Paleozoic Basement and Pre-Alpine History of the Betic Cordillera

Palaeozoic rocks in the Betic Cordillera are widespread in the Malaguide, Alpujarride and Nevado-Filabride complexes of its Internal Domain. The Malaguide stratigraphic successions record a deepening trend during the post-rift evolution of a divergent continental margin that was paleogeographically related to the Northern Paleotethys from the latest Ordovician to the Early Carboniferous. Since the Serpukhovian it evolved to a convergent margin with Culm-like synorogenic sedimentation. Also probably at that time most of the Nevado-Filabride and Alpujarride rocks were affected by a Variscan tectonometamorphic evolution that was followed by latest Variscan local granite emplacement at ca. 300–280 Ma.