Iberian Range Research Articles

Micro- and Nanotexture and Genesis of Ball Clays in the Lower Cretaceous (SE Iberian Range, NE Spain)

Ball clay deposits in the SE of the Iberian Range (NE Iberian Peninsula) consist of Albian clays and siltstones with greyish and blackish colors, interbedded with subbituminous coals. The ball clays are nowadays mined for the manufacture of white color ceramics. The mineralogy of these deposits consists mainly of kaolinite, illitic phases, and quartz. The euhedral to sub-euhedral morphology of the kaolinites suggests their in-situ origin. The anhedral morphology of the illites and the presence of frayed illites suggest a detrital origin. At the micro-scale, authigenic kaolinite booklets are observed filling pores and forming mica/kaolinite intergrowths, in which the kaolinite grows between the cleavage sheets of pre-existing detrital mica. At nanometer scale, illite/smectite (IS) phases are detected forming interlayers with mica and kaolinite, and evidence of the replacement of mica by kaolinite is observed. The matrix consists of defective illite and kaolinite, and random mixed layers of kaolinite-I/S (Kln-IS), illite-I/S (Ilt-IS), and I/S-smectite (IS-S). The textures of illite and the presence of different types of mixed layers suggest that the expandable phases and kaolinite are products of mica alteration. The effectivity of the alteration was probably a consequence of the low pH that occurred in the environment due to the presence of abundant organic- and acidic- rich fluids.

Evolutionary trend of Cenomanian alveolinids from Zagros Basin,SWof Iran

The alveolinids were once highly widespread in the Cenomanian of the Tethys Basin. Even though evolutionary studies have, thus far, been conducted using material from many countries e.g. Spain, Oman, and the UAE, the Zagros region in SW Iran has not been studied yet. Two sections of the Sarvak Formation in the Pyun and Kuh‐e‐Zana areas were investigated. Five type levels can be identified in the Pyun section. The evolutionary trend begins with praealveolinids followed by ovalveolinids in the Early Cenomanian. Cisalveolinids firstly appear in the Late Cenomanian strata and thenMultispirinais derived. ThenSimplalveolina simplexappears, which is derived fromMultispirina iranensis. At the Kuh‐e Zana section, the evolutionary trend was observed in three levels. There is no ideal evolutionary trend becauseMultispirinaandSimplalveolinaare absent in this section. The identified trends are similar to those of the Iberian Ranges in Spain.

USING HIGH-RESOLUTION AMMONITE BIOCHRONOSTRATIGRAPHY TO DATE VOLCANOGENIC DEPOSITS PRESERVED IN MIDDLE JURASSIC CARBONATE PLATFORMS SUCCESSIONS OF THE WESTERNMOST TETHYS (SOUTHEASTERN IBERIAN RANGE, SPAIN)

The Middle Jurassic successions that are currently exposed in eastern Spain (southeastern Iberian Range) were deposited in a system of shallow carbonate platforms, constituting the western margin of the Alpine Ocean, and display a series of successively interbedded volcaniclastic rocks and minor lava flows. The large-scale mapping reveals that Middle Jurassic volcanic rocks crop out along NW‒SE pathways, highlighting the importance of the role played by tectonics in controlling the spatial distribution of volcanic outcrops. The progressive dismemberment of Pangea impelled a geographic provinciality increase and, thus, might have contributed to a growing speciation rate of marine invertebrate organisms, notably ammonites. The present study provides new data constraining in detail the age of the Middle Jurassic volcanic deposits. The biochronostratigraphic calibrations of the sedimentary host rocks encasing the volcanics have been obtained from the study of the fossil content (mainly ammonites) from16 well-exposed stratigraphic sections. The study of the fossils from these sections has enabled the identification of three volcanic episodes during the Murchisonae Zone (Aalenian), the Concavum‒Discites zonal boundary (Aalenian-Bajocian), and the late Laeviuscula Zone or Laeviuscula‒Propinquans zonal boundary (Bajocian). Precise age constraints for volcanic accumulations can be a significant contribution in reconstructing the geodynamic history of the Iberian Basin.

