Las formaciones yesíferas del Triásico Superior y Jurásico Inferior de Camarasa, en el frente Surpirenaico Catalán

En el presente estudio se describen las características litoestratigráficas de las formaciones yesíferas de Canelles (Keuper inferior) y de Lécera (Jurásico Inferior) aflorantes en la zona de Camarasa, en el frente Surpirenaico Catalán. La serie de la Fm. Lécera constituye una alternancia cíclica de capas de yesos y carbonatos de cerca de 300 m de espesor. El yeso es de litofacies laminada gris, laminada blanca y masiva blanca. Los carbonatos son brechas dolomíticas y dolomicritas finamente estratificadas. Por el contrario, la Fm. Canelles forma una serie yesífera masiva de 100 m de espesor, con capas menores de carbonato restringidas a la base de la formación y a su parte media. En la base el carbonato es de litofacies dolomicrita laminada, mientras que en la parte media es de litofacies margodolomía laminada, dolomicrita laminada y oolítica, formando cuatro ciclos de pocos metros de espesor. Ambas formaciones se originaron en sistemas evaporíticos de tipo lagoon sulfatado, muy estables, alimentados por aguas marinas y alejados de la influencia de aportes detríticos. En estos lagoons la sedimentación fue principalmente yesífera, en facies laminada, y con niveles subordinados de carbonatados, representando respectivamente estadios de mayor y menor concentración relativa del agua, y sin registro de sales más solubles (halita).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Coastal salina evaporites of the Triassic-Liassic boundary in the Iberian Peninsula : the Alacón borehole

The evaporite unit (the Lécera Formation), which was formed at the Triassic-Liassic boundary in the Aragonian Branch of the Iberian Chain, was studied at the 01 Alacón borehole (Alacón village, Teruel province), where it is mainly constituted by a thick (>300 m) succession of predominant sulphates (anhydrite, secondary gypsum and carbonate) overlain by brecciated carbonates. In the evaporite succession, a number of lithofacies were recognized, which can be grouped into an "ideal cycle", from base to top: (C1) massive to banded carbonate mudstone, (C2) alternation of carbonate and anhydrite laminae, (A1) alternation of anhydrite and carbonate bands, (A2) clastic intercalations in the alternation of anhydrite and carbonate bands, (A3) laminated to banded anhydrite, (A4) bedded pseudomorphs, (A5) interstitial pseudomorphs, and (A6) massive to nodular anhydrite. Fine-grained gypsum (anhydrite laminae and bands), bedded selenitic gypsum (bedded pseudomorphs), interstitial selenitic gypsum (interstitial pseudomorphs), and graded-nodular anhydrite (a particular fabric of nodular anhydrite) were the most outstanding depositional lithofacies. The evaporite succession exhibits a marked cyclicity: in the lower part the individual cycles are more similar to the ideal cycle and reflect deeper water settings, whereas in the upper part they correspond to shallower water settings. The evaporite sedimentation mainly occurred in a subsiding coastal basin of the salina or lagoon type. In this setting, the subaqueous precipitation of the carbonate and gypsum lithofacies was followed, in each cycle, by the interstitial growth of anhydrite in exposed conditions. As a whole, the evaporite succession reflects an infilling process. The conversion into anhydrite of the selenitic gypsum -probably also of the rest of depositional gypsum lithofaciesstarted under synsedimentary conditions and followed during shallow to moderate burial diagenesis

Las formaciones Plio-Cuaternarias de El Abalario, en el litoral de la provincia de Huelva (España)

El estudio de nuevos y antiguos sondeos en El Abalario (Bajo Guadalquivir) permite identificar por encima de las margas miocenas, cuatro principales formaciones Plio-Cuaternarias, denominadas: Fm. Arenas de Huelva, Fm. Arenas de Bonares, Fm. Arenas y Gravas de Almonte, y Fm. Arenas de El Abalario, respectivamente interpretadas como sedimentos marinos someros, deltaicos, aluviales y eólicos. En conjunto forman una potente sucesión de más de 250 metros de espesor, de estructura ligeramente inclinada y de espesor creciente hacia el sureste. Sólo algunos sondeos de la parte occidental de El Abalario alcanzan las margas miocenas. En el resto del área de El Abalario, las margas están a una profundidad desconocida, por debajo de los sondeos más profundos. Sobre ellas se disponen gradualmente los depósitos arenosos de la Fm. Huelva, sin ninguna apreciable ruptura sedimentaria. Hacia el norte, la parte superior de la Fm. Huelva grada lateralmente a los depósitos arenosos de la Fm. Bonares, principalmente desarrollada fuera del área de estudio. Ambas formaciones quedan cubiertas por los sedimentos clásticos más gruesos de la Fm. Almonte. Por encima se desarrollan las arenas de la Fm. El Abalario, que configuran el relieve actual. El estudio mejora el modelo geológico existente y la conexión de unidades con los sectores vecinos. The study of new and ancient boreholes in El Abalario area (Lower Guadalquivir basin) permitted to identify four main plio-quaternary formations above the Miocene marls, namely: Huelva Sands, Bonares Sands, Almonte Sands and Gravels, and El Abalario Sands. Respectively, they are interpreted as shallow marine, deltaic, alluvial and eolian sediments, together forming a marine to continental sequence that reaches a thickness of more than 250 metres. All sediments are arranged as a gentle dipping and thickening structure to the southeast. Only a few boreholes of the western border of El Abalario reach the top of the Miocene marls. In the rest of the Abalario area the Miocene marls are confined to an unknown level bellow the deepest boreholes. Upward, the marls grade to the Huelva sands, without any appreciable break in the sediments. To the north, the upper part of the Huelva formation grades to the Bonares sands, which is mainly developed outside the study area. Both formations are covered by the coarse clastic deposits of the Almonte formation. At the top, El Abalario sands recover all previous deposits and configure the current relief. This study improves the early existing geology profile and the connection with the surrounding areas.Postprint (published version

