Geología de Cataluña

espanolCatalunya esta situada en el extremo nororiental de la Peninsula Iberica. Es un area de forma triangular cuyo lado septentrional, orientado de E a W, lo constituye la cadena pirenaica; el occidental una linea imaginaria que desde la Vall d’Aran va a parar a las inmediaciones del delta del Ebro y el oriental, de NE a SW, coincide con la costa mediterranea paralela a la cual se dispone la Cordillera Costera Catalana. El Pirineo y la Cordillera Costera Catalana estan formados por un zocalo paleozoico y una cobertera mesozoica. Ambas alineaciones montanosas limitan una parte de la Depresion Central o del Ebro. Esta depresion esta rellena de sedimentos (paleogenos) procedentes de la erosion de los relieves recien formados (movimientos alpinos) que la rodean. Finalmente, a comienzos del Mioceno, una fase tectonica extensional origino, tanto en el Pirineo como en la Cordillera Costera Catalana, pequenas fosas; la mas importante de las cuales es la del Valles-Penedes. EnglishCatalonia is located at the Northeastern extreme of the Iberian Peninsula. It has a triangular shape and its septentrional side, oriented E ast-West, is formed by the Pyrenean Chain while the western side runs at a straight line from the Aran Valley to the Ebro delta. Finally, its oriental side is marked by the NESW trending coastline and contains the Coastal Catalonian Chain. The Pyrenees and the Coastal Catalonia Chain are constituted by a Paleozoic socle and a Mesozoic cover and both mountanious Chains bound the Northeastern part of the Ebro Basin. This Basin is filled with Paleogene deposits that resulted from erosion of the surrounding mountains formed during the Alpine movement.The Ebro Basin was affected in it’s final phase, during Early Miocene, by an extensional tectonical movement which formed in both mountainous Chains small grabens of which the Valles-Penedes, in the Coastal Catalonian, is the most important.