This study interprets the geomorphologic evolution of the meandering canyon incised by the Duraton River in the Sepulveda calcareous Massif. Field observations, detailed mapping and analysis of discontinuous terraces of fluvial deposits occurring on the canyon walls and inner face of the entrenched meanders, were used to trace canyon development from the initial stage of valley formation to the present. A comparison of the elevation of the terraces in relation to the present river bed revealed several stages of incision, and determined the degree to which the massif’s morphostructural features impacted terrace formation. The massif’s ‘anticlinorial’ configuration influenced the extension and thickness of the Tertiary detrital sediments that cover the highly deformed Cretaceous calcareous beds, causing a lateral displacement of the valley, which intensified the formation of meanders relative to the dip of sedimentary strata.