Magnetobiochronology of Lower Pliocene marine sediments from the lower Guadalquivir Basin: insights into the tectonic evolution of the Strait of Gibraltar area

The Gibraltar Arc is a complex tectonic region, and several competing models have been proposed to explain its evolution. We studied the sedimentary fill of the Guadalquivir Basin to identify tectonic processes that were occurring when the reopening of the Strait of Gibraltar led to the reestablishment of Mediterranean outflow. We present a chronostratigraphic framework for the Lower Pliocene sediments from the lower Guadalquivir Basin (SW Spain). The updated chronology is based on magnetobiostratigraphic data from several boreholes. Our results show that the studied interval in the La Matilla core is in the early Pliocene section, providing better constraints on the sedimentary evolution of the basin during that period. Migrating depositional facies led to a younger onset of sandy deposition basinward. At the northwestern passive margin, a 0.7 m.y. period of sedimentary bypass related to a sharp decrease in sedimentation rates and lower sea levels resulted from the tectonic uplift of the forebulge. In contrast, high sedimentation rates with continuous deep-marine sedimentation are recorded at the basin center due to continuous tectonic subsidence and west-southwestward progradation of axial depositional systems. The marginal forebulge uplift, continuous tectonic basinal subsidence, and southward progradation of clinoforms in the early Pliocene can be explained by the pull of a lithospheric slab beneath the Gibraltar Arc as the Strait of Gibraltar opened. These findings are, to our knowledge, the first reported sedimentary expression of slab pull beneath the Betics related to the opening of the Strait of Gibraltar after the Messinian salinity crisis.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Middle Triassic evaporite sedimentation in the Catalan basin: implications for the paleogeographic evolution in the NE Iberian platform

The eastern sector of the epicontinental Iberian platform underwent restriction after the sedimentation of the lower Muschelkalk carbonates (Middle Triassic) under extensional regime. This resulted in the accumulation of the marine evaporites and the alluvial siliciclastics of the middle Muschelkalk facies in the Triassic Catalan basin, which varied between 100 and 120 m in thickness. This facies consists of three lithostratigraphic units sedimented at basin scale (Lower, Middle and Upper), each of which includes a distinct evaporite unit. In the Lower Unit, the evaporitic sedimentation started as a transgressive sulfate lagoon (Paüls Gypsum unit). During the Middle Unit time, a regressive evaporitic mudflat, made up of a mosaic of shallow gypsum salinas surrounded by anhydrite sabkhas (Arbolí Gypsum unit) developed; in the northeastern half of the basin, an alluvial plain was formed by siliciclastics (Guanta Sandstone unit) of a west and northwest provenance (Lleida High). During the Upper Unit time, a new transgressive sulfate lagoon occupied the southern half of the basin (Camposines Gypsum), whereas an evaporitic mudflat of red-to-variegated mudstones, marls, and lacustrine carbonates developed in the northern half. Cyclic sedimentation was mainly recorded in the evaporitic mudflat-alluvial plain complex of the Middle Unit. The sulfur isotopic values of gypsum in the three evaporite units show a decrease in d34S with time and also a clear distinction from the values of the Keuper facies in the basin. A division of the lithostratigraphic succession into two third-order depositional sequences is proposed. The middle Muschelkalk succession in the Catalan basin is compared with the equivalent one in the subsurface of the adjacent Triassic Maestrat basin, which was filled with >600 m of marine evaporites.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Geoelectrical prospecting of glauberite deposits in the Ebro basin (Spain)

