The Natural park of the volcanic zone of Garrotxa is in the oriental party of the the Spanish Pyrenees, in the Comarque of the Garrotxa.

Context

It is about the best volcanic landscape whole of the Iberian peninsula. One counts there forty ic cones Volcan, in good state of conservation, and more than twenty run basaltic Lave of nature . The relief, the sun and the climate authorize a vegetation varied, often exuberant, including/understanding Chêne S greens and reopen, as well as hêtraies of an exceptional landscape value.

It is a very populated space, different from the usual image of the protected areas. It is of a public space organized to promote and facilitate the play activities and entertaining, but also about a territory protected for the safeguard from animal species.

Protected surface included 11 communes and 26 natural reserves. The objective is to make compatible the conservation and economic development under mode of protection, to avoid the damage caused by the mining extractions, the urban growth and the uncontrolled discharges of waste.

During the year 1982, the zone ranging between the valleys of the Fluvià and Ser, as well as the tops of valley of Aiguavella and Sant Iscle was declared Natural park of National interest by the Generalitat de Catalunya. The same law declared Integral Réserves Géobotaniques most of the volcanic cones and the hêtraie of Jordà.

All this volcanic zone is currently protected in its quality from Natural park of the Volcanic Zone of Garrotxa, including the 40 volcanos and with a surface of 12.007 ha (120,07 km ²).

Volcanic system

The center of the park is formed by the plain of Olot and its slopes (the field of lava occupies most of the plain, that is to say approximately 25 km ²), by where the lava ran while following the valley of the Fluvià river, arriving until Sant Jaume de Llierca.

Another important sector is consisted the tectonic valley of the Ser river, with the foot of the escarpment caused by the fault in the solid masses of the Corb and of Finestres , where are the most important volcanos: Santa Margarida and Croscat. Here, the lava followed the valley by the slope of the river until the Molino de Gibert , after the cascade Sallent of Santa Pau .

Lastly, there exists a third sector consisted a series of volcanos located in the valley Llémena and in that of Adri .

Around Olot, there be also old eruptions since one can find basalt stones among the pliocenic materials of the valley of Fluvià.

There were various phases of eruptions during the modern period, but one can date them all around half of the Quaternaire.

Concerning the forms of the Relief, the volcanic cones are of type Stromboli in, among which some have a central crater (Montsacopa, Santa Margarida), others a side crater (Garrinada). They consist of slags, small and uniform (Montsacopa), or by large materials (Montolivet, Croscat). It exite also of the tables of lava , updated by river erosion, as with Castellfollit of Roca or Sant Joan the Font, where one can see the internal constitution consolidated out of lengthened prisms.

In the sector of Ser, the acumulations of Lapis-lazuli are abundant and, close to Olot, the formations of porous lava are consolidated in the marshy zones, as in the Bois of Tosca.

Natural places presenting an private interest

List nonexhaustive:
  • the hêtraie of Jordà
  • the volcano of Croscat
  • the volcano of Santa Margarida
  • the plate of Batet and the Volcano Pujalòs
  • the wood of Tosca
  • the basaltic casting of Castellfollit of Roca
  • the river Fluvià
  • the plantation of oaks of Moixina
  • the volcano of Montsacopa in Olot.

Municipalities included in the park

Points of information

  • Casal dels Volcanos - AV Santa Coloma, s/n - 17800 Olot - tel.: 972 266.202 - 972.266.012
  • Can Tightened (Fageda of in Jordà) - Ctra. Olot- Santa Pau, km 4 - 17811 Santa Pau - tel.: 972.195.074
  • Edge Passavent - Volcano of Croscat - 17800 Olot - tel.: 972.195.094

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • Turisme Garrotxa
  • Garrotxa - Infos
  • Official site of the volcanic Zone of Garrotxa

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