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El proyecto Geosites, en desarrollo por el grupo de trabajo Global Geosites de la IUGS y patrocinado también por la UNESCO, persigue la elaboración de un inventario global del patrimonio geológico de la Tierra. Este inventario global requiere una metodología sistemática, basada en la selección en cada país de sus contextos geológicos de trascendencia internacional. Estos contextos geológicos o frameworks consisten en eventos temáticos, o en elementos cronológicos o geotectónicos regionales. El segundo paso en esta metodología es la selección de los lugares más valiosos y representativos de estos contextos geológicos, denominados geosites (geotopos o lugares de interés geológico). Afortunadamente la diversidad geológica española suministra un gran número de contextos geológicos con relevancia internacional; además la buena calidad de los afloramientos (debida a causas climáticas y topográficas) permitirá la selección de geotopos ilustrativos. En esta comunicación se presenta un listado de los contextos geológicos españoles elaborado por consenso. Se ha preparado siguiendo la metodología del Proyecto Geosites sin tener en cuenta el Inventario Nacional de Puntos de Interés Geológico que está en ejecución y cubre alrededor del 40% del territorio español. El IGME preparó una lista preliminar que fue enviada a todos los departamentos universitarios de Ciencias Geológicas, Minas y centros públicos de investigación, para su análisis, discusión y mejora. Como resultado de esta encuesta se han seleccionado 20 frameworks o contextos geológicos que constituyen la primera aportación española al proyecto Geosites., The Geosites project, initiated by the IUGS Global Geosites Working Group and also supported by UNESCO, aims to produce a global inventory of the Earth’s geological heritage. This global inventory requires a systematic methodology, which is based on the selection of geological frameworks with international significance, in every country. These frameworks are topic events, time or regional geotectonic elements, etc. The second step of this methodology is the selection of the most valuable and representative sites of these geological frameworks (geosites). Fortunately, the geological diversity of Spain provides a great number of frameworks with global significance; in addition, the high quality of outcrops (due to topographic and climatic reasons) will allow the selection of illustrative geosites. In this paper a list of Spanish geological frameworks set by consensus is presented. It was prepared following the Geosites Project methodology without taking into account the National Inventory of Geosites, which is in progress and covers a 40% of the Spanish territory. The IGME (Geological Survey of Spain) composed a preliminarg list, which was sent to all the University Departaments of Geology, Mining Schools and Research Centers, for its analysis, discussion and improvement. The result of this request was the selection of 20 “frameworks”, which is the first Spanish contribution to the Geosites Project., Depto. de Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Fac. de Ciencias Geológicas, TRUE, pub

[EN] The Sierra de Tendeñera is a mountain located in the Western Pyrenees, in the province of Huesca (Northern Spain). The maximum altitude is Pico Tendeñera, with 2845 m a.s.l., while the snow line is around 2600 m a.s.l. Both the landscape and a well-developed network of deep karst conduits are conditioned by the structural arrangement of a carbonate sequence with almost vertical strata, modeled by glacial and karst processes. The highland landscape is characterized by numerous closed depressions that connect with an extensive subvertical network of karst conduits. During the winter, the accumulation of snow in the high parts implies the filling of sinkholes and potholes by snow and ice, which can remain until the end of August, which has some hydrogeological implications. First, snow and ice at the bottom of sinkholes and at the entrance to potholes and caves act as a secondary reservoir of water in a suspended frozen aquifer. This implies that the base flow during the summer is higher than it would be in the absence of snow, and the minimum discharge is reached in October instead of the end of August. Second, the hydrochemistry of the water discharged from the springs has a very low content of dissolved chemicals and an unusually low electrical conductivity in karst aquifers.

[EN] The present contribution compares the geomorphological characteristics of dolines developed in three different geological contexts in southern Spain: an evaporite tectonic melánge, a bare-carbonate massif, and an outcrop of inter-stratified sedimentary gypsum sequence. In the three cases, the closed depressions have been identified and mapped using digital elevation models with a spatial resolution of 5 m, and the results were validated in the field. To reveal similitudes and differences due to distinctive geological and climatological settings between the three sites, morphometric and spatial analyses were applied to the threes sites: size-distributions, relationships between area and depth, preferential directions, and point field analysis, among others. The results show apparent differences between the carbonate and the two evaporitic settings. Carbonate outcrop displays larger dolines, implying a lower doline density, while the density of depressions rises in the evaporite sites. The results also show a dominant ENE-WSW alignment of dolines in two areas, in agreement with the main fault families of the Betic Cordillera, which evidences the tectonic influence on the karst development. However, in the gypsum karst, other directions appear related to the surficial drainage network connected to dolines. Finally, in the tectonic melange, the uneven distribution of lithologies affects karstification distribution. Geological differences (both lithology and structure) imply changes in solubility and karstification dynamics that, together with other factors such as the climatic conditions and the exposure time, affect the genesis of the depression and, ultimately, its size and shape. All that combined explains the differences in morphometric parameters and spatial.

