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Geology

The spiral-striped lighthouse on the rugged Cap de Favàritx lies just off the GR223 route

Menorca has many rock types, but the most important distinction is between the north and south of the island. Northern Menorca (Tramuntana) features the oldest and most convoluted rocks: approximately 400 million-year-old Devonian strata. These beds are chiefly exposed between the central and northernmost point of Menorca, and also along the east coast.

Rocks from the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods – 300 to 65 million years ago – flank the older beds throughout the north. The rock types are complex, but red sandstone and grey slate are common. These break down to form golden sandy beaches and grey pebbly beaches respectively. The northern hills are remote, rugged and densely forested, although many valleys and plains have now been cleared for agriculture.

The southern half of Menorca (Migjorn) is a gently sloping limestone plateau, riven by a succession of steep barrancs. The rock was formed in a shallow sea in the Miocene period, approximately 25 million years ago. Where the limestone reaches the coast, it generally forms sheer cliffs and rock-walled coves, often with blindingly white sandy beaches at their head. This limestone provided the building material for the vast bulk of the island’s archaeological sites.