Primer registro de reptiles marinos triásicos (notosaurios, sauropterigios) del Complejo Alpujárride (Zonas Internas de la Cordillera Bética, España)

This work reports the first record in the Internal Zones of the Betic Cordillera of a vertebrate fossil remain, more exactly a rib, corresponding to a marine reptile (Sauropterygia). The development of epicontinental platforms restricted to the Tethys Ocean during the fragmentation of Pangea since the late Lower Triassic favoured the radiation of Sauropterygia, diapsid marine reptiles including Placodontiformes, Pachypleurosauria, Nothosauroidea, and Pistosauroidea. The Triassic of the Alpujarride Complex, in the Internal Zones of the Betic Cordillera, SE Spain, comprises the carbonate deposits of these epicontinental platforms developed during the Middle-Late Triassic in the northern margin of the Mesomediterranean Massif. The studied stratigraphic interval is located at Sierra de Lújar (Granada Province) and consists of 17.5-m thick succession of alternating fossiliferous marls and limestones with local intense bioturbation and abundance of macroinvertebrates. The studied interval represents shallow facies of the inter- to subtidal environment as deduced by the record of Lofer cycles and the record of carbonated breccia at the top of the sequence likely related to storm events. Lofer cycles display lamination at their bases and intense bioturbation and abundant bivalves towards the top. A 15-cm long dorsal rib of a sauropterygian, likely a nothosaur, was recorded in this succession. It is well preserved, without evidence of original fragmentation, borings, or encrustations. This study shows for the first time fossil bones of marine reptiles in the Alpujarride Complex, which inhabited the shallow-water environments during the Triassic, equivalent to the marine reptiles recorded in other areas such as the Iberian Palaeomargin and other central Europe basins.Este trabajo documenta el primer registro de vertebrados fósiles, concretamente de un reptil marino (sauropterygia), en las Zonas Internas de la Cordillera Bética. El desarrollo de plataformas epicontinentales en el Tetis durante la fragmentación de Pangea a partir del Triásico Inferior tardío favoreció la radiación de los sauropterigios, grupo de reptiles diápsidos marinos que incluye a los clados Placodontiformes, Pachypleurosauria, Nothosauroidea y Pistosauroidea. Los materiales triásicos del Complejo Alpujárride de las Zonas Internas de la Cordillera Bética, SE de España, incluyen los depósitos carbonatados correspondientes a las plataformas epicontinentales desarrolladas durante el Triásico medio-superior en el margen norte del Macizo Messomediterraneo. El intervalo estratigráfico seleccionado se encuentra en la Sierra de Lújar (Granada) y es una sucesión de 17,5 m de potencia con una alternancia de margas y calizas fosilíferas con abundante bioturbación y restos de macroinvertebrados. Se han identificado ciclos loferíticos con laminación a la base que cambia a un sedimento intensamente bioturbado con abundantes bivalvos hacia el techo del ciclo. El intervalo de estudio representa facies someras en un ambiente inter- o submareal como indican los ciclos loferíticos y la presencia de brechas carbonatadas en el techo de la secuencia, presumiblemente relacionadas con tormentas. Una costilla dorsal de 15 cm de longitud de un sauropterigio, probablemente un notosaurio, ha sido descubierta en esta serie en buen estado de conservación y sin evidencias de fragmentación, perforaciones o encostrantes. Este estudio muestra por primera vez la presencia de restos fósiles de reptiles marinos en el Complejo Alpujárride, reptiles que vivieron en aguas someras durante el Triásico al igual que se ha documentado en el Paleomargen Ibérico y en algunas cuencas triásicas de Europa central.Juan de la Cierva Program Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidade

Mixed carbonate-siliciclastic contourite drift deposits associated with the entrance of an Atlantic-Mediterranean corridor (late Miocene, southwest Spain)

