The presence of allochthonous ultramafic rocks is one of the main characteristics
of the geology of NE Portugal (see paper by Meireles in this chapter). These
ultramafic rocks are scattered ill two large massifs: Bragança and Morais. The altitude
or the northern Bragança Massif ranges between 600 and 1,060 Ill: it is all
included in a rainy and cold supramediterranean climatic bell. A significant area of
the Bragança Massif is part of the Montesinho Natural Park. The Morais Massif
is mainly mesomediterranean, with altitudes between 300 and 900 m. In the latter
massif it usually rains less than 800 mm per year and the mean annual temperature
is higher than 12°C.
