Data from U/Th dating of fossil travertine edifices allow differentiating two depositional phases in the buildup of these kind of formations within the Tabernas Basin (Almería, SE Spain) which can be attributed to the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. An intervening erosive gap separates both phases of travertine formation. This gap is linked to the fluvial dissection associated to the incicsion of the present-day erosive drainage within the basin. The analyzed travertine deposits display a clear hydrothermal origin. Their depositional environment will be stressed to the final stage of the Würm period and the beginning of the Holocene, between c.a. 46 and 8 kyr B.P. Their subsequent erosion can be related to the intense and generalizad erosive morphogenesis from the early Holocene onwards, linked to a climatic change towards an increasing aridity and rainfall intensity conditions.