Carbonate contourite drifts are poorly documented in the onshore record because of the difficulty of implementing diagnostic criteria for their recognition. Accordingly, little is known about the relative position of carbonate drifts with respect to ancient carbonate platforms, seaways and shallow passages within the context of palaeoceanography. This study presents a fossil example of mixed carbonate-siliciclastic drift cropping out in a quarry in Osuna (Sevilla province, southern Spain) at the northern end of the Guadalhorce Corridor, a Miocene strait connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Betic Cordillera. Based on the facies and sedimentary structures, the studied succession is divided into three units: 1) the lower unit, Unit 1, is a 33-m thick succession of large carbonate bodieswithmega cross-stratification pointing to the southeast and secondarily to the northwest interpreted as a contourite drift; 2) the intermediate Unit 2 is a 0.5–2-m thick terrigenous conglomerate body eroding the top of Unit 1; and 3) the uppermost Unit 3 consists of a 6-m thick siliciclasticdominated succession with herringbone cross-stratification and a dominant direction of the structures to the northwest interpreted as tidal deposits. The large-scale sediment bodies with mega cross-beds, the presence of reactivation surfaces with grain-size changes, and the unidirectionality of the structures were diagnostic for the recognition of Unit 1 as drift deposits. The dominant sedimentary structures pointing to the southeast in the drift were generated by Atlantic inflow into the Mediterranean. This challenges the classical “siphon” model for the Atlantic-Mediterranean water-mass circulation pattern for this age. The conglomerates of Unit 2 evidence regional uplift of the southernmargin of the Guadalquivir Basin that promoted a change in the depositional mode from a bottom-current dominated (Unit 1) to a tide-dominated environment (Unit 3) after the closure of the Guadalhorce Corridor in the Messinian.Juan de la Cierva Project (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades) JC2019042375-I project SECAMARA PGC2018099391-B-100Junta de Andalucia European Commission RNM-19

Atlas virtual de rocas sedimentarias, estructuras sedimentarias y ambientes sedimentarios: Ejercicios de autoevaluación

