196 A. Benito-Calvo et al. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Earth Surf. Process. Landforms 33, 196–208 (2008) DOI: 10.1002/esp Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Earth Surf. Process. Landforms 33, 196–208 (2008) Published online 8 August 2007 in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com) DOI: 10.1002/esp.1534 Quantitative reconstruction of Late Cenozoic landscapes: a case study in the Sierra de Atapuerca (Burgos, Spain) Alfonso Benito-Calvo, 1 * Alfredo Pérez-González 2 and Josep María Parés 3 1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Largo S. Eufemia, 19. 41100 Modena, Italy 2 Departamento de Geodinámica, Facultad de Ciencias Geológicas, Universidad Complutense, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, Madrid, Spain 3 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA Abstract We have developed a method to reconstruct palaeorelief by means of detailed geomorpho- logical and geological studies, geostatistical tools, GIS and a DEM. This method has been applied to the Sierra de Atapuerca (NE Duero Basin, Burgos, Spain), allowing us to model a three-dimensional reconstruction of the relief evolution from the Middle Miocene to the present. The modelling procedure is based on geostatistical recovery of the palaeosurfaces characteristic of each geomorphological evolution stage, using polynomial regressions, trend surfaces and kriging. The modelling of morphology trends has been useful in establishing new geological and geomorphological relationships in the geodynamic evolution of this basin, such as uplift quantification, correlation of erosion surfaces and sedimentary units, and the evolution of fluvial base levels. The palaeosurface reconstruction together with an analysis of the slope retreat have allowed us to reconstruct the palaeoreliefs that define the Late Cenozoic landscape evolution of this area, where the Lower and Middle Pleistocene archaeopalaeontological sites of the Sierra de Atapuerca are located. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Keywords: palaeorelief; landscape evolution; Cenozoic; Duero Basin; Iberian Peninsula Received 5 July 2006; Revised 11 April 2007; Accepted 16 April 2007 *Correspondence to: Alfonso Benito-Calvo, Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Largo S. Eufemia, 19. 41100 Modena, Italy. E-mail: alfonso@unimore.it Introduction The geomorphological evolution of a landscape may be the consequence of several stages recorded in the morphologies that constitute the current relief. Temporal differentiation of these forms and their topography represents valuable information, which through the application of the mapping and geostatistical methods of geographical information systems (GISs) can be used to model palaeoreliefs. Palaeotopographic reconstruction is a new area of research that is currently being used to model past geomorphological, geological, hydrological and climatic processes for specific geological times and events (Abbot et al., 1997; Small and Anderson, 1998; Bonnet et al., 2001; Leverington et al., 2002). In this study, we have developed a method that considers palaeorelief modelling from an integrated perspective, the terrain being reconstructed as a whole for 12 periods extending from the Middle Miocene to the present time. This makes it possible to model the three-dimensional landscape evolution for a temporal range that spans for about 13 Ma, including diverse geological conditions through the geodynamic evolution of a basin (endorrheic continental infill, uplift stage, exorrheic regime and fluvial incision). These models constitute a new database useful for geomorphological and geoarchaeological analysis, which in the study area of the NE Duero Basin (Spain) characterize the evolution of the physical environment of the Sierra de Atapuerca sites. The latter currently form one of the most significant archaeopalaeontological records of the Lower and Middle Pleistocene (Arsuaga et al., 1997; Bermúdez de Castro et al., 1997; Carbonell et al., 2005). These models have been useful for proposing new correlations in the geomorphological evolution of this region, and have allowed a first analysis of the Quaternary and Neogene evolution of terrain morphometric variables. In the same way, the palaeorelief reconstructions provide an useful database that will allow us to establish the geometric and genetic relationships between the external base levels and the freatic endokarstic system where these sites are located (Ortega et al., 2005).