PUBLICATIONS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF SPAIN (IGME)

SPANISH GEOLOGICAL
FRAMEWORKS AND GEOSITES
An approach to Spanish geological heritage
of international relevance
SPANISH GEOLOGICAL FRAMEWORKS
AND GEOSITES
An approach to Spanish geological heritage
of international relevance

Main editor
Ángel García-Cortés

Editors
José Águeda Villar
Jaime Palacio Suárez-Valgrande
Carlos I. Salvador González

Instituto Geológico y Minero de España

Madrid 2009
 SPANISH geological frameworks and geosites: an approach to Spanish geological heritage of inter-
national relevance / A. García Cortés, ed. pr.; J. Águeda Villar, J. Palacio Suárez-Valgrande, C.I.
Salvador González, eds.- Madrid: Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, 2009.

CD-Rom
ISBN 978-84-7840-825-2
NIPO 474-09-045-0

1. Patrimonio geológico. 2. Geología divulgación. 3. Lugar de interés geológico. 4. Conservación.

5. Estudio caso. 6. España. I. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, ed. II. García Cortés, A., ed.
pr. III. Águeda Villar, J., ed. IV. Palacio Suárez-Valgrande, J., ed. V. Salvador González, C.I., ed.

551(460)

© INSTITUTO GEOLÓGICO Y MINERO DE ESPAÑA

c/ Ríos Rosas, 23. 28003 MADRID - SPAIN

NIPO: 474-09-045-0
ISBN: 978-84-7840-825-2

Design, layout and printing:

www.frailedetejada.com

Translation from the original in Spanish:

Daniel Alonso (El Taller de Inglés)
Enrique Díaz-Martínez (IGME)

Front page photographs:

From top to bottom and left to right, dipterid of the
Psychodidae family (amber from Peñacerrada II, Álava), fly
of the genus Alavesia (amber from Caleyu, Asturias),
himenopterid of the Scelionidae family (amber from
Peñacerrada I, Burgos), and detail of an exceptional
preservation of wasp wings of this same family (amber from
Peñacerrada II, Álava).
Photos: E. Peñalver.
 FOREWORD

The publication of this work culminates the development of the Global Geosites project in
Spain. This project, promoted by the European Association for the Conservation of Geological
Heritage (ProGEO) within the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) and sponsored
by UNESCO, aims to establish a global inventory of internationally relevant Sites of Geological
Interest (the so-called Global Geosites) to develop subsequent geoconservation activities, and
to support other programs such as UNESCO’s Global Geopark Network.

In 1996, the Geological Survey of Spain (IGME) was commissioned by the Geological Society
of Spain (SGE), the Spanish Society for the Defense of Geological and Mining Heritage
(SEDPGyM), the Spanish Society of Environmental Geology and Urban Planning (SEGAOT) as
well as by experts in geological heritage, to coordinate efforts towards the development of
the Global Geosites Project in Spain. This assignment undoubtedly meant an acknowledgement
of IGME’s pioneer work in this field, originated by the efforts of Dr. Emilio Elízaga, who in the
late seventies was the only voice wasting its breath in the defense of this line of research.

Certainly, research in geological heritage is one of the most recent lines of work undertaken
by the Earth Science community. Nevertheless, its importance is growing and is taken as an
essential measure towards the sustainable development of resources which are mostly non-
renewable. The progress that research in geological heritage and geodiversity will experiment
in the future is already being assumed by European geological surveys, whereas other regions
are taking their first steps based on the experience of pioneer countries.

The Strategic Plan of IGME for the period 2005-2009 included a strategic line to consider
“studies oriented to define and characterize the geodiversity of the Spanish territory, to
undertake inventories, studies and public outreach of its geological and historical mining
heritage, and to set and develop the relationships between natural stone and the preservation
of historical architectural heritage. Also included is the geoscientific study of significant natural
areas, particularly those within the European Natura 2000 Network”. This Strategic Plan also
“includes the mineralogical and paleontological research needed to keep, update and educate
on the portable heritage of the Museo Geominero (museum of IGME), together with all that
relates to scientific culture, and in particular to the preservation and popularization of
geological-cultural resources and their significance, including historical bibliography and
cartography archives”.

This book attempts to offer a summary of the results obtained through eight years of
development of the Global Geosites project in Spain, and is oriented to the public interested
in our geological heritage. The results provide a good base to relaunch the inventory, study
and public outreach activities related with our rich geological heritage. In the near future, and
within what is programmed in the project, we will keep working on the definitive selection of
the Global Geosites, first in coordination with the Portuguese working group, and later on
with the rest of the European countries grouped within ProGEO.

José Pedro Calvo Sorando

Managing Director of IGME

3
 INDEX

INTRODUCTION 7
Águeda Villar, J.A., García-Cortés, A. and Palacio Suárez-Valgrande, J.

