Cantera Gorria and Red Ereño: Natural and Cultural Geoheritage (Basque Country, Spain)

[EN] Construction and ornamental stones are important elements of cultural heritage and geoheritage. The quarries, where these materials are extracted, are a type of site that combines these two types of heritage. Both the ornamental character of the rock and its place of origin can be deeply rooted in the local society. Red Ereno is a red micritic limestone (Lower Cretaceous) with abundant white rudist fossil shells. This stone has been exploited since Roman times in the north of the Iberian Peninsula (Basque Country, Spain) and exported internationally. The main quarry related to the extraction of Red Ereno, Cantera Gorria, is currently a cultural and geoheritage site. This emblematic site brings together numerous geologic (palaeontological, petrological, geomorphological and tectonic) and mining features that make it a reference point for both research and teaching activities. The link between geoheritage and cultural heritage that exists in Cantera Gorria is evident and makes this place an essential point for dissemination of geology as well as for tourism. The quarry is currently abandoned, and because of this, there is an urgent need for its protection and development, and in order to increase awareness of its importance and potential use.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. UPV/EHU Research Group IT-029/16 (Government of the Basque Country)

Diagenetic alteration in monopleurid rudist shells from the Urgonian Complex of Ereño (Aptian - Lower Albian, Bizkaia)

Cathodoluminescence and microprobe analysis in monopleurid shells from Aptian – Lower Albian limestones in Ereño (Bizkaia) has allowed to us to realize that different rudist shells show different diagenetic responses in front of a similar degree of diagenetic alteration. Monopleurid shells show a relatively high diagenetic degree when compared to that of requienids. Early neomorphism processes were dissimilar for different shells. The relatively thin monopleurid prisms could allow a diagenetic alteration in a higher degree than that affected requienid shell

Evaluation of diagenetic effects upon 87Sr/86Sr ratio in rudist and Chondrodonta sp. shells from Upper Aptian – Lower Albian red limestones of Ereño (Bizkaia)

87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratios measured on rudist and Chondrodonta sp. shells from upper Aptian – lower Albian red limestones of Ereño (Bizkaia) reveal different degrees of diagenetic alteration when compared to coeval values. Chondrodonta sp. and requienid shells show a better degree of chemical preservation, whereas caprotinid and monopleurid shells seem to be more affected by diagenetic fluids. The same conclusion can be obtained when 87Sr/86Sr values are plotted against cationic contents in Sr, Na, Mg, Fe and M

Methodology for assessing the vulnerability of built cultural heritage

The conservation of constructions, and especially of built heritage, requires complex studies concerning their Global Vulnerability. These studies have to consider the current state of the building, i.e. the degradation degree, and the factors that mostly affect the building and, therefore, generate alterations. These factors are not limited to the structure of the building, location and environmental factors are also involved. Hence, the assessment of built heritage vulnerability should consider the building itself and also be extended to the site and the environment. This work presents a systematic and reproducible methodology for the quantification of the Global Vulnerability in different typologies of constructions and environments. The proposed methodology establishes a relationship between the existing alterations (A) and the main factors (F) that affect vulnerability (V) by means of an AFV (Alteration/Factor/Vulnerability) diagram. Based on these results alteration and vulnerability indices are calculated. The obtained AFV diagram allows the comparison between different constructions or separate areas within the same construction. This methodology was validated in two early twentieth-century constructions that form part of the reinforced concrete architectural heritage of the Basque Country: the Punta Begoña Galleries (Getxo, Spain) and the Aqueduct of the Araxes paper mill (Tolosa, Spain).This study was conducted by UPV/EHU Research Group IT-1029/16 (Government of the Basque Country) in the framework of the project titled “Puesta en valor del inmueble histórico cultural Galerías Punta Begoña (Getxo, Bizkaia)” [“Revitalising the Punta Begoña Galleries, a culturally historic building in Getxo, Biscay Province”], under a cooperation agreement between the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) and the City Council of Getxo (OTRI2019-0318). The authors are very grateful for the comments and suggestions of the referees, which have undoubtedly improved the original manuscript

