The Alborán domain and Gibraltar Arc mediate complex deformation south of the Iberian Peninsula. A study in Gondwana Research used decades of earthquake records and satellite surface-deformation data to show the Iberian Peninsula is slowly rotating clockwise. The research explains contrasting deformation east and west of the Straits of Gibraltar and improves mapping of stress fields to better locate faults and assess seismic hazard.
Scientists Reveal Iberian Peninsula Is Slowly Rotating Clockwise — New Study Maps Tectonic Stress and Seismic Risk
An Entire Peninsula Is Literally SpinningtitoOnz
Researchers have found that the Iberian Peninsula is undergoing a very slow, clockwise rotation driven by complex interactions between the Eurasian and African plates and the Alborán microplate. The finding, published in the journal Gondwana Research, combines decades of earthquake records with high-precision satellite measurements of surface deformation to paint a clearer picture of tectonic activity beneath southwestern Europe.
What The Team Did
A team led by Asier Madarieta-Txurruka (University of the Basque Country), with collaborators from the University of Palermo and the University of Granada, merged two complementary datasets: multi-decade seismic catalogs that reveal where stresses concentrate in the crust, and satellite geodesy (InSAR-style surface-deformation data) that detects millimeter-scale ground movement. Together these data illuminate the regional deformation and its geometry.
A geodynamic interpretation of the Iberian Peninsula.A. Madarieta-Txurruka et al. 2026
What They Found
The researchers conclude that the combined forces of plate collision and microplate behavior are producing a gradual clockwise rotation of the Iberian landmass. The Alborán domain — a microplate that forms the U-shaped Gibraltar Arc linking the Betic mountains in southern Spain and the Rif mountains in northern Morocco — plays a central role in how deformation is accommodated.
“To the east of the Straits of Gibraltar the crust of the Gibraltar Arc is absorbing the deformation caused by the Eurasia–Africa collision, thus preventing the stresses being transmitted to Iberia. On the other hand, to the west of the Straits of Gibraltar the direct collision between the Iberia (Eurasia) and Africa plates is taking place, and we believe that could affect the stresses being transmitted to the southwest of Iberia, by pushing Iberia from the southwest and making it rotate clockwise.”
— Asier Madarieta-Txurruka (press statement)
Why It Matters
Although the rotation occurs over millions of years and is imperceptible on human timescales, mapping these deformation and stress fields has immediate scientific and practical value. The improved geometry of faults and folds guides field studies and seismic imaging to identify active structures and estimate what types of earthquakes they might generate. This work refines seismic-hazard assessments for southwestern Europe and the western Mediterranean.
In short, by combining seismic history with satellite-based surface measurements, the study provides robust evidence that plate interactions around the Alborán domain and Gibraltar Arc are driving a slow clockwise rotation of Iberia and clarifies where researchers should look to better understand earthquake risk.