CHAPTER 1
THE IBERIAN VARISCAN OROGEN 13
Martínez Catalán, J.R., Aller, J., Alonso, J.L. and Bastida, F.

CHAPTER 2
LOWER AND MIDDLE PALEOZOIC STRATIGRAPHIC SUCCESSIONS 31
Gutiérrez-Marco, J.C., Rábano, I., Liñan, E., Gozalo, R., Fernández Martínez, E.,
Arbizu, M., Méndez-Bedia, I., Pieren Pidal, A. and Sarmiento, G.N.

CHAPTER 3
CARBONIFEROUS OF THE CANTABRIAN ZONE 44
Villa, E. and Sánchez de Posada L.C.

CHAPTER 4
THE IBERIAN PYRITE BELT 56
Tornos, F., López Pamo, E. and Sánchez España, F.J.

CHAPTER 5
MERCURY MINERALIZATION IN THE REGION OF ALMADÉN 65
Palero, F. and Lorenzo, S.

CHAPTER 6
MESOZOIC SUCCESSIONS OF THE BETIC AND IBERIAN RANGES 73
Castro, J.M., García, A., Gómez, J.J., Goy, A., Molina, J.M.,
Ruiz Ortiz, P.A. and Sopeña, A.

CHAPTER 7
LEAD-ZINC AND IRON MINERALIZATION IN THE URGONIAN OF THE 91
VASQUE-CANTABRIAN BASIN
Águeda Villar, J.A. and Salvador González, C.I.

CHAPTER 8
CRETACEOUS CONTINENTAL FOSSILS AND ICHNOFOSSILS 99
Pérez Lorente, F., Peñalver, E., Poyato, F.J., Caro, S. and Romero-Molina, M.M.

CHAPTER 9
THE CRETACEOUS-TERTIARY (K/T) BOUNDARY 107
Meléndez, A. and Molina, E.

CHAPTER 10
SOUTH PYRENEAN SYNOROGENIC BASINS 114
Rosell Sauny, J.A. Águeda Villar, J.A. and Salvador González, C.I.

CHAPTER 11
OLISTOSTROME UNITS OF THE BETIC FORELAND 124
Roldán García, F.J.

CHAPTER 12
MIOCENE EXTENSION IN THE ALBORÁN DOMAIN 132
Galindo Zaldívar, J., González Lodeiro, F. and Jabaloy, A.

CHAPTER 13
NEOGENE ULTRAPOTASSIC VOLCANISM 139
Bellido Mulas, F. and Brändle Matesanz, J.L.

5
 CHAPTER 14
VOLCANIC EDIFICES AND MORPHOLOGIES OF THE CANARY ISLANDS 146
Barrera Morate, J.L.

CHAPTER 15
MESSINIAN EVAPORITE EPISODES 157
Calaforra, J.M.

CHAPTER 16
CONTINENTAL TERTIARY BASINS AND ASSOCIATED DEPOSITS OF ARAGÓN 163
AND CATALUÑA
Élez, J.

CHAPTER 17
VERTEBRATE DEPOSITS OF THE SPANISH PLIOCENE AND PLEISTOCENE 171
Jordá Pardo, J.F.

CHAPTER 18
FLUVIAL NETWORK, RAÑA DEPOSITS AND APPALACHIAN RELIEF OF 184
THE IBERIAN MASSIF
Martín Serrano, A. and Nozal Martín, F.

CHAPTER 19
LOW COASTLINES OF THE IBERIAN PENINSULA 192
Gracia, F. J.

CHAPTER 20
CARBONATE AND EVAPORITE KARST SYSTEMS OF THE IBERIAN 200
PENINSULA AND THE BALEARIC ISLANDS
Durán Valsero, J. J. and Robledo Ardila, P.A.

APPENDIX 215

6
 C H A P T E R 13
NEOGENE
ULTRAPOTASSIC VOLCANISM

View of the Cabezo María (Vera, Almería): a hill created by

the accumulation of “verite” breccias in a submarine
emission centre.

Bellido Mulas, F.

Brändle Matesanz, J.L.


