Geomorphology of the Courel Mountains Unesco Global Geopark (Galicia, NW Iberian Peninsula)

The Courel Mountains Geopark is in Galicia, Northwest Spain. Its total area is 578.29 km 2 . Parallel valleys and ridges characterize its relief from North to South. Their maximum altitude reaches 1,641 m. Their lithology is dominated by slates, quartzites, and limestones, together with small diabas...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of maps 2023-12, Vol.19 (1)
Main Authors: Pérez-Alberti, Augusto, Gómez-Pazo, Alejandro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alluvial deposits
Cenozoic
Courel Mountains
Environmental changes
Galicia
Geology
Geomorphology
Geopark
Iberian Peninsula
Landforms
Lithology
Mountains
Outcrops
Pleistocene
Quartzite
River networks
Rural development
Sediment deposits
Slates
Sustainable use
Tectonics
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The Courel Mountains Geopark is in Galicia, Northwest Spain. Its total area is 578.29 km 2 . Parallel valleys and ridges characterize its relief from North to South. Their maximum altitude reaches 1,641 m. Their lithology is dominated by slates, quartzites, and limestones, together with small diabase outcrops. Materials are intensely fractured due to the tectonic dynamics that started during the Cenozoic, and sedimentary formations accumulated in response to environmental changes during the Pleistocene are abundant. As a result, a wide variety of structural landforms are present, along with a wide range of landforms and deposits of alluvial, fluvial, glacial, and periglacial origin. All of them have been mapped to enable sustainable use and management aimed at improving the livelihood of the inhabitants of the geopark area, which has suffered depopulation in recent decades. Courel Mountains Unesco Global Geopark stands out for its geological and geomorphological diversity. This sector shows evidence of different structural geoforms (alluvial, fluvial, glacier, and periglacial origin). Geomorphological cartography graphically draws the most outstanding deposits and geoforms.
ISSN:1744-5647
1744-5647
DOI:10.1080/17445647.2023.2257714