Resumen de El Plioceno de la Cuenca de Málaga (Cordillera Bética)

Antonio Guerra Merchán, Francisco Serrano Lozano, D. Ramallo

• The lower Pliocene deposits of the Malaga basin consist of three stratigraphic units which are limited by discordances. The Pliocene Unit 1 (probably MPL-I zone) has been observed only in the Northern border of the basin, representing a first stage ofthe marine invasion ofthe Malaga basin, which was previously emerged during Messinian times. Pliocene Unit 2 (MPL-2 zone) is an expansive unit with respect to the former, and is developed in a transgressive-regressive cycle. It consists of coastal and fan delta deposits towards the base and the edges, which change both distally and vertically towards the basin facies. This unit finishes with sands and gravels, representing a shallowing trend. Pliocene Unit 3 (part of upper MPL-2 zone and MPL-3 zone) is retractive and constitutes a new transgressive-regressive cycle, which is similar to the previous one but shows a smaller thickness. In this way, after a first stage of marine invasion during the lowermost part of the Pliocene, the Malaga basin experienced an expansive-retractive evolution, with two transgressive-regressive cycles between which a tectonic event took place.