Meseta is the oldest plateau in the Iberian Peninsula and the one occupying most of its surface. It originated from the Massif Esperico, which was born with erogenous orogenesis during the Paleozoic. This massif was paved with erosion during the Mesozoic, transforming it into a wavy plain that is the basis of the current Meseta, later altered during Cenozoic due to alpine orogenesis and erosion and sedimentation during the Quaternary. Geochemical modification wikitesto origin During the Cenozoic the alpine orogenesis affected the ancient Massif Esperico by altering its buttresses, resulting in the formation of the Galician-Portuguese Massif, the Leon Mountains and the Basque Mountains and the bending of its buttresses such as the Cantabrian Cordillera, to the north, the Iberian System, to the northeast, and the Sierra Morena fault to the south.
This orogenesis resulted in the clash between the African plaque and the European plaque, squeezing in the middle the rest of the massif, and also producing the fracture of the hoof that gave rise to the Monti of Toledo and the Central System. In addition, the remains of the massif swung westward and were subsequently subjected to a sedimentation process that is more accentuated on the eastern side. In fact on the western side of the Meseta are most visible the hard and crystalline materials that originally formed the Massif Esperico.
The end result of these geological processes is a plateau with an average altitude of around 600 meters, though the altitude of the northern Meseta, which lies to the north of the Central System, is higher than the southern one. The plains of the meseta have raised edges and therefore have a strongly continental climate that does not enjoy the mitigation of the sea. Its soils have a typical reddish color. Other designers wikitesto
Altri progetti
Sheep in the Mesetawiki