En este proyecto se propone la continuación del PIBD 2018-20 “Atlas virtual de rocas sedimentarias, estructuras sedimentarias y ambientes sedimentarios” con la creación de un bloque adicional de autoevaluación de los contenidos ya recogidos en el atlas que complementaría el repertorio de recursos virtuales existentes en el Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología. Con ello, se pretende reforzar el aprovechamiento de los recursos virtuales en los ámbitos de la sedimentología y la geología sedimentaria. El objetivo general del proyecto es desarrollar un bloque de actividades autoevaluativas integrado en la web didáctica del Atlas Virtual para fomentar y facilitar el aprendizaje del alumnado sobre las rocas sedimentarias, estructuras y ambientes sedimentarios. De forma específica, se plantea: - Afianzar los conocimientos teóricos y prácticos vistos en clases de geología mediante ejercicios prácticos. - Dotar a los estudiantes de una herramienta de autoevaluación rápida y permanente motivando con ello su autonomía. - Proporcionar una herramienta que permita al estudiante la evaluación de su aprendizaje con distintos grados de dificultad. - Implicar a los alumnos en el estudio de la sedimentología y motivarlos para que apliquen sus conocimientos en otras salidas de campo o en su vida profesional. Para la consecución de los objetivos propuestos, se comprobó inicialmente la disponibilidad de muestras de roca en el Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología y el repertorio fotográfico personal de los miembros del grupo de innovación para determinar si había material suficiente para realizar el bloque de autoevaluación. Posteriormente, se creó una base de datos digital con un elevado número de imágenes que sirven de base para realizar ejercicios de autoevaluación. Se generaron un conjunto de 200 preguntas basadas en fotografías y esquemas de la base de datos. Las opciones son de respuesta única y el usuario puede definir el número de preguntas y la complejidad de las mismas en una escala del 1 al 5. El proyecto de innovación proporciona una herramienta de acceso libre de apoyo a la docencia práctica de la Geología al estudiantado y profesorado de la Universidad de Granada. El Atlas Virtual de sedimentología ayudará a reforzar las capacidades de los estudiantes para (1) identificar y caracterizar las propiedades de los diferentes materiales y procesos geológicos, (2) recoger, analizar, interpretar y representar datos referentes a materiales geológicos. El complemento de evaluación permitirá también la adquisición del conocimiento de forma gradual, ya que el estudiante podrá adaptar el número y complejidad de las preguntas en la autoevaluación, con lo que se puede adaptar fácilmente al ritmo de estudio y grado de motivación de cada alumno en particular. Esta herramienta virtual está especialmente orientada al Grado en Geología, aunque con aplicación en asignaturas con contenido geológico en los Grados de Biología, Ciencias Ambientales e Ingeniería Civil. Además, puede ser de utilidad para aquellos estudiantes que cursan algunas asignaturas de los diferentes Máster relacionados con la Geología.This project proposes the continuation of the PIBD 2018-20 "Virtual atlas of sedimentary rocks, sedimentary structures and sedimentary environments" with the creation of an additional block of self-assessment of the contents collected in the atlas that would complement the repertory of existing virtual resources in the Department of Stratigraphy and Paleontology. With this, it is intended to strengthen the use of virtual resources in the fields of sedimentology and sedimentary geology. The general goal of this project is to develop a didactic block of self-assessment activities integrated into the educational website of the Virtual Atlas to promote and facilitate student learning about sedimentary rocks, sedimentary structures and sedimentary environments. Specifically, it is proposed: - Strengthen the theoretical and practical knowledge seen in geology classes through practical exercises. - Provide students with a rapid and permanent self-assessment tool, thus motivating their learning autonomy. - Provide a tool that allows students to assess their learning with different degrees of difficulty. - Involve students in the study of sedimentology and encourage them to apply their knowledge in other field trips and/or in their professional life. To achieve the proposed objectives, the availability of rock samples in the Department of Stratigraphy and Paleontology and the personal photographic collection of the members of the innovation group was initially checked to determine if there was enough material to carry out the self-assessment block. Subsequently, a digital database was created with a large number of images that serve as the basis for self-assessment exercises. A set of 200 questions was generated based on photographs and diagrams of the database. The options are single answers and the user can define the number of questions and their complexity on a scale of 1 to 5. This innovation project provides a free access tool to support the practical teaching of Geology to the students and teaching staff of the University of Granada. The Virtual Atlas of sedimentology will help reinforce students' abilities to (1) identify and characterize the properties of different materials and geological processes, (2) collect, analyse, interpret and represent data referring to geological materials. The assessment will also allow the gradual acquisition of knowledge, since the student will be able to adapt the number and complexity of the questions in the self-assessment, which can be easily adapted to the pace of study and degree of motivation of each student. particular. This virtual tool is specially oriented to the Degree in Geology, although with application in subjects with geological content in the Degrees of Biology, Environmental Sciences and Civil Engineering. In addition, it can be useful for those students who take some subjects of the different Master's degrees related to Geology

Monitoring emergence of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Variant through the Spanish National SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance System (VATar COVID-19) from December 2020 to March 2021

