Geology of Iberia: A Geodynamic Approach

Pursuing a new global approach, this unique book provides an updated review of the geology of Iberia and its continental margins from a geodynamic perspective. Owing to its location close to successive plate margins, Iberia has played a pivotal role in the geodynamic evolution of the Gondwanan, Rheic, Pangea, Tethys s.l. and Eurasian plates over the last 600 Ma of Earth’s history. The geological record begins with the amalgamation of Gondwana in the Neoproterozoic, followed by the rifting and spread of the Rheic ocean; its demise, which led to the amalgamation of Pangea in the late Paleozoic; the rifting and spread of several arms of the Neotethys ocean in the Mesozoic Era; and concludes with their ongoing closure, which was responsible for the Alpine orogeny. The significant advances made in the past 20 years have attracted considerable international research interest in the geology of the Iberian Peninsula. This volume focuses in the Cadomian orogenic cycle and the oldest geological records in the Iberian Peninsula.