Lutite is old terminology, which is currently not widely used, by Earth scientists in field descriptions for fine-grained, sedimentary rocks, which are composed of silt-size sediment, clay-size sediment, or a mixture of both. When mixed with water lutites often disintegrate into mud...
, from the eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
. The most remarkable characteristic of the landsacape in the plain are certain low regular isolated hills located here and there known as turons testimoni, "testimonial hills". Fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
s are quite abundant in certain areas of the Plain of Vic.
The plain is subject to a phenomenon of thermal inversion
Inversion (meteorology)
In meteorology, an inversion is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude. It almost always refers to a temperature inversion, i.e...
, especially marked in calm weather days during the fall and the winter, by which the sorrounding mountain ranges are often warmer that the plain. This inversion in temperature also reflects in the vegetation. The original vegetation of the plain was oak (Quercus pubescens) forest, but little is left owing to continuous human intervention since ancient times. Some very ancient oaks have been preserved as a tourist attraction.
See also
- VicVicVic is the capital of the comarca of Osona, in the Barcelona Province, Catalonia, Spain. Vic's location, only 69 km far from Barcelona and 60 km from Girona, has made it one of the most important towns in central Catalonia.-History:...
- Tona
- Catalan Central DepressionCatalan Central DepressionThe Catalan Central Depression is a natural depression between the Pre-Pyrenees and the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range. It widens towards the west, linking with the Ebro Depression, , of which it could be considered an eastern extension...
- Sub-PyreneesSub-PyreneesThe Sub-Pyrenees are a chain of mountains in Spain. They form a section of the southern foothills of the Pyrenees. They are located at the eastern end of the Pre-Pyrenees, west of the Catalan Transversal Range, between the lower Ripollès and an area of the high Garrotxa.The Sub-Pyrenees consist of...
- Catalan Transversal RangeCatalan Transversal RangeThe Catalan Transversal Range is a system of minor mountain ranges at the eastern end of the Pre-Pyrenees, between the Osona and Garrotxa comarques...