Chain Centrale (New Caledonia)

The Central Chaîne is an old mountainous solid mass of New Caledonia consisted of geological units going back to one period going of the Permien (225-280 million years) to the Tertiaire (1,5-65 million year) and formed by a series of crumplings whose last would go from the Eocene age to Oligocène (26-53 million years).

It constitutes a true marrow épiniaire for the Grande Ground. Its axis is thus the same one as this island (south-eastern - the North-West) on which it extends over the entire length. However offset, it thus separates the Grande Ground in two parts of unequal width: the West coast, the most populated, consisted broad plains which go up gradually towards the Chain; the East coast, narrower because of the mountains which fall abruptly into the sea. The Chain affects also the climate: indeed, it serves as genuine barrier with the dominant winds, the East coast being thus more exposed and thus in general wetter with a vegetation denser than the West coast drier and rather consisted savanna more favourable with the breeding.

It is a solid mass relatively relatively low: except for its two culminating points, the Mount Panié (1628 m) in north and the Mount Humboldt (1618 m) in the south, the mountains of the central chain do not exceed 1500 m of altitude. Very rich in Nickel, it is in the chain that one finds the principal solid masses mining: Koniambo in north, Thio, Canala and Kouaoua.

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