Metakin bolkanikoen ohiko osagaiak, ehundurak eta egiturak

Arroka bolkaniko eta bolkanoklastikoek osagai, ehundura eta egitura bereziak izaten dituzte, hauen artean daude fenokristalak eta ehundura porfirikoa, kristalak eta kristalen zatiak, bakuoloak, beira bolkanikoa, desbeiratze-egiturak, perlitak, pumita eta eskoria, eta abar. Ezaugarri horiek ez dira diagnostikoak izaten sorrera--prozesua definitzeko orduan, ezaugarri bat baino gehiagoren konbinazioak ematen baitu sorrera-prozesuaren berri. Artikulu honen helburua da osagai, ehundura eta egitura horiek aztertzea

First data of Cretaceous hydrothermalism in the eastern margin of the Basque-Cantabrian basin

In the Eastern margin of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin, fissures filled with sediments crop out in a red Albian-Cenomanian limestone, near the Txoritokieta mount (Errenteria, Gipuzkoa). In this work we study the sedimentology, petrology and tectosedimentary character of fissures and their fills, in order to establish the evolutive sequence of the formation of fractures and the infill of them. It has been inferred the tectonic origin of the fissures, linked to the synsedimentary folding of the host limestone. Moreover, most of the studied sedimentary fissure fills are mineralized, suggesting that fracturing and fluid flow occurred during the deposition of the fissure fillsEn el margen oriental de la Cuenca Vasco-Cantábrica afloran fisuras rellenas de sedimento encajadas en calizas rojas Albiense-Cenomaniense, en las inmediaciones del monte Txoritokieta (Errenteria, Gipuzkoa). El objetivo de este estudio ha sido estudiar las fracturas y sus rellenos desde el punto de vista sedimentológico, petrológico y tectosedimentario, para establecer la secuencia evolutiva de la formación de las fisuras rellenas. Así, se ha inferido el origen tectónico de las fracturas, ligado al plegamiento sinsedimentario de la propia formación que engloba las calizas encajantes. Asimismo, los rellenos de las fracturas, que se encuentran mineralizados en su gran mayoría, sugieren que su formación (fracturación) se localizó cerca de la superficie de sedimentación y la circulación de fluidos mineralizantes ocurrió en momentos próximos al depósito de los relleno

Geology and built cultural heritage: the transdisciplinary approach in the Punta Begoña Galleries (Getxo, Bizkaia)

En los proyectos de puesta en valor del patrimonio cultural construido la contribución desde la Geología ha de articularse mediante un procedimiento transdisciplinar, que integre los engranajes de las distintas disciplinas y especialidades de nuestra ciencia. Ello permitirá una caracterización que evolucione desde el elemento construido al emplazamiento, integrando ambos en un entorno más amplio que los contextualice y complete. El proyecto de puesta en valor de las Galerías Punta Begoña (Getxo, Bizkaia) es un ejemplo de este enfoque transdisciplinar en el campo de la Geología. La filosofía adoptada permite afrontar las tareas de conservación / recuperación con una visión más global, que resulta más rentable, optimizando los recursos y generando un mayor valor añadido científico, social y culturalIn projects for valuing the built cultural heritage, the contribution from Geology must be implemented through a transdisciplinary procedure that integrates the gears of the different disciplines and fields of our science. This enables a characterisation that evolves from the built element to the site, integrating both in a wider environment that contextualises and complements them. The project of valuing the Punta Begoña Galleries (Getxo, Bizkaia) is an example of this transdisciplinary approach inside Geology. The adopted philosophy allows tackling conservation/recovery tasks with a wider vision, which is more efficient, optimising resources and generating higher scientific, social and cultural benefit

Landforms of the lower Hushe Valley (Central Karakoram, Pakistan)