New insights on plant communities and flora of the southern paramos of the Iberian Range (Spain)

New insights on plant communities and flora of the southern paramos of the Iberian Range (Spain)

Balance sedimentario del embalse de Ribarroja

El objetivo de este estudio ha sido construir un balance de sedimentos del embalse de Ribarroja, situado en el tramo inferior del río Ebro. Para ello, se han analizado datos continuos de caudal y transporte de sedimentos en suspensión tomados en los principales ríos que desembocan en el embalse, así como en la salida de la presa, para el período 2008-2011. La carga de sedimentos estimada aguas arriba del embalse de Mequinenza fue de 0.66 × 106 t a-1, mientras que la salida estimada fue de 0.04 × 106 t a-1. El aporte de sedimentos proveniente de los grandes afluentes pirenaicos, aunque altamente regulados, Segre y Cinca fue de 0,16 × 106 t a-1, mientras que los ríos intermitentes que fluyen naturalmente desde la Cordillera Ibérica (Matarraña y Algars) suministraron una carga media de 760 t a-1. La carga de sedimentos en suspensión atrapada en los embalses de Mequinenza y Ribarroja para el período de estudio se estimó en 0,78 × 106 t a-1, lo que implica una reducción de ca. 95% de la carga de sedimentos del río. Los resultados ilustran el papel de los embalses en la interrupción de la transferencia de sedimentos en el tramo bajo del Ebro, en un contexto de déficit sedimentario estructural, tras los cambios generalizados de uso del suelo (reforestación) que se produjeron en la cuenca a partir de los años cuarenta del siglo pasado.

The demographic history of Castanea sativa Mill. in southwest Europe: A natural population structure modified by translocations.

In domesticated species, translocation of materials can alter natural demographic patterns; this may have occurred in Castanea sativa (European chestnut), a species conserved in several refuges, with a long domestication history for nut production. Bayesian analysis of population genetic structure in marginal areas and in the centre of C.sativa range, considering spatial information and making corrections for unbalanced size, allowed visualization of a genetic structure that was subsequently analysed by approximate Bayesian computation to assess its natural demographic history and test the origin of some hypothetical translocated germplasm. We obtained evidence of C.sativa population contraction during the earliest Pleistocene, resulting in a split into eastern (Greek) and western (Italian and Iberian) populations. The northern Iberian population, in the Eurosiberian area, is one of the vestiges that remained after the contraction that split the global Tertiary population. A secondary encounter, occurred from Middle to Upper Pleistocene, which explains the hybrid origin of the Western Mediterranean population present in Italy and in the centre and south of the Iberian Peninsula. It has been demonstrated that a germplasm translocation from Italy to the Central Iberian Range may have occurred. Recent translocations have hybridized with the local northern Iberian population, producing naturalized populations with high diversity. The populations of C.sativa in southwestern Europe have a genetic structure compatible with a natural origin, in which signs of population contractions and expansions caused by climatic oscillations since the Late Miocene have been imprinted.

Mineral provenance of Roman lead objects from the Cinca River basin (Huesca, Spain)

A set of 50 lead artifacts, out of which 29 were glandes plumbeae, found at archaeological sites located in the Cinca River basin (Huesca, Spain) were analyzed by MC-ICP-MS to determine lead isotope ratios. A comparison with lead ore deposits exploited by the Romans in the Iberian Peninsula allowed to differentiate two main groups of samples: those manufactured with Pb from nearby Pyrenean or Iberian Range ores (30%), and those from mining areas of Cartagena-Mazarrón in southeastern Spain or S'Argentera in the island of Ibiza (70%). This finding supports the existence of lead-ore extraction in the Central Pyrenees in the Roman period and enhances our understanding of metal supply networks in the region and army provisioning during the Sertorian war.

Lead isotopes in Celtiberian denarii from Turiasu and Roman asses minted in cities of the Conventus Caesaraugustanus (Hither Spain)

Isotope analysis is a flexible and powerful tool for provenance studies of archaeological objects. In the present study, lead isotopic analysis was used in order to gain insight into the origin of the mineral sources of coins minted in the Celtiberian mint of Turiasu and in six coloniae and municipia of the Conventus Caesaraugustanus (Hither Spain) under Augustus and Tiberius (27 BC-37 AD). In the case of Turiasu denarii, argentum from the Iberian Range mines was used, and in the Roman asses coined in civitates of the middle Ebro River, the copper minerals had a diverse origin (Pyrenean, from the Iberian Range, from the southeastern Iberian Peninsula and from the Central Iberian Zone). Differences in ore provenance and in bulk composition (investigated through X-ray fluorescence) were not only detected among the early Augustan, late Augustan and early Tiberian periods, but also among the mints under study. Moreover, differences were also detected among the mints of the Conventus Caesaraugustanus and the official mint of Rome, evidencing that the former enjoyed autonomy in terms of the choice of ore origin and processing.

Nejdia (Hildoceratidae, Ammonoidea) in the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) of the Iberian Peninsula. Systematics, phylogenetic affinities and palaeobiogeography

ABSTRACT The genus Nejdia Arkell, 1952 has rarely been cited outside the Arabo-Malgach Province and, few specimens have been recorded outside this province. On the Iberian Peninsula it has been identified in three sites, two of these in the southwest of the Iberian Basin and one in the Lusitanian Basin. Three species are described: N. cf. bramkampi, N. pseudogruneri and N. duartei sp. nov., Following the indications of the journal the new species was recorded in the ZooBank recorded in the interval between the upper part of the Serpentinum Chronozone, where they are associated with Harpoceras falciferum and Orthildaites douvillei and the lower part of the Bifrons Chronozone containing Hildoceras sublevisoni. In all the Iberian outcrops having a record of Nejdia, the fossils constitute ademic or parademic taphonic entities, as there is no evidence to indicate that the known populations inhabited an area close to the southwest sector of the Iberian Range, or the northern part of the Lusitanian Basin, where were recorded. With the specimens obtained in Portugal, the known geographic distribution of the genus Nejdia is extended, currently comprising, apart from the Arabo-Malgach Province, the Iberian Range and the Lusitanian Basin in the Submediterranean Province, and the Middle Atlas and the Apennines in the Mediterranean Province. url:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:BEE9F42E-92FE-483E-9CC1-B4B8FB927E82

Satellite data and machine learning reveal the incidence of late frost defoliations on Iberian beech forests.

Climate warming is driving an advance of leaf unfolding date in temperate deciduous forests, promoting longer growing seasons and higher carbon gains. However, an earlier leaf phenology also increases the risk of late frost defoliation (LFD) events. Compiling the spatiotemporal patterns of defoliations caused by spring frost events is critical to unveil whether the balance between the current advance in leaf unfolding dates and the frequency of LFD occurrence is changing and represents a threaten for the future viability and persistence of deciduous forests. We combined satellite imagery with machine learning techniques to reconstruct the spatiotemporal patterns of LFD events for the 2003-2018 period in the Iberian range of European beech (Fagus sylvatica), at the drier distribution edge of the species. We used MODIS Vegetation Index Products to generate a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series for each 250 × 250m pixel in a total area of 1,013 km2 (16,218 pixels). A semi-supervised approach was used to train a machine learning model, in which a binary classifier called Support Vector Machine with Global Alignment Kernel was used to differentiate between late frost and non-late frost pixels. We verified the obtained estimates with photointerpretation and existing beech tree-ring chronologies to iteratively improve the model. Then, we used the model output to identify topographical and climatic factors that determined the spatial incidence of LFD. During the study period, LFD was a low recurrence phenomenon that occurred every 15.2yr on average and showed high spatiotemporal heterogeneity. Most LFD events were condensed in 5 yr and clustered in western forests (86.5% in one-fifth of the pixels) located at high elevation with lower than average precipitation. Elevation and longitude were the major LFD risk factors, followed by annual precipitation. The synergistic effects of increasing drought intensity and rising temperature combined with more frequent late frost events may determine the future performance and distribution of beech forests. This interaction might be critical at the beech drier range edge, where the concentration of LFD at high elevations could constrain beech altitudinal shifts and/or favor species with higher resistance to late frosts.

Gene flow between diploid and tetraploid junipers - two contrasting evolutionary pathways in two Juniperus populations

BackgroundGene flow and polyploidy have been found to be important in Juniperus evolution. However, little evidence has been published elucidating the association of both phenomena in juniper taxa in the wild. Two main areas were studied in Spain (Eastern Iberian Range and Sierra de Baza) with both diploid and tetraploid taxa present in sympatry. Gene flow and ploidy level were assessed for these taxa and the resulted offspring.ResultsTwenty-two allo-triploid hybrids between J. sabina var. sabina and J. thurifera were found in the Eastern Iberian Range population. However, in the Sierra de Baza population no triploids were found. Instead, 18 allo-tetraploid hybrids between two tetraploid taxa: J. sabina var. balkanensis and J. thurifera were discovered. High genetic diversity was exhibited among the tetraploid hybrids at Sierra de Baza, in contrast to the genetically identical triploid hybrids at the Eastern Iberian Range; this suggests meiotic difficulties within the triploid hybrids. In addition, unidirectional gene flow was observed in both studied areas.ConclusionPolyploidy and hybridization can be complementary partners in the evolution of Juniperus taxa in sympatric occurrences. Juniperus was shown to be an ideal coniferous model to study these two phenomena, independently or in concert.

Genesis of an atypical Podzol in the Iberian Range: micromorphological characterization

A podzol has been described in the Iberian Range (Moncayo Natural Park), which may represent the southernmost example in Europe. The fact that it occurs at the podzol distribution limit makes its morphology atypical. The aim of this work is to identify the components and formation processes of the soil, and to determine if the processes are active or paleo-processes by a micromorphological approach. The study podzol is located in the top of a northern hillside (30% of slope), at 1600 m altitude on quartzitic sandstones, under Scots pine (<em>Pinus sylvestris</em>) with an udic moisture regime and a frigid temperature regime. We found opaque, orthic iron oxide nodules at the base of the profile (Bhs1), which is related to a current oxidation-reduction process; silt caps are also observed on the coarse elements, pedofeatures evidencing the cryoturbation process, probably also current processes. In the Bhs2 horizon, coatings and micro-laminated clay infillings are identified that are interspersed with fine silts in the holes. Many of these coatings are fragmented and mixed with the basal mass of the soil, indicating that they are paleofeature, possibly prior to the current podzolization.

Volcanic rocks in Lower Jurassic marine carbonate successions in the southeastern Iberian Range (Spain): biochronostratigraphic dating

The Ligurian Tethys began to open in a roughly NE–SW direction in Pliensbachian times. West of the Ligurian oceanic crust, a carbonate-platform system constituted the eastern Iberian paleomargin. Lower and Middle Jurassic marine sediments deposited in these shallow platforms are well exposed today in the southeastern Iberian Range and host multiple volcanogenic deposits, mainly volcaniclastic in nature. Regional mapping reveals that volcanic outcrops show NW and NE (or NNE) oriented lineaments following tracks of cortical weakness. Volcanic ages were estimated by using biochronostratigraphic methods and sequence-stratigraphic correlations. As a result, ten Lower Jurassic volcanic episodes have been identified. The chronostratigraphic positions of the volcanic deposits span from the early Pliensbachian (Jamesoni Zone or later) to the late Toarcian (Thouarsense Zone). The extension-dominated regime of the eastern Iberian paleomargin also affected the southern Iberian paleomargin (Betic Cordillera) as a result of the eastward prolongation of the central Pangea fragmentation. The break-up of wide platforms and the first volcanic emissions seem to be roughly coeval in the Betic and Iberian domains and synchronous with the onset of rifting and spreading events of the Ligurian Tethys Ocean.

Bouleiceras (Hildoceratidae, Ammonitina) from the lower Toarcian (Jurassic) of the Iberian Range (Spain): Taxonomy, stratigraphic distribution and insights on its dispersal

Bouleiceras is a very rare genus among the rich assemblages of ammonoids from the lower Toarcian of the Iberian Range. So far, only two dozen specimens have been recorded in numerous field campaigns carried out since 1965 by different authors. The interest of this taxon lies in its peculiar paleogeographical distribution in comparison with most other ammonoids of the same age. A review of these specimens is carried out, including those obtained in previous works and others recently collected in selected localities. Based mainly on the differences in the shape of the ventral section and the suture line, seven species have been identified; two of which are new: Bouleiceras ibericum nov. sp. and Bouleiceras? betetensis nov. sp. All the reviewed specimens are recorded in the Semicelatum Subzone of the Tenuicostatum Zone and the Elegantulum Subzone of the Serpentinum Zone from the Central Sector and the Levantine Sector of the Iberian Range. The global distribution of the genus is summarized from the known data, and its possible dispersal routes are analyzed, as well as the factors that could have conditioned them.

Idoneidad del hábitat para el Oso pardo (Ursus arctos) en el sureste del Sistema Ibérico

Rey Benayas, J.M., Fraile Real, L., de la Torre Ceijas, R., Fernandez, N. 2020. Habitat suitability for Brown bear (Ursus arctos) in the south-eastern Iberian Range. Ecosistemas 29(2):1072. https://doi.org/10.7818/ECOS.1972 The Brown bear (Ursus arctos) is the biggest mammalian carnivore living in Western Europe and an endangered species in Spain. After centuries of decline, all Iberian populations have become extinct except two of them which are currently being recovered. Today, it seems feasible to initiate new conservation strategies to allow the recovery of extinct bear populations and their ecological functions by means of reintroduction programs. The goal of this study was to assess habitat suitability for the species in the south-eastern part of the Iberian Range. Our starting hypothesis predicts that this geographical area has favourable ecological characteristics to harbour a viable population of brown bears. The results point out that land abandonment, forest regeneration, a large forest extension, high habitat heterogeneity, and large natural protected areas network all provide suitable habitat conditions. The assessment of habitat suitability allowed ranking the land of the study area for the establishment of a Brown bear population; ca. 16 000 km2 has high or medium-high habitat suitability values. The most suitable areas included abrupt relief, forests and other vegetation cover types that will provide both refuge and food to brown bears throughout all seasons. This study is a first step towards the evaluation of a future reintroduction of the species into the area, which in following steps would require addressing social acceptance and, ultimately, would depend on bold policy decisions.

Determination of uranium and thorium isotopes in kaolinitic samples by ICP-MS/MS

The use of natural uranium and thorium long-lived isotopes was applied to study the evolution of kaolinitic materials. To do that, a radiochemical method for separation of Th and U in phyllosilicate samples was developed with the main aim of their analysis by ICP-MS/MS. Given the lack of certified phyllosilicate reference materials with certified isotope abundances, the method was tested using a stepwise approach. First, a preliminary setup was done using a sediment reference sample. Then, the extrapolation of this method to the samples of interest has been tested using a phyllosilicate sample certified for U and Th concentrations. The results showed that an extension of the plateau time of digestion in the used microwave system was peremptory as to get full digestion of the sample. The use of the isotope dilution technique allowed both the quantification of major isotopes (238U and 232Th) simultaneous to the determination of isotope ratios (234U/238U, 235U/238U for quality control and 230Th/232Th). The established method was applied to six kaolinitic samples from the Iberian Range (NE Spain), showing the potential of this isotope approach for the characterization of their time evolution.

Interacción entre vulcanismo, tectónica y sedimentación en una plataforma carbonatada somera: Ejemplo en el Tethys occidental (Jurásico Medio, sureste de la Cordillera Ibérica)

En el sureste de la Cordillera Ibérica (España) existen una serie de afloramientos de rocas volcánicas origi­nadas por erupciones submarinas, principalmente de tipo volcanoclástico, interestratificadas en las sucesiones carbonatadas del Jurásico Inferior y Medio. La cartografía geológica de los afloramientos de rocas volcánicas revela que se encuentran alineados a lo largo de tres elementos de debilidad cortical bien definidos (zonas de falla de Teruel, de Caudiel y de Alcublas), originados probablemente por fracturas relacionadas con la apertura y expansión del Tethys Ligur y del Tethys Alpino. En este trabajo se presentan los resultados del estudio de la evolución tectonosedimentaria de un ambiente submarino somero afectado por la presencia de una acumulación volcánica que tuvo lugar en el Jurásico Medio (límite Aaleniense‒Bajociense). Se trata del afloramiento volcánico de Caudiel, que es el más suroriental de todos los afloramientos localizados en uno de los tres elementos de debilidad estructural mencionados: la Zona de Falla de Caudiel. La presencia de un relieve positivo en el fondo de la plataforma, ya de por sí bastante somera, condiciona la sedimentación carbonatada, muy sensible a la pro­fundidad, hasta el punto de llegar a inducir cambios significativos de facies con respecto a otras áreas cercanas o de impedir la sedimentación. Los movimientos episódicos del substrato generaron una topografía irregular y cambiante a lo largo del tiempo, con tasas variables de hundimiento y levantamiento en diferentes áreas. El aflo­ramiento de Caudiel constituye un buen ejemplo fósil de interacción entre varios factores (vulcanismo, tectónica y sedimentación) en plataformas carbonatadas someras, en las que los cambios de acomodación y las tasas de sedimentación parecen estar subordinadas a perturbaciones tectónicas de carácter local.

Palaeoecological and palaeoenviromental reconstruction of the upper Miocene vertebrate karstic site of Corral de Lobato, central-eastern Spain

We report stable isotopic analyses for dental enamel of fossil mammals from the Miocene (~7.1 Ma, MN13, middle Turolian) Corral de Lobato locality, Guadalajara, Spain, and compare it with adjacent localities of the Iberian Range. This multidisciplinary research allows the assessment of the palaeoenvironmental, palaeoecological and palaeoclimatic conditions that were in place in the central-eastern area of the Iberian Peninsula at this time. Herbivore tooth enamel δ13C values point to the presence of two environments: open woodland/arid C3 grassland and woodland/mesic C3 grassland. We infer the most probable diets of the two carnivores analysed, indicating a partition of resources and habitats. Tooth enamel δ18O values from the obligate drinkers indicate that all of them would have drunk water with similar evaporation rates except for the suid Hippopotamodon major, although its distinct δ18O values may be influenced by its omnivorous diet. Comparing Corral de Lobato taxa with those from other semi-contemporaneous (MN12–MN13) localities of the nearby Teruel Basin, δ13O values point to more arid conditions in Corral de Lobato while lower values of δ18O are most likely related to the karst origin of water bodies. Possibly, the difference between the isotopic compositions of Corral de Lobato and adjacent localities results from the combined effect of palaeotopography and a global climate pulse about 7 Ma.

