Miocene to present-day tectonic control on the relief of the Duero and Ebro basins confluence (North Iberia)

This article presents a morpho-structural map at 1:50,000 scale of the confluence area between three regional units: (1) the Burgalesa Platform (Mesozoic; Cantabrian Mountains), (2) the Duero Basin and (3) the Ebro Basin (Cenozoic foreland basins). The map covers an area of 527 km2 in north Iberia. Additionally, structural lineaments such as joints are well preserved and documented in the Upper Cretaceous sediments of the Burgalesa Platform, represented by four main sets regarding their orientation. The foreland basins are incised in Miocene materials by rivers that have developed a complex drainage system controlling the deposition of the most recent alluvial sediments, following the four structural orientations. The map, together with the analysis of orthophotos and a Digital Terrain Model, and outcrop-scale observations, have led us to document the influence of the Miocene to present-day compression and strike-slip tectonic regime on the configuration of the drainage system and the geomorphological features.

Automated summary

This article presents a morpho-structural map at 1:50,000 scale of the confluence area between three regional units in northern Iberia: the Burgalesa Platform, the Duero Basin, and the Ebro Basin. The study reveals the influence of Miocene to present-day compression and strike-slip tectonic regime on the configuration of the drainage system and geomorphological features in the Cenozoic foreland basins. Structural lineaments, such as joints, are well preserved and documented in the Upper Cretaceous sediments of the Burgalesa Platform, which are represented by four main sets regarding their orientation.