A review of the physical geography of malta and its significance for tectonic geomorphology

Abstract This article reviews the literature on the structure, tectonics and stratigraphy of the Maltese Islands in order to assess their influence on the evolution of geomorphic features. Vertical movements have dominated the development of the islands. Specifically, an extinct pre-Pliocene rift system is cross-cut by a Quaternary rift system, in which both normal and transcurrent faulting are still active. Faunal remains indicate that a land bridge with Sicily and perhaps North Africa existed during the Pleistocene, but since then the land has subsided continuously and the coasts of the islands are now dominated by features of submergence, especially to the north-east, where downward rotation has quickened the process. The origin and explanation of syndepositional dolines and of shore platforms remain controversial, but the drainage patterns and stream profiles in the interior of Malta and Gozo Islands can be explained with reference to the pattern of sub-vertical faults and fractures and the varying resistances of the five main lithostratigraphic units that make up the entire geological succession of the archipelago. Thus the islands serve as a relatively simple example of the Quaternary evolution of limestone scenery of uncomplicated lithology and heavy dependence on vertical tectonic movements.