Background Since its first identification in the United Kingdom in late 2020, the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2, become dominant in several European countries raising great concern. Aim The aim of this study was to develop a duplex real-time RT-qPCR assay to detect, discriminate and quantitate SARS-CoV-2 variants containing one of its mutation signatures, the ΔHV69/70 deletion, to trace the community circulation of the B.1.1.7 variant in Spain through the Spanish National SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance System (VATar COVID-19). Results B.1.1.7 variant was first detected in sewage from the Southern city of Málaga (Andalucía) in week 20_52, and multiple introductions during Christmas holidays were inferred in different parts of the country, earlier than clinical epidemiological reporting by the local authorities. Wastewater-based B.1.1.7 tracking showed a good correlation with clinical data and provided information at the local level. Data from WWTPs which reached B.1.1.7 prevalences higher than 90% for ≥ 2 consecutive weeks showed that 8.1±1.8 weeks were required for B.1.1.7 to become dominant. Conclusion The study highlights the applicability of RT-qPCR-based strategies to track specific mutations of variants of concern (VOCs) as soon as they are identified by clinical sequencing, and its integration into existing wastewater surveillance programs, as a cost-effective approach to complement clinical testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.This work was partially supported by the COVID-19 wastewater surveillance project (VATar COVID19), funded by the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge of and the Spanish Ministry of Health; grants from CSIC (202070E101) and MICINN co-founded by AEI FEDER, UE (AGL2017-82909); grant ED431C 2018/18 from the Conselleria de Educacion, Universidade e Formacion Profesional, Xunta de Galicia (Spain); Direccio General de Recerca i Innovacio en Salut (DGRIS) Catalan Health Ministry Generalitat de Catalunya through Vall de Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), and Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnologico Industrial (CDTI) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Business, grant number IDI-20200297. Pilar Truchado is holding a Ramon y Cajal contract from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion. Adan Martinez is holding a predoctoral fellowship FI_SDUR from Generalitat de Catalunya. We gratefully acknowledge all the staff involved in the VATar COVID-19 project, working with sample collection and logistics. The authors are grateful to Promega Corporation (Madison, US) for technical advice, and thank Andrea Lopez de Mota for her technical support.N

Monitoring Emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Variant through the Spanish National SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance System (VATar COVID-19)

Since its first identification in the United Kingdom in late 2020, the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 has become dominant in several countries raising great concern. We developed a duplex real-time RT-qPCR assay to detect, discriminate, and quantitate SARS-CoV-2 variants containing one of its mutation signatures, the ΔHV69/70 deletion, and used it to trace the community circulation of the B.1.1.7 variant in Spain through the Spanish National SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance System (VATar COVID-19). The B.1.1.7 variant was detected earlier than clinical epidemiological reporting by the local authorities, first in the southern city of Málaga (Andalucía) in week 20_52 (year_week), and multiple introductions during Christmas holidays were inferred in different parts of the country. Wastewater-based B.1.1.7 tracking showed a good correlation with clinical data and provided information at the local level. Data from wastewater treatment plants, which reached B.1.1.7 prevalences higher than 90% for ≥2 consecutive weeks showed that 8.1 ± 2.0 weeks were required for B.1.1.7 to become dominant. The study highlights the applicability of RT-qPCR-based strategies to track specific mutations of variants of concern as soon as they are identified by clinical sequencing and their integration into existing wastewater surveillance programs, as a cost-effective approach to complement clinical testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.This work was partially supported by the COVID-19 wastewater surveillance project (VATar COVID19), funded by the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and the Spanish Ministry of Health, grants from CSIC (202070E101) and MICINN cofounded by AEI FEDER, UE (AGL2017-82909), grant ED431C 2018/18 from the Consellería de Educación, Universidade e Formación Profesional, Xunta de Galicia (Spain), Direcció General de Recerca i Innovació en Salut (DGRIS) Catalan Health Ministry Generalitat de Catalunya through Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), and Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial (CDTI) from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Business, grant number IDI-20200297. P.T. is holding a Ramón y Cajal contract from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. A.M. is holding a predoctoral fellowship FI_SDUR from Generalitat de Catalunya. We gratefully acknowledge all the staff involved in the VATar COVID-19 project, working with sample collection and logistics. The authors are grateful to Promega Corporation (Madison, US) for technical advice and thank Andrea Lopez de Mota for her technical support.Peer reviewe

Current and sea level control the demise of shallow carbonate production on a tropical bank (Saya de Malha Bank, Indian Ocean)

