Freeman, Tom

Obrador, Antoni

Biblioteca Digital de les Illes Balears

Bol. Soco Hist. Nat. Baleares, 23 (1979): pp. 47-50. 
PALEOSOILS AND COAL IN THE DISTAL 
PART OF THE SPANISH BUNTSANDSTEIN 
(MENORCA AND MALLORCA, BALEARIC ISLANDS) 
by TOM FREEMAN1 and ANTONIO OBRADOR2 
The origin of the Spanish Buntsandstein continues to be debated; i. e., is 
it marine, non-marine, or "transitional"? For this reason, the eharaeter of distal 
deposits in the Balearie Islands is an espeeially important clue to the origin 
of the Buntsandstein in peninsular Spain. 
Cross-bed measurements demonstrate a persistent southeast transport di-
reetíon for the Buntsandstein over an area including peninsular Spain and the 
Balearie Islands of Menorca and Mallorca (FREEMAN, in preparation). That is, 
the Balearic Islands display the most distal exposures of wat appears to be a 
single fluvial system. The eharacter of these distal deposits serves to corrobo-
rate an interpretation of a fluvial origino 
Along the northwest 'coast of Menorca, at Cap Gros (Hg. 1) the Buntsands-
tein contains rubbly intervals interpreted as paleosoils. Oceurring along with 
these paleosoils are fragments of fossil wood and coal. A more impressive oc-
curren ce of coal occurs along the northwest coast of Mallorca near Banyalbu-
far (Hg. 2). In addition to paleosoils like those at Cap Gros (Hg. 3) lenses of 
coal occur in cross-bedded sandstones of the Buntsandstein (Hg .. 4). It is in-
teresting to note that the coal do es not occur in overbank mud~t?ne deposits; 
instead it is restricted to channel sandstones, where it was pre~umably rafted 
as clumps of vegetation. (The absence of coal in Buntsandstein overbank de-
posits can be explained by the high degree of oxidation reflected by the red 
color of those deposits.) " 
1 Departn'tent of Geology. COLUMBIA (Mo) U.S.A. 
2 Dpto. ESTRATIGRAFIA U.A.B. BARCELONA. 
48 TOM FREEMAN AND ANTONIO OBRADOR 
'''--__ 5-'-, __ ~I,D km 
'-'---"--e iudadel a 
PARTIAL SECTION 
at 
CAP GROS 
Fig. l.-Partial section measured at Cap Gros, showing occurrence of paleosoils, coal, and 
fossil wood. 
The coal lenses near Banyalbufar are sufficientIy abundant to have promp-
ted the digging of an exploratory shaft some five meters into the side of a sea-
cliff. Along the roof af this smalI shaft coalified logs occur with a preferred 
orientation (fig. 5 A, B). The azimuth of orientation is within 35° of the mean 
cross-be9 vector at this locality, suggesting that the logs were oriented by the 
same current system that deposited the channel sandstones. 
Inasmuch as the Balearic Islands display the most distal parts of the 
Spanish Buntsandstein, the paleosoils and coals of Menorca and Mallorca sug-
gest that peninsular Spain was at least equally subaerial during deposition of 
the Buntsandstein. It is true that there are variations in thickness of the Spanish 
PALEOSOILS AND COAL IN THE DISTAL ... 49 
Buntsandstein, but the persistent transport direction shows that these differen-
ces do not reflect marine bathymetric irregularities. Instead, they reflect on a 
pre-Buntsandstein subaerial surface that was produced by faulting and erosiono 
Evidently, this local releif had Httle effect on the direction of Buntsandstein 
stream courses. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
This work was supported by grant CA 37112 from the National Science 
Foundation (U.S.A.) to TOM FREEMAN. 
at 
BANYALBUFAR 
paleosoil 
.~:c::::o:9: 
coal 
,..--
10 20km 
I , 
Fig. 2.-Partial section measured at Banyalbufar, showing occurrence of paleosoils and coals. 
Notice position of "copper mine" (exploratory shaft). 
4 
50 T O \I F HEE\I A:'II ANI) ANTC NI O 0 13I\A I>0 1\ 
Fi ~ . ~ -- Fir l d pho to~ ruph o f 
p:1. 1 ('ORO j 1 1 i k t h ns(-' :l. r 
(':11' Gr os :ln e! nan~·alb\lf;J I·. 
F i g . "1 - - Fi f> l d p h o t n g r aplt shí'W-
in g l f'n s n f c o a ] wittll ll 
l' l" o ss -hí' d th 'o c ha n ll 0 1 
S:1.nds t n rH'. 
crosS-bed 
mean vector 
165' 
ORIENTED LOG5 IN BUNTSANDSTEIN 
looklng up(AZ 130")at mine entnwlCe 
F j g- . 5 _ _ (1\) L onk i nl-! up :ll o ll g a z i muth 1300 al r on f o f (·xplor a t 0 l' Y 
min0 . (13) Skf' tl ' h n I phn t ()~ r aph shn vn in 1\, al () n ~ \\"ith 
c }' os s -h p{\ (!:l t :l. 
8 


Paleosoils and coal in the distal part of the Spanish Buntsandstein (Menorca and Mallorca, Balearic Islands)

Freeman, T.

