The Zacatecas relief has a territorial extension of 75,040Km² and is located in the north-central region of Mexico. It represents 3.83% of the total surface of the country with a height of 2,230 meters above sea level.
The Zacatecan relief extends along four important orographic regions: La Meseta del Centro, the Sierra Madre Occidental to the west, the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Neovolcanic Axis.
Similarly, to the southwest and west are plateaus such as Cerro La Aguililla, with an altitude of 2,850 meters above sea level.
To the south of the territory, valleys, ravines and plateaus predominate. Among the most notorious are Nochistlán, Sombrerete, Fresnillo and Valparaíso. To the north of the territory, the slopes, the plains and the hills are more prevalent.
Orographic Regions
The Central Plateau occupies almost half of the northern surface of the state, sheltering the Plains of Ojuelos Aguascalientes, the Sierras and Llanuras del Norte, the Sierras and Lomeríos de Aldama and Río Grande, as well as the Plains and Sierras Potosinas Zacatecanas.
The Sierra Madre Occidental has a rugged relief in which elevations and depressions are distinguished as a result of tectonic activity.
It is the main mountain chain that crosses the state of Zacateca. It has peaks that exceed 2,500 meters above sea level, in conjunction with mountains to the northeast and southeast of the region, where the Juchipila and Tlaltenango canyons are located.
The Sierra Madre Oriental occupies the extreme north of the state and is also home to the Transversal Sierras, Plains and Western Sierras, as well as the Sierra El Astillero, which is known for being the highest peak in the region.
The Neovolcanic Axis is located southeast of Zacatecas and is made up of the subprovince of Los Altos de Jalisco, whose topoform structure is formed by a mountain range, a valley and several hills.
The importance of this mountain system lies in the mineral wealth it contains. For example, La Sierra de Fresnillo is located in the center of Zacatecas and contains invaluable deposits of silver, zinc and lead.
Zacatecas does not have important rivers, most of them are temporary when they form in the rainy season. However, there are 20 geohydrological zones of which 5891 are deep wells used for agricultural purposes and have a depth of 150 to 250m.
Main elevations
-Cerro La Aguililla-2850m above sea level
-Cerro Las Pintas-2390m above sea level
-Cerro Los Amoles-2650m above sea level
-Sierra de Sombrerete-3100m above sea level
-Sierra de Morones-2660m above sea level
-Sierra El Astillero-3200m above sea level
-Sierra El Hojaenal-2230m above sea level
-Sierra Fría-3030m above sea level
-Pico de Teyra-2790m above sea level
References
- Aguilar, David. (1994). Zacatecas: History and Geography. Mexico. Secretary of Higher Education.
- Esparza, Cuauhtémoc (1991) Zacatecas, metallic soil under the nopaleras (Second edition) Zacatecas, Mexico. Secretary of Public Education.
- Estrada, Virginia. (2000) Geography. México, DF Editorial Progreso, SA de CV
- Zacatecas surface (sf). Retrieved on January 14, 2013, from Wikipedia.
- Zacatecas (nd). Retrieved on September 29, 2017, from Wikipedia.