Resumen: Se presenta un mapa geomorfológico de la parte sur del Macizo de las Ubiñas, realizado a escala 1:1000. Este macizo, predominantemente calcáreo, con una dirección aproximada N-S, contiene varios picos de más de 2400 m de altura y ha sido intensamente glaciado. Además de las formas de origen glaciar, destacan en la cartografía los taludes y conos de derrubios, así como numerosos deslizamientos complejos. Una continuación de esta cartografía hacia la parte norte del macizo permitirá la interpretación de la evolución geomorfológica de esta zona.Palabras clave: mapa geomorfológico, modelado glaciar, modelado kárstico, Macizo de la Ubiñas, Cordillera Cantábrica. Abstract:A new geomorphological map of the southern sector of the Ubiñas massif, at a scale of 1:1000, is presented. This massif, a calcareous mountain alignment with an approximate N-S direction and several peaks with altitudes above 2400 m, has been widely glaciated. The main features in the map are glacial forms as well as talus slopes, debris cones and numerous mixed slides. The continuation of this cartography to the north part of the massif will allow the interpretation of the morphological evolution of the zone.

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A Geomorphological Map of the Ubiñas Massif, Cantabrian Mountains, at a scale 1:22,000 and covering 94.52 km 2 , is presented. The 'Natural Park of Las Ubiñas-La Mesa', a completely deglaciated glaciokarst, containing the highest peaks in this part of the Cantabrian Mountains, has been also declared 'Biosphere Reserve' by UNESCO. A previous geomorphological map (13.17 km 2), recording glacial and periglacial, karst, slope, fluvial and anthropic features, is now enlarged to include the whole massif. An initial analysis of the present map, planned as a basic instrument to fulfil the needs of no particular end-users, provides information about rock avalanches during glaciation, preglacial deposits, and the absence of rock glaciers formed by calcareous debris, among other characteristics of the area. This cartography, considered as a fundamental base for environmental management, could be employed as a basis document to obtain other geomorphological derived maps.

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Cordillera Cantabrica, trending east-west, is located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula and lies 25-60 km from the Bay of Biscay coast. In its eastern part, in the area known as Picos de Europa Massif, are the highest peaks of the Cordillera (about 2600m). This massif is formed almost totally by calcareous rocks. Duje and Cares Rivers, flowing from the divide between the Cantabrian and Atlantic basins, cross Picos de Europa and divide them into three units known from east to west as: Macizo Oriental (Eastern Massif), Macizo Central (Central Massif) and Macizo Occidental (Western Massif) (Fig. 1). Proximity to the sea, that at present is causing major cloud cover and abundant precipitation, contributed to the formation of glaciers during Pleistocene times, their activity producing a characteristic landscape. In spite of intense karstification, there are still many signs of glacial activity, especially in the higher areas of the Massif, which constitute a glaciokarst, where erosional forms prevail over deposits.

Snow cover in th e moun ta i n o us areas of the C ordillera C a nui bri ca h as recentl y dimin. ished du e to very low prec ipita tion in recent yea rs. Th ese conditions h av(' mad e it possible to co ntinu e th e m o nitoring of glacier ice in th e J ou N eg ro, loca ted in th e kars ti c area of th e Pi cos de Europa . L ow snow cO\'er h as r e" ea led the full dim ensions of this ice m ass, th e cha rac teristi cs of whi ch indi ca te a glacier origin.Gl ac ia l' J ou \fegro \vas prev iously " isited in September 199 2 a nd th e res ults o f th e obser va ti o ns were published in a pre"ious n o te (Gonzalez Su a rez and Alonso, 1994) . This earlier w o rk pointed o u t th a t future sun'eys would make it possib le to d etermine wh eth er th e glacier was sta bl e or retreati ng. Frochoso a nd C as tanon ( 1995 ) repli ed to this no te saying th ey di sagreed with mos t of th e obsen 'a tions m a d e on Gl acia r J o u Negro, co nsid ering different sma ll ice b odi es, \I,ith n o laye rs and a possibl e peri g lacial ori gin . F o r th ese a uthors, th e use of th e term g lacier was also in adeq ua te. However , th e rirn laye r a t th e time of th eir vi sit \I'as thi c ke r th a n in September 1992 , as show n in th eir ph otogra ph. F or th a t reaso n, it is unlikel y th a t th ey were a ble to m a ke d etail ed obse rva ti ons of th e ice .Th e purpose of this no te is to provid e n ew d a ta in ord er to cla rify our previo us co nclusions a nd to repl y to the opi ni o ns of Frochoso a nd Cas ta llo n ( 1995 ) with rega rd to th e presence of g lac ia l ice in th e J o u N egro. GLACIAR JOU NEGRODuring rece nt yea rs, dec rease in snowfall in th e C ordill era C a n ta bri ca h as been co n sid e ra bl e. 1995 h as bee n an es pec ia ll y dry yea r. In th e m o unta in ous region s, perma nent snowfields, usua ll y occ urrin g in low insol ation zones a t th e end of th e 'umm er, ha"e bee n dras ti call y redu ced. Th er efor e, a t th e end o f th e summ er of 1995, th e sno\l'-cOl-c red a rea in Gl acia r J ou l\'egro was mu ch sma ll er th a n in 1992 . In 1995, loss of snow cover was so ex tensi"e th a t a large ice surface \I'as exp osed , making possibl e a d e tailed sun'ey o f th e g lacier, including direc t g ro und m eas urements, ex pl o ration of co nduits a nd d ebri s-m a rking for future co n tro is.Gl acier ice, with stra tifi ed d e bris layers, is exposed in mos t of th e a rea betwee n th e morain e a nd the cirqu e wall s. Oth er p arts arc cover ed b y ri rn or d e bri s (Fig. I ). Sn ow cOl'er occ urs in th e eas tern pa rt, close to th e bac k \I'a ll a nd in a small fronta l b a nd nex t to th e terminal morame. S urfi cial debris, tending to occ upy th e central t hi rd a nd fron ta l zo n es, consti tu tes a con tinu ous co\'eri ng fo rm ed by sca tte red clas ts. T n th e d ebris-covered a rea, se\'e n vertical sh a fts (moulin s), caused by wet precipita ti o n a nd surface m eltwa ter, were found. Ice thi c kn esses o r b etween 7 and 14 m were direc tly m easured a...