Revistes Catalanes amb Accés Obert

Bol. Soco Hist. Nat. Baleares, 23 (1979): pp. 47-50. 
PALEOSOILS AND COAL IN THE DISTAL 
PART OF THE SPANISH BUNTSANDSTEIN 
(MENORCA AND MALLORCA, BALEARIC ISLANDS) 
by TOM FREEMAN1 and ANTONIO OBRADOR2 
The origin of the Spanish Buntsandstein continues to be debated; i. e., is 
it marine, non-marine, or "transitional"? For this reason, the character of distal 
deposits in the Balearic Islands is an especially important clue to the origin 
of the Buntsandstein in peninsular Spain. 
Cross-bed measurements demonstrate a persistent southeast transport di-
rection for the Buntsandstein over an area including peninsular Spain and the 
Balearic Islands of Menorca and Mallorca (FREEMAN, in preparation). That is, 
the Balearic Islands display the most distal exposures of wat appears to be a 
single fluvial system. The character of these distal deposits serves to corrobo-
rate an interpretation of a fluvial origino 
Along the northwest 'coast of Menorca, at Cap Gros (Hg. 1) the Buntsands-
tein contains rubbly intervals interpreted as paleosoils. Occurring along with 
these paleosoils are fragments of fossil wood and coal. A more impressive oc-
curren ce of coal occurs along the northwest coast of Mallorca near Banyalbu-
far (Hg. 2). In addition to paleosoils like those at Cap Gros (Hg. 3) lenses of 
coal occur in cross-bedded sandstones of the Buntsandstein (Hg. 4). It is in-
teresting to note that the coal do es not occur in overbank mud~t?ne deposits; 
instead it is restricted to channel sandstones, where it was pre~umably rafted 
as clumps of vegetation. (The absence of coal in Buntsandstein overbank de-
posits can be explained by the high degree of oxidation reflected by the red 
color of those deposits.) " 
1 Departn'tent of Geology. COLUMBIA (Mo) U.S.A. 
2 Dpto. ESTRATIGRAFIA U.A.B. BARCELONA. 
48 TOM FREEMAN AND ANTONIO OBRADOR 
'''--__ 5-'-, __ ~I,D km 
'-'---"--e iudadel a 
PARTIAL SECTION 
at 
CAP GROS 
Fig. l.-Partial section measured at Cap Gros, showing occurrence of paleosoils, coal, and 
fossil wood. 
The coal lenses near Banyalbufar are sufficientIy abundant to have promp-
ted the digging of an exploratory shaft some five meters into the side of a sea-
cliff. Along the roof af this smalI shaft coalified logs occur with a preferred 
orientation (fig. 5 A, B). The azimuth of orientation is within 35° of the mean 
cross-be9 vector at this locality, suggesting that the logs were oriented by the 
same current system that deposited the channel sandstones. 
Inasmuch as the Balearic Islands display the most distal parts of the 
Spanish Buntsandstein, the paleosoils and coals of Menorca and Mallorca sug-
gest that peninsular Spain was at least equally subaerial during deposition of 
the Buntsandstein. It is true that there are variations in thickness of the Spanish 
PALEOSOILS AND COAL IN THE DISTAL ... 49 
Buntsandstein, but the persistent transport direction shows that these differen-
ces do not reflect marine bathymetric irregularities. Instead, they reflect on a 
pre-Buntsandstein subaerial surface that was produced by faulting and erosiono 
Evidently, this local releif had Httle effect on the direction of Buntsandstein 
stream courses. 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
This work was supported by grant CA 37112 from the National Science 
Foundation (U.S.A.) to TOM FREEMAN. 
at 
BANYALBUFAR 
paleosoil 
.~:c::::o:9: 
coal 
,..--
10 20km 
I , 
3!~95 
~c:p~ 
~~? ometers 
Fig. 2.-Partial section measured at Banyalbufar, showing occurrence of paleosoils and coals. 
Notice position of "copper mine" (exploratory shaft). 
4 
50 TO~ I FIlEDIA:\f AND ANTCNI O OUHA DOH 
Fio ld pho to~r.p h o f 
p al ('()so j 1 1 ik e thos E' :1t 
C:1p Gros :lnd nan~':tlh\lfar. 
Fig . ·1 - - Fi f' ld photngr:lpil Sh0W-
ing 10ns n f coa1 wi tl l 1 1l 
('}"oss -bcddl'rl (' hanll 0 1 
S:ln o s t o IH ' . 
crosS-bed 
mean vector 
165· 
ORIENTED LOGS IN BUNTSANDSTEIN 
looklng up(AZ 130"lat mine entrance 
Fl. g . 5 - - (A) L ookin g up ;¡\onl-!" a z i rnuth 1300 al l' n0 f' (lf t'xplo r ato r ~.; 
min0 . (13) Sketch n i photog r ;¡ph s ho \' "n in A, al o n g with 
c l'os s -bp(\ da!.;¡ . 
8 
Fi ¡:: . 
\\ I N I) .-\ 0 1111.-\ 1>0 11 
c n n
1 "n i 0 h n p 3.
:l a an~.;albl1f:lI·.
g- -  ri n¡::: r :lp ll
l(> ~ o O:I I   11 1 
" he o c ll1 \ 
n
' 
 I
"J
t - ) I. j ~ ll o tl l.-!" m  r oo ! o  l'xp t 1"Y
l 3 E' (' I () ()~ a n 1l 1\ ! ' \\'
h p <! e!:t t a
B 


Paleosoils and coal in the distal part of the Spanish Buntsandstein (Menorca and Mallorca, Balearic Islands)

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