Glauberite (Na2Ca[SO4]2) is an evaporitic mineral which is used in the industries of detergents, paper, glass, pharmacy, etc. Glauberite rocks are seldom found cropping out because they are very sensitive to weathering processes; for this reason their prospection is conducted by means of boreholes. Nowadays, geophysical techniques are not used to support the characterization of glauberite deposits due to the lack of knowledge of their physical properties. In this study geoelectrical methods are proposed as alternative techniques in the early stages of glauberite prospecting. Several glauberite units have been studied in different parts of the Ebro basin (Spain) by means of electrical resistivity tomography sections. The electrical resistivity range showed by glauberite deposits has been found to be low (10-100 Ω.m) when the matrix component (clay andmicrocrystalline carbonates) is above 45% of the bulk composition of the rock. This type of rocks has been studied in Montes de Torrero (Zaragoza) and is the most common glauberite deposit case. Besides matrix-rich glauberite rocks, an exceptional case of a pure glauberite layer has been studied in Alcanadre (La Rioja). From this site, it has been estimated that deposits with glauberite crystals fraction close to 100% show a resistivity range of at least 3×103 Ω.m. Using this extreme value as reference, the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds have been calculated for glauberite rocks considering that they are constituted of four phases (glauberite, gypsum, anhydrite and matrix). When the matrix fraction represents 45% or more of the bulk rock, the resistivity range will be that of the lower Hashin-Shtrikman bound, which is similar for any combination of sulphate (glauberite, gypsum and/or anhydrite) composition; hence, it can be considered as a two-phase system (matrix and sulphate). For rocks with less than 30% of matrix fraction, the upper Hashin-Shtrikman bound trend must be considered; however, the resistivity values overlap, making it impossible to establish a classification. Between 30 and 45% of matrix fraction, there is a transitional domain. Additionally, some theoretical models representing the most common structures in sulphate rocks have been elaborated in order to help in the interpretation of the inverted resistivity images obtained from the field data. Some artifacts generated by the complexity of the resistivity distribution of the terrain have been identified in both data sets. Keywords: Glauberite, Gypsum, Electrical Resistivity Tomography, Kars

Early Pliocene climatic optimum, cooling and early glaciation deduced by terrestrial and marine environmental changes in SW Spain

The Pliocene is a key period in Earth's climate evolution, as it records the transition from warm and stable conditions to the colder and more variable glaciated climate of the Pleistocene. Simultaneously, climate became more seasonal in the Mediterranean area, and Mediterranean-type seasonal precipitation rhythm with summer drought established. These climatic changes presumably had significant impacts on terrestrial environments. However, the response of terrestrial environments to such climate changes is still not fully understood due to the lack of detailed studies dealing with this period of time. In this study, multiproxy analyses of continuous core sampling from La Matilla (SW Spain) shows detailed and continuous record of pollen, sand content and abundance of benthic foraminifer Bolivina spathulata to describe paleoenvironmental and paleoclimate trends during the early Pliocene. This record shows warmest, most humid climate conditions and highest riverine nutrient supply at ~ 4.35 Ma, coinciding with the Pliocene climatic optimum and high global sea level. A climate cooling and aridity trend occurred subsequently and a significant glaciation occurred at ~ 4.1–4.0 Ma, during a period known by very little terrestrial evidence of glaciation. Our multiproxy data thus indicate that terrestrial and marine environments were significantly variable during the early Pliocene and that major glaciation-like cooling occurred before the intensification of northern hemisphere glaciation at the beginning of the Pleistocene (~2.7 Ma). This major climate cooling and aridity maxima between 4.1 and 4.0 Ma is independently validated by a coeval sea-level drop (third order Za2 sequence boundary). This sea level drawdown is supported by enhanced coarse sedimentation and minima in riverine nutrient supply, showing paired vegetation and sea-level changes and thus a strong land-ocean relationship. This study also shows that long-term climatic trends were interrupted by orbital-scale cyclic climatic variability, with eccentricity, obliquity and precession acting as the main triggers controlling climate and environmental change in the area.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Magnetobiochronology of lower Pliocene marine sediments from the lower Guadalquivir Basin: insights into the tectonic evolution of the Strait of Gibraltar area

The Gibraltar Arc is a complex tectonic region, and several competing models have been proposed to explain its evolution. We studied the sedimentary fill of the Guadalquivir Basin to identify tectonic processes that were occurring when the reopening of the Strait of Gibraltar led to the reestablishment of Mediterranean outflow. We present a chronostratigraphic framework for the Lower Pliocene sediments from the lower Guadalquivir Basin (SW Spain). The updated chronology is based on magnetobiostratigraphic data from several boreholes. Our results show that the studied interval in the La Matilla core is in the early Pliocene section, providing better constraints on the sedimentary evolution of the basin during that period. Migrating depositional facies led to a younger onset of sandy deposition basinward. At the northwestern passive margin, a 0.7 m.y. period of sedimentary bypass related to a sharp decrease in sedimentation rates and lower sea levels resulted from the tectonic uplift of the forebulge. In contrast, high sedimentation rates with continuous deep-marine sedimentation are recorded at the basin center due to continuous tectonic subsidence and west-southwestward progradation of axial depositional systems. The marginal forebulge uplift, continuous tectonic basinal subsidence, and southward progradation of clinoforms in the early Pliocene can be explained by the pull of a lithospheric slab beneath the Gibraltar Arc as the Strait of Gibraltar opened. These findings are, to our knowledge, the first reported sedimentary expression of slab pull beneath the Betics related to the opening of the Strait of Gibraltar after the Messinian salinity crisis