Tectonic Evolution of the Pyrenees

The Pyrenees are a part of the Alpine chain of Western Europe which runs from the northern Iberian margin in the West to the Alps in the East (Figure 1). This E-W belt is considered to be a shortened crustal domain that occupies the site of the boundary between separate Iberian and Euro­ pean plates during Cretaceous times. In their central part, the Pyrenees display a fanlike cross-section: most of the faults are northward directed thrusts in the North , while large southward translations of Mesozoic and Cenozoic series can be observed in the South. The range is divided into several zones , bounded by major faults. From North to South one can distinguish: