Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Landforms and soils
Maria Teresa Melis and Stefano Loddo
4.1 Introduction
The landscape can be considered as the result of a competition between 'construc-
tional' processes, such as tectonics, that act to increase or decrease the elevation
of the crust, and 'destructional' processes, such as erosion, that modify it. These
two processes interact and are influenced by other factors such as lithology, climate
and sea-level changes. In a broader sense, mountains form a major component of
terrestrial dynamism. Large mountain ranges as much as isolated peaks are highly
exposed to environmental risk and degradation, mainly due to severe climate con-
ditions and gravitational denudation processes. This chapter provides a description
of the physical aspects of the Mediterranean mountain landscapes. The aim is to
give an overview of their regional geomorphological dynamics, geological setting
and pedological characteristics. In addition the chapter discusses some of the most
typical mountain environments, ranging from the west to the east of the basin, with
the inclusion of the massifs situated in two of the largest Mediterranean islands,
Sicily and Sardinia.
4.2 Geomorphological processes in the Mediterranean
mountain region
The morphology of the Mediterranean mountains is closely conditioned by the geo-
dynamic thrusts still active and is easily readable by looking at the distribution of
mountain ranges that surround this basin. The Pyrenees, the Alps, the Dinaric Alps,
and the Hellenids, Atlas and Taurus mountains have evolved and have accompanied
formation of the Mediterranean Basin. Their position provides a natural protection
from the cold northerly perturbations of Europe thereby supporting the presence
of mild climatic conditions. The highest peaks are found in the Alps, which bor-
der the Italian peninsula from west to east coming to lap the Italian Ligurian coast.
