Geological Eras and Landform Evolution in Iberia
Archean (Precambrian)
More than 580 million years ago, emerged areas of the Massif Gallego and the plateau, forming a broad dorsal of NW-SE direction, which united the land after it was created in Paleozoic. The rest of the current highlight was the Tethys Sea.
Paleozoic Era
It begins with the erosion of the Precambrian dorsal and sedimentation of material torn and placed in the Tethys Sea side. At the end, the Hercynian orogeny lifted the entire block of the massif, while emerging new territories to meet the sides of the Precambrian massif. In this orogeny, rocks are formed by cooling of magma inside the crust and metamorphosed due to heat materials. Separated by trenches and are rising by the NE Ebro massifs, the Catalano-Balearic massif and south the massif Betis. The predominant rocks are granite, slate and granite and will result in the relief of blocked structure.
Mesozoic Era
Paleozoic sockets erode, depositing materials on their edges in the case of the Iberian Massif. On its border, transgressions and regressions occur, with the sea flooding the edge. In the deepest ocean trenches, the accumulated deposits reach thousands of feet thick.
Quaternary Era
Rivers transport materials, eroding the ground, filling the bottom of the depressions forming glacis and terraces, and building up in the mouths forming deltas. Climate oscillations caused 4 periods of cold (glaciations) followed by warmer periods. The glaciers affected the large Cordillera of the peninsula, opening U-shaped valleys, lakes, cirques, river terraces, etc.
Following are four distinct morphological types: Solid old, Alpine folding, depressions, volcanic landscapes.
Tertiary (Cenozoic)
The Alpine Orogeny produces the approach of the Eurasian and African plates, making dam forces the Iberian microplate Plateau. The sedimented material in the trenches since the Mesozoic rise in folded structure, resulting in the pre-Pyrenees and Sist. Subbetica. The same applies to the materials stored in the secondary on the seabed shallower and closer to the plateau forming the Coord.Cantabrica, Montes Vascos, the Coord. Costero Catalana and Coord. Iberica. The edges of the massive suffering the consequences of pressures and materials fracture and fail. The same applies to the Catalano-Balearic massif giving rise to the Coord. Catalan and the island of Menorca. The thrust of the alpine fold on the rigid base of plateau leads him to elevate his overall rejuvenation central part to the point of breaking, resulting in a zone of elevated horst (Coord.Central) and grabens on each side (Submeseta N. and S.) In turn, in the southern sub-plateau rise the Montes de Toledo. Tectonic thrusts against the edges of the plateau rise the resulting bulge in structure blocked the elevation of the Massif Galaico Lions Coord. Cantabrica and Sierra Morena. When raising the Sierra Morena, Coord. Béticas remains a sunken (Depresión del Guadalquivir). The Alpine Orogeny is responsible for the formation of the Canary Islands. They are products of volcanic emissions produced as a result of fractures that occurred in the ocean floor because of folding. Fractures followed the NE-SW direction forming Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma and El Hierro and address NOT forming Tenerife, Gran Canaria and La Gomera.
Finally, there is the tilting of the block of the plateau to the west, the water systems are oriented toward the Atlantic. In addition, there are movements of elevation and subsidence resulting in gains or losses of more and change the lines of coast.