| Sierra de Luquillo | |
|---|---|
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| Highest point | |
| Peak | El Toro |
| Elevation | 3,526 ft (1,075 m) |
| Coordinates | 18°16′20″N65°49′45″W / 18.27222°N 65.82917°W /18.27222; -65.82917 |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Location | Puerto Rico |
| Range coordinates | 18°18′3″N65°47′36″W / 18.30083°N 65.79333°W /18.30083; -65.79333 |
| Parent range | Cordillera Central |
TheSierra de Luquillo (English: "Luquillo Mountains") is a steep-sided, high-precipitation, and deeply-forested subrange of theCordillera Centralmountain range in themain island ofPuerto Rico. Separated from the southeasternSierra de Cayey subrange by theCaguas Valley, it is concentrated from west to east in the municipalities ofRio Grande,Luquillo, andNaguabo in the northeastern region of the island. Thesummit of the mountain range isEl Toro at 3,526 ft. (1,075 m), and its most recognizable peak isEl Yunque at 3,461 ft. (1,054 m).[1] As the location ofEl Yunque National Forest, the Sierra de Luquillo is a popular destination among domestic and foreign tourists.
Along with theeponymous main subrange ofCordillera Central and theSierra de Cayey, the Luquillo mountain range is one of three subranges of theCordillera Central. However, although a subrange of the Cordillera Central, theSierra de Luquillo is occasionally considered to be different from the rest of the central mountain range, as it is separated from it by theCaguas Valley and theRio Grande de Loíza basin.
The mountains of the Sierra de Luquillo were formed bytectonic activity some 37 to 28 million years ago, the island being on the junction between theNorth American Plate and theCaribbean Plate.[2] The main rock types arepyroclastic rocks,quartzdiorite and contact metamorphichornfels, with some outcrops ofalluvium,basalt andmafic rocks. Nine rivers have their sources in the mountains, flowing downward through steep, rocky and boulder-strewed channels before reach the coastal plains.[3] Easterly winds off the Atlantic Ocean rise and cool as they pass over the mountains, and the ensuing heavy precipitation brings an annual rainfall of 5,000 mm (200 in) on the ridge. The lower slopes are less wet, but the summits are immersed in clouds most of the year.[4]
The Sierra de Luquillo consists of a series of summits linked by a horseshoe-shaped ridge. Running from west to east, some of the peaks include El Toro, El Cacique and El Yunque, joined by a ridge known asCuchilla el Duque to Pico del Oeste and Pico del Este.[5]
The highest summits of the Sierra de Luquillo are the following:[6]
The mountains are covered withrainforest, much of it in theEl Yunque National Forest. About 240 species of native tree have been recorded in the forest, 88 species being considered rare and about 25 species being found nowhere else in the world. There are about 150 species of fern, and on the trees grow manyepiphytes, including about 50 species oforchid.[7] Common trees of the Sierra de Luquillo includeCyathea arborea,Prestoea montana,Cecropia peltata, andOcotea species whileWeinmannia pinnata,Brunellia comocladifolia, andPodocarpus coriaceus are found in thecloud forests of the highest peaks.[8] Thesedwarf forests occur above thecumulus cloud bases and contain low, dense, species-poor vegetation cover known as elfin or pigmy forest.[9] A research study found that between 1936 and 1988, there were 46 landslides associated with heavy rain in the upper regions of the mountains, and these created gaps that allowed the seeds of pioneering tree species to germinate and ferns such asDicranopteris pectitnata to proliferate.[10] The forest recovers more quickly after a natural disaster, such as atropical cyclone, than it does after human activities such as logging, charcoal burning, coffee production or agriculture.[2]
Some 127 species of terrestrial vertebrate have been recorded in the forest,[7] including some rarities and some speciesendemic to Puerto Rico. ThePuerto Rican amazon is critically endangered with fewer than 100 left in the wild. ThePuerto Rican broad-winged hawk andPuerto Rican sharp-shinned hawk are both very rare. Many birds visit the island during their annualmigrations. ThePuerto Rican boa inhabits the lower slopes of the mountains, about 14 species of lizard are found in the forest and 13 species of small tree frogs known ascoquí live in thecanopy and are endemic to the island.[11]
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Media related toSierra de Luquillo at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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