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding the project MASCARA (grants 03G0270A and 03G0270B). We are grateful to Captain Mallon, the officers, and crew of R/V SONNE for their excellent support. Many thanks to the technicians of the cruise SO270 scientific party. The Joint Commission of the Extended Continental Shelf, Mascarene Plateau Region, is thanked for allowing work in the Joint Management Area between Mauritius and Seychelles; and the Department for Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration and Exploration (Mauritius) allowed work in the Republic of Mauritius Exclusive Economic Zone. Schlumberger is thanked for the grant to use Petrel software. We thank Sam Purkis, an anonymous reviewer, and editor Kathleen Benison for insightful and constructive comments.Carbonate platforms are built mainly by corals living in shallow light-saturated tropical waters. The Saya de Malha Bank (Indian Ocean), one of the world’s largest carbonate platforms, lies in the path of the South Equatorial Current. Its reefs do not reach sea level, and all carbonate production is mesophotic to oligophotic. New geological and oceanographic data unravel the evolution and environment of the bank, elucidating the factors determining this exceptional state. There are no nutrient-related limitations for coral growth. A switch from a rimmed atoll to a current-exposed system with only mesophotic coral growth is proposed to have followed the South Equatorial Current development during the late Neogene. Combined current activity and sea-level fluctuations are likely controlling factors of modern platform configuration.Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF) 03G0270A 03G0270

Monitoring emergence of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Variant through the Spanish National SARSCoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance System (VATar COVID-19) from December 2020 to March 2021

Since its first identification in the United Kingdom in late 2020, the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2 has become dominant in several countries raising great concern. We developed a duplex real-time RT-qPCR assay to detect, discriminate, and quantitate SARS-CoV-2 variants containing one of its mutation signatures, the ΔHV69/70 deletion, and used it to trace the community circulation of the B.1.1.7 variant in Spain through the Spanish National SARS-CoV-2 Wastewater Surveillance System (VATar COVID-19). The B.1.1.7 variant was detected earlier than clinical epidemiological reporting by the local authorities, first in the southern city of Málaga (Andalucía) in week 20_52 (year_week), and multiple introductions during Christmas holidays were inferred in different parts of the country. Wastewater-based B.1.1.7 tracking showed a good correlation with clinical data and provided information at the local level. Data from wastewater treatment plants, which reached B.1.1.7 prevalences higher than 90% for ≥2 consecutive weeks showed that 8.1 ± 2.0 weeks were required for B.1.1.7 to become dominant. The study highlights the applicability of RT-qPCR-based strategies to track specific mutations of variants of concern as soon as they are identified by clinical sequencing and their integration into existing wastewater surveillance programs, as a cost-effective approach to complement clinical testing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Marine flooding event in continental Triassic facies identified by a nothosaur and placodont bonebed (South Iberian Paleomargin)

Sudden marine flooding within otherwise continental successions of the Triassic is unusual. The Tabular Cover of the SE paleomargin of the Iberian Massif is characterized by continental Triassic redbed facies composed of sandstones and siltstones, with gypsum-rich levels in the transition to Jurassic limestones. These Triassic deposits were developed in a fluvial-coastal system and they are 300 m thick in the Puente G,nave-Villarrodrigo area, eastern Ja,n Province, Spain. An unexpected sandstone-limestone unit in the lower part of this formation, recognized over more than 30 km, contains marine reptile bones in a storm bed or tsunami deposit. The lower part of this unit is characterized by a sandstone with sedimentary structures indicative of high-energy conditions as well as by fossil remains of marine reptiles. This bed ranges from 0 to 90 cm in thickness, and in some outcrops pinches out rapidly within a few meters. The upper part of the studied unit is a limestone with common trace fossils and abundant remains of marine reptiles, comprising isolated and fragmented pieces of sauropterygians (nothosaurs, pachypleurosaurs, and placodonts). Most abundant are vertebrae and ribs. In some outcrops, the top of this bed presents a dense accumulation of well-preserved small gastropods. The limestone is overlain by red siltstones and sandstones. The studied unit is interpreted as a marine deposit representing a high-energy event and records exceptional marine flooding in a distal fluvial environment, in fact the only open-marine deposit in the Villarrodrigo section. The sedimentary structures in the lower part of the unit are typical of high-energy deposits and indicate deposition in a single episode, probably related to a storm surge or a tsunami. The fragmentation, disarticulation, and dispersion of the vertebrate bones and the imbrication of bioclasts are consistent with a high-energy event that favored the concentration of bones according to size and density.</p