Figure 1, above. Location of the geosite’s outcrops.
Figure 2, below. Jumillite of La Celia at the entrance
to a gallery of the old apatite mines.
Figure 3, below. Thin section photograph of a massive
jumillite with conspicuous phenocrysts of olivine and
phlogopite (magnified 33 times, parallel nichols).
14 0
This chapter deals about the origin and significance of
a small group of rocks resulting from a type of volca-
nism with very few representatives globally: ultrapo-
tassic (lamproitic) volcanism. Their geodynamical and
volcanological importance lies on the fact that their
knowledge is paramount to study magmas coming
from the Earth’s mantle. One of the most representa-
tive zones globally is found in the southeast of the
Iberian Peninsula, in an area between Vera, the region
of Cartagena, and the towns of Cancarix and Jumilla
in the External Betic Domain (Figure 1). The examples
chosen correspond to the type outcrops from which
the rocks earned their generic name (verite, jumillite,
fortunite, and cancalites or cancarixites), with photo-
graphs of the most representative samples as they are
seen in the petrographic microscope. Also, in the vol-
canic area of Campos de Calatrava is the ultrapotassic
emission centre of Morrón de Villamayor, among other
Neogene volcanic edifices of ultra-alkaline character.
Due to the diversity and complexity of the mineral-
ogy of these rocks, they were given their own names,
as they were considered to be different from other
known rocks. The names verite, jumillite, fortunite and
cancalite or cancarixite are all derived from the most
important town near each exposure (Parga Pondal,
1935; Fuster et al., 1967).
Within this volcanic province, it is possible to identify
five magmatic associations: calcalkaline series, high-
potassium calcalkaline series, shoshonitic series, ultra-
potassic (lamproitic) series, and basaltic alkaline series.
The volcanic events to which the first four series are
linked took place between 15 and 6 million years ago,
although the ultrapotassic volcanic activity is restricted
to the final stages (8-6 million years ago).
This volcanic province is related to the extensional
event explained in the previous chapter, which took
place between the middle and late Miocene (12 mil-
lion years ago). During this extensional collapse, the
volcanic events hereby considered occurred follow-
ing the recently formed faults. The exceptional char-
acteristics of the geodynamic
context and volcanic features
of this region have to be
remarked, since they are not
contemporary to the subduc-
tion processes. Instead, they
are associated to the melting
due to the extensional stage
affecting the lithospheric man-
tle during the Miocene, which
had previously been geochem-
ically enriched in the subduc-
tion compressive phase, and
also by contamination from
other basement melts.
Data recently obtained about
the interpretation of this volca-
nism and its placement within
the Betic orogen evolution can
Bellido Mulas, F. - Brändle Matesanz, J.L.
 Figure 4. Flow dome of
Cancarix, formed by
massive cancarixite or
cancalite with columnar
jointing, making up the
main reliefs of Sierra de
Las Cabras.

Figure 5. Thin section

photograph of a
cancarixite with olivine,
chestnut-coloured
phlogopite, yellowish
richterite, and sanidine
(magnified 33 times,
parallel nichols).

be found in the works by López Ruiz et al. (2002,
2004) and Duggen et al. (2005).
These volcanic deposits are mostly associated to vol-
canic chimneys, domes and dykes. Some of these
edifices (Vera and Barqueros) preserve remains from
the emission centers and flows. In the case of Vera,
the main emission centre and the flows formed under
shallow water.
In association with the scoria we find uneven concen-
trations of apatite and hematite (Celia Mines) which
are linked to exhalative processes related to the volca-
nic activity, and which were developed in the past to
be used in the fabrication of phosphate fertilizers.
According to the absolute dating carried out by
Duggen et al. (2005), the age of this volcanic edifice is
6.76 ± 0.04 million years.

The ultrapotassic volcanic exposure from Jumilla,
where jumillite was first described, is found in a
place called La Mina – Caserío de La Celia (Figure 2) in
Jumilla (Murcia). The rock shows a massive character,
is brown-grey or dark green in colour, and displays
an intense surface weathering. Their main mineralogy
(Figure 3) consists of olivine phenocrysts, phlogopite
and diopside, with apatite being relatively abundant.
The exposure of Sierra de Las Cabras, between the
villages of Cancarix and Agramón (Hellín, Albacete),
is the type locality for cancalite or cancarixite. It
consists of a volcanic dome with marked escarpments
standing out over the plains, associated to Jurassic and
Tertiary sedimentary exposures upon which it is found.
The escarpments are formed by lavas with beautiful
columnar jointing, rather homogeneous and with a

