Sierra del Carmen

Sierra del Carmen
Boquillas Canyon
Geography
Country	United States, Mexico
State	Texas, Coahuila

The Sierra del Carmen, also called the Sierra Maderas del Carmen, is a northern finger of the Sierra Madre Oriental in the state of Coahuila, Mexico. The Sierra begins at the Rio Grande at Big Bend National Park and extends southeast for about 45 miles (72 km), reaching a maximum elevation of 8,920 feet (2,720 m). Part of the Sierra del Carmen is protected in the Maderas del Carmen Biosphere Reserve as part of a bi-national effort to conserve a large portion of the Chihuahua Desert in Mexico and Texas.

Some authorities include the Chisos and other mountains of Big Bend National Park as part of the Sierra del Carmen. From the Mexican side of the Rio Grande, the Sierra runs southeast for about 45 miles (72 km) to 28’ 40° North latitude and a maximum width of about 20 miles (32 km). Elevations increase toward the south culminating in several peaks with heights of more than 8,000 feet (2,400 m) and a maximum altitude of 8,920 feet (2,720 m). The western side of the Sierra del Carmen features a high limestone escarpment that formed along a fault line.

The Sierra del Carmen is an isolated range, a sky island, that rises above the Chihuahua Desert. Because of its elevation, higher than any other mountain ranges in the Bolson de Mapimi, the Sierra del Carmen is home to flora and fauna that are more characteristic of the mountains of the western United States than Mexico. At lower elevations, desert vegetation surrounds the higher elevations. Oak and oak-pine forests are found at elevations of 4,400 to 5,900 feet (1,300 to 1,800 m). Above 5,900 feet, the forest is dominated by pine. Conifer species such as Douglas fir, Engelmann spruce, and Durango fir are found at elevations of 6,600 feet (2,000 m) or more.

The Sierra del Carmen is home to 446 species of birds, 3,600 species of insects, more than 1,500 plant species, and 75 mammals. Among the mammals are American black bear, beaver, and cougar. A small subspecies of white-tail deer, the Carmen Mountains white-tailed deer is found in the Sierra. Extirpated from the region and not at present found in the Sierra are pronghorn and the Mexican wolf.

...
Wikipedia