Rewilding and restoring cultural landscapes in Mediterranean mountains: Opportunities and challenges

Farmland abandonment and the decline of livestock activity in the Mediterranean mountains have resulted in dramatic landscape changes, including the generalized expansion of shrublands and forests, and the homogenization of the old cultural landscapes. This process has a variety of consequences from ecological, geomorphological and hydrological points of view, as well as from the perspectives of land management and public awareness. An intense debate currently surrounds the discussion and evaluation of rewilding (the process of passively allowing woody encroachment, as well as the reintroduction of large mammals) as an opportunity for enhancing biodiversity and restoring original landscapes after centuries of human activity versus ecological restoration (activities leading to the recovery of degraded ecosystems, including clearing and light human activity). There is no clear consensus regarding the best way to improve the ecological relationships and functioning within an ecosystem. Biodiversity and sustainability can be seen under different levels of human pressure and landscape transformation; total farmland abandonment is not always the best alternative, particularly when local inhabitants aim to sustain themselves using local resources. Many geographers and ecologists consider that extensive stockbreeding in a partially open landscape is a rational way to (i) improve landscape organization, (ii) increase flows and turnover within the ecosystems, (iii) increase the diversity of plants and animals that benefit from a relatively light human presence, and (iv) reduce wildfire risk. However, it has proven challenging for land managers and stockbreeders to clear the best old abandoned fields and “construct” a sustainable, balanced landscape that combines forests, shrublands and open lands. Private landowner involvement and support from the general public is crucial for both funding and the long-term maintenance of benefits. The best old fields should be cleared in the context of high-resolution knowledge of the topography, grassland characteristics, grassland cycles and livestock management. Such efforts are likely to be an excellent opportunity to introduce compatibility between light human activity and increases in biodiversity and sustainability for many marginal mountains, where land abandonment and general forest/shrub recovery are the inevitable tendencies. This paper examines some of the contrasting positions of the scientific community regarding the rewilding or ecological restoration of mountain landscapes, and briefly highlights some experiences in which intentional clearing of old abandoned fields has benefited stockbreeding, biodiversity, runoff generation and wildfire risks. Notably, we describe a sub-Mediterranean valley of the Iberian Range, Northern Spain, as an example. In the long term, we find that the intentional clearing of the best old fields allows the slow organization of a final landscape that will be more useful for local inhabitants, thereby helping to reverse human depopulation in these regions.

Tectono‐sedimentary evolution of Jurassic–Cretaceous diapiric structures: Miravete anticline, Maestrat Basin, Spain

AbstractIntegration of extensive fieldwork, remote sensing mapping and 3D models from high‐quality drone photographs relates tectonics and sedimentation to define the Jurassic–early Albian diapiric evolution of the N–S Miravete anticline, the NW‐SE Castel de Cabra anticline and the NW‐SE Cañada Vellida ridge in the Maestrat Basin (Iberian Ranges, Spain). The pre shortening diapiric structures are defined by well‐exposed and unambiguous halokinetic geometries such as hooks and flaps, salt walls and collapse normal faults. These were developed on Triassic salt‐bearing deposits, previously misinterpreted because they were hidden and overprinted by the Alpine shortening. The Miravete anticline grew during the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous and was rejuvenated during Cenozoic shortening. Its evolution is separated into four halokinetic stages, including the latest Alpine compression. Regionally, the well‐exposed Castel de Cabra salt anticline and Cañada Vellida salt wall confirm the widespread Jurassic and Early Cretaceous diapiric evolution of the Maestrat Basin. The NE flank of the Cañada Vellida salt wall is characterized by hook patterns and by a 500‐m‐long thin Upper Jurassic carbonates defining an upturned flap, inferred as the roof of the salt wall before NE‐directed salt extrusion. A regional E‐W cross section through the Ababuj, Miravete and Cañada‐Benatanduz anticlines shows typical geometries of salt‐related rift basins, partly decoupled from basement faults. These structures could form a broader diapiric region still to be investigated. In this section, the Camarillas and Fortanete minibasins displayed well‐developed bowl geometries at the onset of shortening. The most active period of diapiric growth in the Maestrat Basin occurred during the Early Cretaceous, which is also recorded in the Eastern Betics, Asturias and Basque‐Cantabrian basins. This period coincides with the peak of eastward drift of the Iberian microplate, with speeds of 20 mm/year. The transtensional regime is interpreted to have played a role in diapiric development.