The southwest is the oldest part of the island and characteristic of this area are the enormous ravines separated by huge rocks, amongst which are the Nublo and Bentayga Rocks. The edges of the northwest slopes are bathed in lava outflow, which has given rise to the most fertile soils of the island. The peaks of Pico de las Nieves, the mountain of Los Moriscos (1,750 m.) and El Saucillo (1,850 m.) are all located in this area.

The volcanic caldeiras are the most noteworthy features of the west of the island (Tejeda, San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Temisas and Tenteniguada). To find a caldera or crater produced by collapse however, we have to go to Los Marteles, southwest of Tenteniguada or Bandama, which is one kilometre in diameter and 250 metres high.

The coast of Gran Canaria is as rich in contrasts as the centre of the island itself. The coast, which is 236 kilometres long, boasts a wide variety of features from golden or black beaches to areas with great cliffs and dunes with oasis, like that of Maspalomas.
In the past another expanse of sand was located in the capital of Gran Canaria, however this virtually no longer exists. This area extended from the peninsula of La Isleta and the isthmus that joins it to the capital of Gran Canaria and hence with the island.
Nowadays, it is the financial and trade centre of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria that has overcome this disapeared area.

In the north and northwest, the coast is lined with cliffs such as Andén Verde, which reaches heights of 1,000 metres above sea level. The most prominent feature in the southeast and south, however, are the extensive sandy platforms, where the aforementioned dunes of Maspalomas are situated.

There are many theories on the origin of Gran Canaria, however the theory which is most widely accepted and supported by scientists is the so-called "Blocks Theory".

• The formation of Gran Canaria first started some 14 million years ago. The orographic relief of the island was formed as a result of various periods of eruptions, together with subsequent important periods of erosion. The oldest part of the island, situated in the southwest, was formed in the period known as the Ancient Cycle.
• In the Second Cycle the erosive stage began, in which the first ravines from la Cumbre were born. In this same stage, the so-called Roque Nublo Cycle took place, and it is then that the volcanic emissions filled the valleys of the north and northeast and the centre of the island.
• Erosion was the most important factor in the Third Cycle, which took place some 300,000 years ago and in which the ravines were formed once again. The most recent volcanoes of Gran Canaria were formed some time between this period and the present day, while the lava landscapes in the north and east are also worthy of special mention. Since then there has been no eruptive activity, with erosion being the main factor contributing to the formation of the abrupt relief and deeper ravine basins.