Síntesis de la evolución geodinámica durante el Cuaternario de la zona oriental de la cuenca de Huércal-Overa (Almería, Cordilleras Béticas)

Abstract

The landscape of the eastern Huércal-Overa Basin reflects the influence of a tectonic context thataffected its younger landforms, and involved Quaternary neotectonic activity and the dominantalluvial sedimentary environment. From sedimentary descriptions, aerial photo-interpretation, geo-morphological mapping and the use of GIS techniques, the geodynamic evolution of this part ofthe Huércal-Overa basin during the late Pliocene and Quaternary has been reconstructed, emerging a complicated pattern. The main tectonic activity is associated with the entrance of the left-lateral strike-slip Lorca-Alhama fault (oriented NE-SW) in the Huércal-Overa basin. The interactionof this fault with earlier ENE-WSW to E-W faults inherited from the opening stage of the basinduring the Miocene formed a subsiding area (the Cubeta del Saltador) with pull-apart characteristics superimposed on the previous Miocene basin, and tectonic highs in both the northern and eastern margins.