Abstract
Ever since geology has existed, attempts have been made to understand the Earth by looking at the granite rocks on its surface. There are two ways to tackle this task. Some look at the rocks and interpret how they were formed. Others look at the forms and from them interpret how and when they were formed. Although they are different ways to achieve the same end, the truth is that they have sometimes given rise to very different interpretations and also in some cases they have led to misinterpretation. Galicia, in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula, constitutes one of the most genuine representations of the geology of Hercynian granite in the whole of Europe. In this area, very intense erosion took place during the Mesozoic and Cainozoic ages, which has resulted in levelling of its sediments down to the granite massifs which explains the abundance of granites on the surface.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Centeno JD (1989) Evolución cuaternaria del relieve en la vertiente sur del Sistema Central Español. Las formas residuales como indicadores morfológicos. Cuadernos do Laboratorio Xeoloxico de Laxe, n.º 13
de Uña Alvarez E (1986) El Macizo de A Coruña. Análisis estructural y morfología de un afloramiento granítico. Tesis Doctoral. Universidad de Santiago, 1058 págs. (No publicado)
Godard A (1977) Pays et paysages du granite. Presses Uníversitaires de France. Vendóme, 232 pp; Klaer W (1956) Verwiterungsformen im granit auf Korsika. U. E. B. Hermann Haack Geographysch-kartographische Anstalt Gotha, 146 pp
Nonn H (1966) Les régions cotiéres de la Galice (Espagne). Etude Géomorpbologique. Publications de la Faculé de Lettres de l’Université de Strasbourg. These. Doctorale. 591 pp. 2 tom
Pannekoeck AJ (1967) The geomorphology of the surroundings of the Ria de Arosa (Galicia, NW, Spain). Leidse Geolologische Mededelingen 37:7–32
Reusch HH (1883) Note sur la géologie de la Corse. Paris Société Geologique Bulletin 11:53–67
Thomas MF (1987) The study of inselbergs. Zeitsfricht für Geomorphologie Supplement. Band 31, 1–41, Berlin
Twidale CR (1986) Granite landforms evolution: features and implications. Geol Rundsch 7513:769–779
Twidale CR, Corbin EM (1963) Gnammas. Revue De Geomorphologie Dynamique 14:1–20
Twidale CR (1982) Granite landforms. Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 372 pp
Twidale CR (1989) La iniciación subsuperficial de las formas graníticas y sus implicaciones en las teorías generales de evolución del paisaje. Cuadernos do Laboratorio Xeoloxico de Laxe n.º 13
Vidal-Romaní JR (1984a) Microformas graníticas tipo tafone y gnamma. Un micromodelado sin relación con el clima o la estacionalidad. Cuad Lab Xeol Laxe 7:273–277
Vidal-Romaní JR (1989) Granite geomorphology of Galicia, NW Spain. Cadernos Do Laboratorio Xeolóxico De Laxe 13:41–47
Vidal-Romaní JR, Gracia FJ (1988) Formación de cavidades en granito bajo condiciones no epígénícas. Cuad Lab Xeol Laxe 12:47–58
Vidal-Romaní JR, Grajal M, Vilaplana JM, Rodriguez R, Macias F, Fernandez S, Hernandez Pacheco A (1979) Procesos actuales. Micromodelado en el granito de Monte Louro, Galicia, España (Proyecto Louro). Actas IV Reunión del Grupo Español de Trabajo de Cuaternario. Banyoles, pp 256–266
Vidal-Romaní JR, Vilaplana JM, Martí Bono C, Serrat D (1983) Rasgos de micromodelado periglaciar actual sobre zonas graníticas de los Pirineos Españoles (Panticosa, Huesca y Cavallers. Lleida). Acta Geolologica Hispánica t. 18(n1):55–65
Vidal-Romaní JR, Sanjurjo J, Gandald’Anglade A, Vaqueiro M, Costas R (2018) Archeology and geology with a special mention to the relationship between rocky substrate and rock art (petroglyphs). Férvedes 9:51–57. ISSN 1134-6787
Vidal-Romaní JR, Song Z, Liu H, Sun Y, Li H (2019) Orogenic movements during the Paleozoic and the development of granitoid forms in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain). J Earth Sci 31(3):611–620. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-019-1268-z
Vidal-Romaní JR (1983) El Cuaternario de la provincia de A Coruña. Geomorfología granítica. Modelos elásticos de formación de cavidades. Publicaciones de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid (l985), 600 págs., 2 tomos
Vidal-Romaní JR (1984b) Micromodelado de rocas graníticas. Un nuevo modelo genético. Actas. 1º Congreso Español de Geología. Segovia, pp 585–594
Yepes J (2002) Geomorfología de un sector comprendido entre las provincias de Lugo y Ourense (Galicia, Macizo Hespérico). Serie Nova Terra, 21, 272 pp, Edicions do Castro, Coruña
Acknowledgements
During these years of studying granite forms, I have had with me two exceptional people. Dr. Ramón Vidal de Artaza who helped me develop the Elastic Model of Cavity Formation and Dr. C. R. Twidale with whom I discussed for years, without reaching a complete agreement, about the origin of the granitic forms. Without them I would never have been able to develop my current genetic model that solves all the obstacles that existed to understand the morphology not only of granitic rocks but also of many other rocks (limestone, sandstone, quartzite, etc.). Sincerely thank you very much.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Vidal-Romani, J.R. (2023). Endogenous/Exogenous Forms of Granite Geomorphology in Galicia. In: Núñez-Delgado, A., Álvarez-Rodríguez, E., Fernández-Calviño, D. (eds) The Environment in Galicia: A Book of Images. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33114-5_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-33114-5_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-33113-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-33114-5
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)