In northwest Iberia, a low-grade unit separates the unrooted accretionary prism from the autochthon. It was divided into Upper (preorogenic) and Lower (synorogenic) parautochthons around the Morais Complex. A review of the sedimentary sequence characteristics, supported by U–Pb ages in 17 new samples of synorogenic sediments and volcanic olistoliths, proposes this model to show the Galicia–Trás-os-Montes Zone forming a tectonic carpet exposed in most of the Parautochthon–Autochthon limit.

A chronostratigraphic study was conducted on Carboniferous rocks of SW Iberia. Terrigenous strata with a maximum depositional age of ca. 303 Ma unconformably overlie marine deposits and volcanic rocks dated at ca. 335–331 Ma. Lying below this unconformity, the marine deposits are intruded and overlain by a ca. 317 Ma porphyry. Detrital zircon populations from marine deposits indicate derivation from Laurussian terranes, while the terrestrial rocks are related to Laurussia and Gondwana sources.

In our study, we used a spatially and temporally high resolved 3-D ERT in addition to matric potential measurements to monitor the infiltration and subsurface water flow on a hillslope with layered slope deposits. We derived some interesting findings about the capillary barrier effect as a main driving factor for the activation of different flow pathways. Thus, the maintenance or breakdown of a capillary barrier has a decisive influence on the precipitation runoff response of of the catchment.