Relief of Europe: what it is like and its characteristics

We explain what the relief is like in Europe, how its main structures were formed and what its most important geological characteristics are.

The Alps are the highest mountain range in Europe.

What is relief in Europe?

The relief of Europe is characterized by its rugged topography and structural formations of very varied antiquity. Its average altitude is 340 meters above sea level.the lowest of all continents.

Some of its reliefs are very old and were formed more than 500 million years ago, such as the Baltic shield or the Scandinavian mountains. Others are geologically newer and were formed a few million years ago, such as most of the volcanoes that make up the islands of Iceland. The highest reliefs of the continent are also geologically new and They are characterized by significant seismic and volcanic activityThe largest plains are found in northern France, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and central Russia.

Features of the relief of Europe

Three large groups make up the relief of Europe: the plains, the elevated plateaus, and the mountain and volcanic chains.

• The plains. Most of the European territory has a relief of plains. They occupy an area of ​​approximately 7 million square kilometres, which represents almost 70% of the total area of ​​the continent. Most of these plains are geologically new and were formed during the Cenozoic. Many of them are crossed by long rivers such as the Volga, the Danube and the Ural.
• The elevated plateausThey are made up of geologically very old massifs formed during the Precambrian and Paleozoic eras. They are reliefs that have been greatly eroded, are lower in height than mountain ranges and tend to have less steep slopes. The Scandinavian, Central and Iberian massifs are the most important on the continent.
• Mountain and volcanic chainsThey are geologically new reliefs, formed during the Cenozoic geological era. They have the highest elevations on the continent with steep mountains and volcanoes. They are also characterized by significant seismic activity. They are located in the area near the Mediterranean Sea, on the tectonic border between the Eurasian and African plates.

Mountains, plateaus and plains of Europe

The Ural Mountains separate Europe from Asia.

Europe has more than 43,000 kilometres of coastline. In some areas cliffs are formed that rise above the seawhile in other places such as Norway fjords appear formed by the interaction between the mountains and the advance of the sea.

In addition, peninsulas can be seen on the European coasts such as those of Jutland, Italica and Scandinavia. Gulfs also play a prominent role on European coasts.Some examples are the Gulf of Finland, the Gulf of Lion, the Gulf of Genoa, the Gulf of Venice and the Bay of Biscay.

The straits They are also important formations on the coasts of Europe. The most important are the Strait of Gibraltar, the English Channel and the Bosphorus, which They constitute important maritime routes for world trade.

The most important reliefs in Europe are:

Plain

• Russian plain. With more than 4 million square kilometers, it is the largest plain on the European continent. It has an average altitude of 170 meters. It covers parts of Russia, Latvia, Ukraine, Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, Poland, Moldova and Armenia.
• northern plain. It is 1.4 million square kilometers in area. It covers parts of Belgium, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Plateaus

• Rhenish massifIt is found in Germany, France, Luxembourg and Belgium.
• Massif Central. It occupies a good part of the south of France.
• Central Plateau of SpainIt is located on the Iberian Peninsula, and occupies a large part of the surface of Spain.

Mountains

• Scandinavian mountainsThey are located on the Scandinavian peninsula, on the border between Norway and Sweden. Their highest peak is Mount Galdhopiggen, which is 2,469 metres high.
• AlpsThey are located in France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein. Their highest peak is Mount Blanc, which is 4,808 metres high.
• PyreneesThey are located in Spain, France and Andorra. The highest peak is Aneto Peak, which is 3,404 metres high.
• CarpathiansThey are located in Romania, Ukraine, Poland and Slovakia. Their highest peak is Gerlachovský Peak, which is 2,655 metres high.
• UralsThey are located in Russia. They are the natural border between Europe and Asia. Their highest peak is Mount Narodnaya, which is 1,895 metres high.
• CaucasusThey are located in Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Its highest peak, Mount Elbrus, at 5,642 metres high, is the highest mountain in the entire European continent.
• Apennines. They are located in Italy. Its highest mountain is Gran Sasso, 2912 meters high.
• Iceland volcanoes. These are the volcanoes that make up the island of Iceland. Its highest peak is the Hvannadalshnjúkur volcano with a height of 2,110 metres.

How was the relief of Europe formed?

Most of the European continent emerged during the Variscan orogeny approximately 300 million years ago. Are ancient, very eroded and low-lying reliefssuch as the Iberian Massif, the Brittany Massif, the French Central Massif, the Scandinavian Massif, the Bohemian Massif and the Ural Mountains.

The Alpine orogeny was a more modern mountain-building process that occurred in the Cenozoic Era as a consequence of the collision of the Eurasian and African plates. For this reason, the resulting reliefs were less exposed to erosion, They have higher altitudes and steeper slopes.

During the Alpine orogeny, the Cantabrian mountain range, the Pyrenees, the Alps, the Carpathians and the Crimean peninsula in the north were formed; and the Baetic mountain range, the Apennines, the Dinaric Alps, the Balkans, Crete and Cyprus to the south.

During the Cenozoic, the great plains of the continent were also formed. Both the Russian Plain and the Northern Plain began to form approximately 2.6 million years ago.

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References

• Chair One (sf). Relief of Europe. CatedraUno
• Valverde, S. and others (2010). A geography of the world to think about. Kapelusz Publishing House.
• Tarbuck, E., & Lutgens, F (1999). Earth sciences. An Introduction to Physical Geology. Prentice Hall.
• Yordán, E. (2022). Relief of Europe. EcologyGreen