INSTITUTO ANDALUZ DE CIENCIAS DE LA TIERRA Scientific illustration at the service of teaching and research CSIC

MAIN GEOTECTONIC UNITS OF THE IBERIAN PENINSULA and Balearic Islands

Canary Islands
significant lithostratigraphic, tectonic and geomorphological characters

10ºW 8ºW 6ºW 4ºW 2ºW 0º 2ºE 4ºE

Cape Ortegal

Cape Peñas Cantabrian Sea Massif

Aquitanian Basin Central
Bay of Biscay
Cape
Finisterre 

Cantabrian Range 

Galaico A.Z.
Massif 
Pyren Bay of
ean NPZ
42ºN Lyon
Rang
Zamora e
Pr
e-
A.Z.
Py S
re PZ
ne
B a s in e Cape of Creus
a &

Du e r o s
manc

Ebro 42ºN
Basin
Sala

n ge
Ra
l an
ata
of

tal-C
as
n

Co
lai
p

e
ne

40ºN n g
Ra
Pe

tra l
C e n Cape Tortosa

B a s i n Range
P e n e

Cape
Carboeiro Ta j o Iberian f r on t
?

Mou ntains Columbretes Islands

n
p

Toledo

tio
E

t i n a
deform 40ºN
l
x
a
t r e m e ñ a
i n

Basin
e
pi n
e r Tajo A l
Low i a n a
d

v a n
Basi
n Gua
Ba
toli Balearic Islands
38ºN Cape
to
de
los L e Cape
de Sines Pe La Nao
Do
dro
che
Moren
a
e a n
rran
mi
nio s
Pulo
do Lobo
Sierra E.Z.
d i t e
Me
n
>
>
>

n
i

i
>

a s
ir B
a
>

e
q u iv a n g
Sea
l
>

da l R 38ºN
Gua
P

N
>

Cape

Betic
San Vicente
>

Cape of Palos W E
>

I.Z.
>

GRANADA
3483 m S
>

s
Gulf of
simplified compilation according to the current bibliography
Kabylia
36ºN Cadiz Cape of Gata

Alboran
Atlantic Gibraltar Strait
Sea Alboran Is.
e
Algerian Tell
Ceuta i dg
Ocean Alb
o r a nR

Oran 36ºN
Gharb Basin Melilla
0 100 200km
8ºW AFRICA FORELAND
Canary
17ºW 16ºW 15ºW 14ºW
Rif
Islands

Atlantic 4ºW 2ºW 0º 2ºE 4ºE

Ocean 24 Ma
37ºN 37ºN
Lava and piroclasts: basalt, trachyte,
2 Ma 12 Ma Calcium-alkaline and Basaltic volcanism and other mafic volcanic materials
Volcanism N-Q :
potassium volcanism Basal Complexes: Ultra-basic intrusive
3718 m rocks and felsic materials

cortical incrustation: ?
Peridotites  Oligocene/Miocene 
9 Ma Mesozoic volcanic rocks Serpentinite  Late Hercynian 
38ºN 15 Ma N 38ºN Diapir Province and
1 Ma “mud volcanoes”
18ºW 17ºW 16ºW 15ºW
0 100km
Movement of the oceanic crust

undifferentiated fault Normal fault Extensional fault Strike-slip fault Olistostrome front at Oceanic dorsal
>
>

>

supposed fault continental margin subsoil and under sea in expansion

Significant thrusts Extensional fault Preferential transport Significant thrusts Extensional fault (normal / direct) or listric fault
Alpine Orogeny Varisca Orogeny

platform materials

Tertiary /Q Mesozoic Cover Vasco- NS

Cenozoic and Iberian Range
Continental little or nothing Cantabrian Pyrenees
Mesozoic and Catalanides
Basins deformed Zone Areas

Continental Meso-Cenozoic Cover of the Iberian Foreland

basins and
E.Z. Betic Range Gravitational and
Alpine tro
m e
heterogeneus material Messejana-Plasencia dyke
External and Internal. t os Flysch Units
chains I.Z. Ol i s  tectonic mélange  Jurassic 
Zones

West-Asturian Central A Galicia Tras os Montes Z. Porphyric materials:

Iberian Massif Cantabrian Fm. “Ollo de Sapo”
Zone Leonese Iberian Amphibolites, oldest rock of I.P.
< 16 > 1160 Ma  orthogneisses glandular
Zone Zone Polymetamorphic complex de
Variscan 1 2 3 4
Hercynian
Paleozoic and Ossa South Portuguese Neo &
AZ
Axial Zone Pyrenees and
Meso PROTEROZOICO
Precambrian P
Iberian Foreland
C
Morena
Zone
and Andévalo
Zone
PC Catalan Coastal Range
(Paleozoic Basement)
more areas outside the Axial Z.
5 6

Predominant materials: Edaphological meaning

Cenozoic: Meso-Cenozoic Cobertera and Betic (E.Z.): Iberian Massif (1-5), A.Z. Pyrenees and Betic(I.Z.) and S.P.Zone(6)
sandy sediments calcareous rocks (sedimentary and metamorphic) Catalan C.Range siliceous and calcareous
siliceous rocks (igneous and metamorphic)

The strike of the contacts and the tectonic elements is indicative in discussion Compiler by: A.Caballero I.A.C.T. (CSIC-UGR),2018
? ACGA copyright
acaballe@ugr.es URL: https://digital.csic.es/cris/rp/rp06041
 simplified compilation according to the current bibliography  Reviser: Carlos S. de Galdeano, CSIC/UGR