This paper presents a new geomorphological map for the lower Hushe Valley (below 3400 m asl), located to the SE of the Central Karakoram in Baltistan (North Pakistan). Fieldwork and remote sensing were combined to improve understanding of the most recent surface landforms to produce a 1:50,000 scale map. Thirteen landform types associated with glacial, fluvial, gravitational and mass wasting processes were identified and mapped. Particular emphasis was made on currently dynamic processes that could pose a threat to the population. The distribution of the landforms on the valley (reworked tills, alluvial fans, rockfalls, among others) differs between the eastern and the western hillslopes, and from north to south, mainly due to bedrock types, location of geological structures and distribution of lateral tributaries. This map is the first and necessary step towards a deep assessment on geological risk related to external processes in the area.This research was funded by the Basque Government (Eusko Jaurlaritza) through the Humanitarian Action 2018 fund (PRE2018EH/0004) and the Consolidated Research Group IT1029-16. We also thank the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU for the suppor

Datos paleoflorísticos en la Cuenca media del Nalón entre 40-32 Ka. BP: antracoanálisis de la Cueva del Conde (Santo Adriano, Asturias)

RESUMEN.Presentamos los datos antracológicos de los niveles de ocupación de la Cueva de El Conde fechados entre 40-32 Ka. BP, procedentes del área de excavación denominada “Plataforma”. Pinus sylvestris, Sorbus aria, Betula, aparecen como principales táxones arbóreos. El estrato arbustivo presenta una gran variabilidad florística procedente tanto de substratos calcáreos: Arbutus, Rhamnus, Crataegus, Prunus como silíceos: Erica, Leguminosae (Ulex, Cytisus). La configuración topográfica de este territorio así como la variabilidad de substrato entre áreas geográficamente próximas, explicaría la proximidad de estas comunidades vegetales con afinidades ecológicas diversas. Asimismo la posición de la cueva a media ladera habría facilitado el aprovechamiento alternativo de todas ellas en lo referente a la gestión del combustible por parte de los grupos humanos que habitaron estacionalmente dicho yacimiento.ABSTRACT.Anthracological data coming from the Cueva del Conde “Plataforma” excavation area, dated between 40-32 Kyr. BP, are presented in this work. Pinus sylvestris, Sorbus aria, Betula, appear as main arboreal taxa. Shrub stratum presents a great floristic variability coming from calcareous: Arbutus, Rhamnus, Crataegus, Prunus as well as siliceous substrats: Erica, Leguminosae (Ulex, Cytisus). Topographic characteristics of this area and discontinuity of substrats geographically closed, explain the proximity of these vegetal communities with diverse ecological affinities. Futhermore, the position of the cave in the middle part of the slope has made possible the alternative firewood management made among these vegetal communities by human groups that have seasonally inhabited this site

Why Did Red Ereño Limestone Go Red? Linking Scientific Knowledge and Geoheritage Story-Telling (Basque Country, Spain)

Red Ereño is a red-stained ornamental and construction limestone with characteristic white fossil shells. Although exploited since Roman times, marketed worldwide and that the rock itself and its outcrop areas have been included in geological heritage inventories, the origin of its characteristic reddish colour remained unresolved. The aim of this work is to deepen the scientific knowledge of Red Ereño as a basis for understanding the characteristics of this stone and to make this information available for geoconservation actions. The mineralogical and petrological study, mainly based on optical and electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and rock magnetism and paleomagnetic techniques, concluded that the red-staining mineral is pigmentary hematite. Moreover, the analysis stated that hematite precipitated after sedimentation but prior to burial diagenesis and before alpine inversion. Based on palaeomagnetic studies, it can be stated that mineralisation occurred during the Late Cretaceous. This work illustrates how scientific research on this potential heritage stone provides key information for geoconservation.This study has been carried out by the UPV/EHU Research Group IT-1678/22 (Government of the Basque Country) in the framework of the project US21/32 under the cooperation agreement between the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Basque Energy Agency (EVE), and Provincial Council of Biscay (BFA). Authors also thank the support of the project PID2019-108753GB-C21 financed by State Research Agency (Spain) [AEI /https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033]. Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature. UPV/EHU Research Group IT-1678/22 (Government of the Basque Country); UPV/EHU, EVE/EEE, DFB/BFA project US21/32