[ENG] As a part of a research project dealing with the contribution of natural sources of salts to the salinization of surface waters in the River Ebro basin (NE Spain), and as a complementary aid to the geologic, hydrologic, and edaphic information already reviewed in order to identify point sources, a comprehensive inventory of the toponyms that salts and salinity have left in the basin, has been made. Toponyms, arising form the different languages and dialects spoken in the basin at present and in the past (arabic, basque, castilian, catalan, etc.), refer to some aspects of salts (nature, properties, obtention, etc.) or to the presence of halophytes (single species or plant associations). In agreement with the significance of salinity in the basin, more than 600 toponyms have been found. Their spatial distribution correlates quite satisfactory with the geologic, geomorphologic and climatic conditions prevailing in the basin.

[ES] Con el fin de identificar focos puntuales de sales y como complemento a las revisiones de información geológica, hidrológica, edáfica, etc., se ha recurrido a los topónimos que en distintas lenguas usadas en la Cuenca del Ebro (árabe, castellano, catalán, eusquera, etc.) hacen referencia a variados aspectos de las sales (naturaleza, propiedades, obtención, etc.) o a la presencia de especies o comunidades vegetales halófilas. El total de topónimos localizados supera los 600, cifra congruente con la trascendencia de la salinidad en la cuenca; su distribución espacial muestra interesantes relaciones con la geología, geomorfología y condiciones climáticas.

Peer reviewed