[4][5] On the northern slopes of the massif, the Albères fault (which runs roughly west to east from near Le Boulou to near Argelès) marks a clear geological and topographical boundary between the Palaeozoic and older formations of the Albera massif and the Neogene deposits of the Roussillon basin.

The etymology of the word Albères is problematic due to a lack of ancient documents (the earliest being dated to the 9th century) and because several very common roots seem to correspond with the name.

One popular hypothesis is that it may derive from the Latin Albaria by adding the collective suffix -aria to the adjective albus, meaning "white".

It could also come from alba, dawn, because it is the easternmost of the Pyrenees, or from the pre-Latin root Alp found in many mountain names in Western Europe.

The term Albera would designate a steep, high mountain but rich in pasture, in contrast to Corbera, used for a rounded, lower relief covered with bushes, as seen in the region in names such as the commune Corbère-les-Cabanes or the Corbières massif.

The name first appeared in Latin in 844 in a text by the future Emperor Charles the Bald, which mentions a place located in monte Albario.

The Albères dominate the lower Tech valley and the plain of Roussillon to the north and the plan of Empordà to the south.