Coastal Landforms and the Geology of the Balearic Islands

Coastal Relief Features

The following features describe the major landforms resulting from marine and continental processes along the coast:

• Headlands: Outgoing projections of the coast into the sea.
• Gulfs (or Bays): Inbound indentations from the sea to the shore.
• Cliffs: Steep slopes where the coast meets the sea. They often feature caves and arches (formed by marine erosion piercing the interior) and strong erosion areas, leading to the eventual collapse of the cliff top.
• Beaches: Flat, level extensions located on the coast, formed by marine and continental sediments.
• Marine Terraces (Rasas): Marine erosion platforms parallel to the coast that have been uplifted high above sea level.
• Rias: Submerged river valleys (incoming coastal indentations).
• Marshland: Mud flats filled with sediments supplied by rivers and the sea.
• Spits (Littoral Arrows): Sandy bars that continue a rectilinear coast inward into a bay.
• Albuferas (Coastal Lagoons): Salty coastal lakes separated from the sea by a cordon of sand that closes a bay.
• Tombolo: A sand bar connecting the coast to rocky islets.
• Deltas: A coastal salient formed when a river contributes more sediment than the sea can redistribute.
• Dunes: Sand mounds typical of sandy coasts. They are formed by the transportation and accumulation of sand by the wind. The dune profile is asymmetric: the windward face has a smooth and convex slope, while the leeward face is abrupt and concave.

The Balearic Archipelago Geography

The Balearic Islands are formed by Mallorca, Ibiza, and Formentera, which are fragments that emerged from the Subbetic mountain range. Menorca is linked to the Catalan Coastal Range (Cordillera Costero-Catalana).

Geological Structure of Mallorca

Mallorca has three main geological units:

1. The Serra de Tramuntana in the north, composed of limestone rock.
2. The Serra de Llevant in the south, also composed of limestone crag.
3. The Central Depression between the two, which is a rocky area with gentle, clay-based relief.

Ibiza and Formentera

Ibiza (Eivissa) and Formentera have a generally gentle relief. Ibiza features limestone mountainous areas in the north (a massive relief). A plain occupies the southern part and most of the island of Formentera.

Menorca's Dual Structure

Menorca presents two distinct geological sets:

• The Northern Half: A mountainous Paleozoic alignment characterized by low, gentle rises.
• The Southern Half: Flat, composed of calcareous materials, separated from the northern half by a fault.

Balearic Coastlines

The Balearic coasts feature cliffs in mountainous areas where the relief reaches the sea. The rest of the coast alternates between long sandy beaches and numerous coves or inlets. Lagoons are also present.