Spanish Landforms Glossary: A Guide to Iberian Relief
Alpine Orogeny
Tectonic movements at the beginning of the Tertiary period formed major mountain ranges like the Pyrenees and Betic Cordillera. These Alpine mountains are steep due to intense erosion from ice and snow. The Iberian range, also formed by this folding, has less dramatic relief.
Appalachian Relief
In areas like Sierra Morena, Montes de Toledo (Villuercas), and Montes de Leon (Sierra Cabrera), differential weathering levels soft rocks while hard rocks (mainly quartzite) form ridges or crests.
Boulder Fields (Berrocales)
Granite landforms with perpendicular networks of fissures undergo alteration, and the weathered material disappears, leaving prominent boulders.
Overthrust
The reversal of strata due to folding or fracturing, where older layers are superimposed onto younger or same-age layers. This often appears as a recumbent anticline.
Countryside (Campiña)
Low-lying, undulating areas formed by watercourses and composed of sedimentary material, mainly clay. Used for cultivation and often surrounded by higher relief (moors, slopes). Examples include La Sagra (Toledo), Tierra de Campos (Palencia and Valladolid), and the Guadalquivir depression.
Canyon
Deep valleys formed by river erosion and landslides. Slopes show a sharp contrast between hard rock ledges and softer, eroded material. Common in limestone, sandstone, and granite areas. Example: Canyons of the Ebro.
Gully (Cárcava)
Deep grooves caused by torrential rainwater on poorly consolidated, sloping terrain with little vegetation. Examples include Los Monegros (Zaragoza, Huesca), Las Bárdenas Reales (Navarra), and the Tabernas Desert (Almería). Also called badlands or malpaís.
Mesa (Cerro Testigo)
Isolated, flat-topped hills remaining after erosion.
Mountain Range (Cordillera)
A long chain of mountains, usually from the Alpine Orogeny, formed by large folds (anticlines and synclines) or a combination of folds and blocks. Examples: Pyrenees and Betic Cordillera.
Cuesta
Asymmetrical ridges with a gentle back slope and a steep front slope, featuring a hard rock ledge (limestone) and a slope of eroded material. Common north of the Duero basin.
Gorge (Desfiladero)
A valley carved by a river through a deep fracture, with steep, irregular slopes and landslides. Example: La Hermida Gorge.
Erosion
Processes like wind, water, and ice that decompose and modify relief, resulting in changes to landforms. Includes rock decomposition and transport of fragments.
Fault
A deep fracture between crustal blocks due to tectonic movement, causing uplift (horst) and subsidence (graben).
Throat (Garganta)
A narrow part of a river valley, carved into hard rock, with steep, vertical walls. Examples: Cares Gorge (limestone), Arribes del Duero Gorge (granite).
Graben
A down-dropped block between faults, caused by orogenic movement.
Horst
An uplifted block between faults, caused by orogenic movement. The Galician-Leonese Massif features alternating horsts (Sierra de Gredos, Guadarrama, Segundera) and grabens (Alberche, Tormes, and Tuy). The Picos de Europa are a large limestone horst.
Sickle (Hoz)
A narrow, short, curved gorge formed by river erosion. Examples: Hoces del Duratón, Hoces de Riaza, Foz de Lumbier.