Molasse and clastic-wedge sediments of the Southern Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain) as geomorphol;ogical and environmental indicators

Abstract

Post-orogenic sediments supplied by the Cantabrian Mountains during successive stages of uplift, were of the molasse type during the Stephanian and later of the clastic-wedge type. Sedimentological research has provided information on the source area and the environmental and climatic conditions under which these generally coarse grained sediments were deposited: warm and humid for Upper Carboniferous, warm and relatively arid for Triassic and Tertiary times. The depositional environments were in all cases torrential, alluvial fans grading into flood plains with finer grained sediments.