ULTRAPOTASSIC NEOGENE VOLCANISM 141


grey colour with pink shades (Figure 4). Absolute dat-
ings provide an age of 7.04 ± 0.01 million years.
These rocks have a main mineralogy formed by oliv-
ine, phlogopite, sanidine and potassic richterite. The
most common accessory minerals are the apatite and
calcite (Figure 5).
The main exposures of verite are found in an area
between the towns of Vera, Garrucha, Los Gallardos
and Antas, near the Mediterranean coast, in the
province of Almería. Here, the remains of an emission
centre are located at Cabezo María (Figure 6), as well
as several traces of lava flows scattered between this
volcanic centre and the coast north of Garrucha.
This emission centre is highly degraded and consti-
tutes a promontory formed by tuffs, remains of lava
14 2
Figure 6, above. Submarine breccias of the Cabezo de
María (Vera, Almería). Notice the vertical structures
corresponding to dykes, and degassing channels of
the emission centre.
Figure 7. Thin section photograph of a verite
(magnified 22 times, parallel nichols) with a vacuole
filled by calcite, carbonated olivines, and pyroxene
microliths in beige-greenish glass matrix (Cabezo
María, Vera).
flows, submarine hydroclastic breccias, and dykes cor-
responding to feeder channels. Generally, these rocks
have an abundant vitreous matrix and present olivine
and phlogopite phenocrysts (Figure 7). Their radiomet-
ric age is 7.45 ± 0.08 million years.
In La Salaosa and Cañada de las Moreras (Vera) there
are outcrops of submarine lava flows of rather vitre-
ous massive verite (Figure 8) which flowed on a bot-
tom of Miocene marly sediments, scarcely or not even
consolidated at all, which sometimes were injected
in the flows to form so-called neptunian dykes. The
flows are interbedded within Upper Miocene-Pliocene
sandstones and marine marls.
Fortunite (Figure 9) was described for the first time
in the volcanic edifice of Los Cabecitos Negros de
Fortuna (Murcia). It is a volcanic lamproitic rock
Bellido Mulas, F. - Brändle Matesanz, J.L.
Figure 8, above. Light-coloured marly sediments
injected between the black pillow lavas of verite,
typical of submarine lava flows.

Figure 9, above, right. Outcrop of a circular dyke of

fortunite injected in non-consolidated marly
sediments. The dyke dips towards the interior of the
volcanic edifice.

Figure 10, right. Thin section photograph of a

fortunite (magnified 13.5 times, parallel nichols):
olivine and phlogopite phenocrysts in a chestnut-
coloured glass matrix. Fortuna (Murcia).

Figure 11, below. Conspicuous relief of lamproitic

(ultrapotassic) lava flows lying on Miocene limestones
and marls at the summit of the Cerro de Salmerón
(Moratalla, Murcia).

whose main mineral composition is orthopyroxene,

phlogopite, sanidine and some diopside (Figure 10).
The volcanic edifice of Cerro de Salmerón (Figure
11) or El Monagrillo (Moratalla, Murcia) is one of the
most typical exposures of ultrapotassic volcanism in
SE of Spain. It includes several units of a volcanic neck
(roots of the point of emission), lava flows, dykes and
breccias associated to its volcanic activity.
The datings show an age of 7.12 ± 0.07 million years.
The main mineralogy consists of olivine, phlogopite,
amphibole and sanidine (Figure 12), with abundant
apatite.
The volcanic edifice of El Cabezo Negro de Zeneta
(Murcia) is around 3 km southeast of Zeneta (Murcia),
on a lonely hill standing out in mid Tortonian (Miocene)
sediments. Its morphology is that of a volcanic neck
dome (Figure 13) intruded in Tortonian marls and
sandstones, and has a breccioid chimney in its centre.
The intrusion’s age is 8.08 ± 0.03 million years (post-
mid Tortonian). These are dark ultrapotassic rocks with
a porphiritic texture and phenocrysts of phlogopite,
biotite and olivine.
Finally, the volcanic edifice of Calasparra (Murcia)
can be seen at an old quarry near the junction of the
road C-3314, 1.5 km to the northwest of Calasparra.
It belongs to a small subaerial emission centre whose
crater has a volcanic neck with columnar jointing
(Figure 14). This geosite presents a magnificent
exposure of ultrapotassic volcanic rocks and their

ULTRAPOTASSIC NEOGENE VOLCANISM 143

Figure 12. Thin section photograph of the Figure 13. Morphology of the eastern end of the vol-
ultrapotassic vulcanite of Cerro de Salmerón canic dome of Cabezo Negro de Zeneta (Murcia).
(Moratalla) with olivine phenocryst and phlogopite
crystals in a sanidine and clinopyroxene matrix
(magnified 13.5 times, crossed nichols).

Figure 14. Columnar jointing in lamproites of the Figure 15. Thin section photograph of ultrapotassic
central dome of the Cerro Negro volcano, Calasparra lamproite from Calasparra: olivine phenocrysts and
(Murcia). phlogopite in a microcrystalline matrix (magnified 52
times and parallel nichols).

relations to the host sedimentary rocks of Tortonian

age (Miocene). It displays a certain affinity to the
jumillite, being its main mineralogical composition
olivine, clinopyroxene, phlogopite, sanidine and
alkali amphibole (Figure 15).

It is therefore possible to conclude that, thanks to its

global geodynamic, volcanologic and petrologic inter-
est, it is highly important to study, popularize and
protect these rocks, whose names are still used and
quoted in international scientific media. The extreme
rareness of these rocks in the international volcanologi-
cal record is the reason to promote their protection, as
it has already been done by the regional governments
of Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia in the case of the
Natural Monuments of the Volcanic Neck of Cancarix
and Celia Mines.

14 4 Bellido Mulas, F. - Brändle Matesanz, J.L.

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