The sedimentary units described constitute the La Vinuela Formation, situated at the eastern end of the Colmenar Depression. The lowest unit, formed of massive continental breccias, has been interpreted as arising from slope deposits of sturzstrom -type or rock avalanches. Higher up, progressive subsidence resulted in a terrigenous-carbonated series, typical of marine material. It is a transgressive sequence, formed in an extensional synorogenic basin, associated with the first episode of Neogene rifting in the Betic Cordilleras. The direction of extension is deduced as N-S.Les unites sedimentaires decrites appartiennent a la formation de La Vinuela, d'age Burdigalien inferieur, situee dans la partie la plus orientale du bassin de Colmenar. L'unite inferieure, formee de breches massives d'origine continentale, a ete interpretee comme provenant de depots d'avalanches de roches sur versants. Plus haut, la subsidence progressive conditionne le developpement d'une serie terrigene-carbonatee, typique de milieux marins. La formation de la Vinuela, sequence transgressive formee dans un bassin synrift, est associee a l'un des premiers episodes du rifting miocene du domaine d'Alboran, la direction d'extension etant probablement nord-sud.