The narrow passage that exists between two or more elevations is called a gorge . These openings usually arise as a result of the erosion that occurs in mountainous areas.
For example: "The intense snowfall made it impossible to cross the gorge," "The mountaineer was advancing through the gorge when an avalanche buried him," "The view from the gorge is impressive."
Many times the gorge is created from river erosion . Some time later, when the water withdraws from the channel , the opening dries up and the gorge is formed, which can generally be used to cross the mountain.
Sometimes, the reason why the river forms the gorge in a limestone area dries up due to a phenomenon called fluvial capture , which belongs to the field of hydrography and is defined as the erosion produced by the waters of a river and achieves the formation of a gap in the bed of another. The name derives from the fact that the first river " captures " the water of the second, stripping it of its flow, and thus what is known as a capture bend is formed.
In the Spanish province of Cuenca, is the Enchanted City , a natural site where we can see various limestone or calcareous rock formations, some of which are several millennia old. Among them there is a gorge, widely visited by thousands of tourists who come every year in search of its fascinating landscapes .
Depending on its characteristics, the gorge can also be known as an abra , canyon , gorge or pass , and the choice of one name or another usually responds especially to the size of the formation. The definition, therefore, is ambiguous: the concept can be used in different contexts with more or less precise meanings.
If the gorges give rise to the formation of curves in the course of a river, they are called sickle , something that can be seen in the name Hoces del Duratón , which are found near the Spanish municipality of Sepúlveda, belonging to Segovia.
There are several gorges, canyons and mountain passes that have achieved fame over the decades thanks to their strategic value in terms of communications; In some cases the only way to access a major city is through them. Two very prominent examples can be seen in France and Greece, with Azincurt and Thermopylae, respectively. In the particular case of the Azincurt gorge, it is not the relief that forms the narrowness of the terrain, but rather two forests that are nearby.
Other examples of gorges that have become famous for strategic reasons are the Siq, in the enclave called Petra, in Jordan, and the Puertas de Miraflores (also known by the name Puertas del Guarapiche ), which is located in the Republic of Venezuela. .
The Rio Grande Gorge , in the United States , is an example of this type of formation. It is located in Taos County , belonging to the state of New Mexico .
In Spain , more precisely in the Autonomous Community of Catalonia , there is the Terradets gorge . This opening was caused by the action of the Noguera Pallaresa River, which crossed the Sierra del Montsec . Currently the gorge is crossed by a railway line and a road.
The Beyos, The Gaitanes, cumberland, The Hermida y Pancorbo son otros desfiladeros conocidos. Cabe destacar que incluso es posible encontrar desfiladeros en el terreno de la fiction. Ese es el caso del Tarlang Gorge, imaginado por JRR Tolkien en su saga "The Lord of the Rings".