[EN] The Serrezuela de Carratraca Massif is a small carbonate massif located in the South of Spain. It corresponds to an outcrop of a geological unit formed by Triassic dolomitic marbles and limestones, belonging to the Alpujárride Complex of the Betic Cordillera. The surface of this karstic massif lacks well-developed exokarstic features, however, there are several known caves, with significant dimensions, as well as a spring with relatively high flow rates. Ardales Cave (1522 m of horizontal development) is a maze-type cave, with a great amount of cupolas inside, in the walls and ceilings. It is situated above the water table, without current hydrological activity. Sima Gorda (121 m of vertical development) is a rising shaft type cave, that reaches the actual water table and that contains different gases in its underground atmosphere (H2S, CO2, and methane). The main spring, located near Sima Gorda, is the Baños de Carratraca spring (Carratraca Baths), a well-known sulphurous spring used for centuries as a spa. These characteristics, as well as the presence of large amounts of pyrite transformed into iron oxy-hydroxides (limonite) in the Triassic marbles, suggest the possible common origin of all of these phenomena, linked to a deep regional groundwater flow. The Serrezuela Massif is a region of deep vertical water discharge that conditioned the hypogenic speleogenesis of the caves in the massif, induced by the mix of deep water and local recharge water. The presence of recent travertines near the spring suggest that the processes of dissolution–precipitation are still active.

[EN] This book covers advances in the field of karst from a variety of perspectives to facilitate knowledge and promote interaction between disciplines. New methods are addressed that advance data collection, analysis, and interpretation in a wide range of karst contexts. Case studies are presented to provide examples of advancing science. Issues addressed include karst hydrogeology (water resources assessment, groundwater pollution and protection), methods to study karst aquifers (based on hydrodynamic, hydrochemistry, isotopes, dye tracing, geophysical surveys, and modeling techniques), karst geomorphology and landscape, mining and engineering in karst media (tunnels, dams, etc.), and karst cavities (touristic caves, natural heritage). This book is a resource for scientists around the world to compare problems, results, and solutions. Likewise, the examples included are used in policy decision making in karst regions. Finally, the contributions are used as a tool for university teaching.

[EN] Anthropogenic activities in urban, agrarian, or industrial areas are the main cause of heavy metals in sediments worldwide. Since the 1960s, there have been submarine discharges through outfalls of poorly treated or untreated wastewater on the south coast of Mallorca island (Mediterranean Sea). In this study, the pollution of marine sediments is analyzed at a great number of points on the south of the seacoast. Heavy metal concentrations of As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, V, and Zn, total inorganic carbon (TIC), sulfur, mineralogy, and grain size were analyzed. The objective is to evaluate the concentrations of toxic substances and their spatial distribution and ranges that can negatively affect marine ecosystems and human health. In addition, the results obtained have been compared with standardized indices for marine sediments, and a regional index has been developed with the background values of heavy metals obtained in the sediments of the study area. To obtain consistent conclusions, concentrations of heavy metals were classified with the Igeo Index. The concentrations of heavy metals obtained show that a great number of samples exceeded the limits considered for uncontaminated sediments according to the index applied. Elements such as Hg, Ba, Pb, and Cu showed high concentrations close to the outfalls and lower concentrations in zones far from these points. To support the assessment, chemical processes such as dissolution or chemical precipitation have been studied. The results also show that marine sediments can be a good trap for chemical elements and a good proxy to analyze the impact of anthropogenic activities in areas heavily pressured by humans, and the risk to the environment and human health.

La Cueva de Ardales es la más importante de las cavidades kársticas presentes en la serrezuela de Carratraca, un pequeño macizo carbonático de algo más de dos km2 de extensión superficial, localizado entre las localidades de Ardales y Carratraca, en la provincia de Málaga.1). Este pequeño macizo está drenado fundamentalmente por una surgencia de aguas sulfurosas, utilizadas desde hace siglos como balneario, los baños de Carratraca, cuyas aguas presentan cierto carácter termal, además de una composición química singular, diferente a las aguas habituales en los acuíferos carbonáticos alpujárrides.

[EN] The study of two groups of lakes or lagoons of karstic origin in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula is presented. They are two of the most interesting protected natural spaces of karstic nature in Spanish territory: The Ruidera Lakes Natural Park, located between the provinces of Ciudad Real and Albacete; and the Natural Monument of the Lagoons of Cañada del Hoyo, located in Cuenca province. Both present very interesting geomorphological evolutions and hydrogeological functionings. The research analyzes the anthropic influence on the natural functioning of the lakes/lagoons with the objective of recovering the Natural Area conditions prior to the anthropogenic impact, thus returning the hydrological systems to a morphological and functional state as close as possible to their original state.

[EN] It’s almost unknown that Nature Based Solutions for Water Management through Water Sowing and Harvesting techniques (WS&H) have been applied in southern Spain for more than one thousand years. Surface runoff from snowmelt and rainfall is guided and infiltrated (sowing) in the subsoil to be collected harvested) sometime later. Previous research conducted by some members of the Hidrogeología Ambiental y Cambio Global (HYGLO-Lab) research group, demonstrated that such WS&H techniques have been applied in the southern slopes of Sierra Nevada, and they are still in use.

[EN] The current Global Warming of planet Earth is probably the most important geological phenomenon in the last 20,000 years of its history and for human race. This process is having nowadays notable effects on the climate, ecosystems and natural resources. Possibly the most important renewable geological resource is water. One of the most strategic phases of the water cycle is groundwater. Despite its low visibility, quantitatively (and qualitatively too) it is essential for life on Planet Earth. Foreseeable consequences on groundwater due to climate change and sea level rise will be very significant. Hydrogeology can provide answers to many of the questions that are beginning to be raised in relation to these impacts and their effects. Environmental hydrogeology is a way of understanding the set of disciplines mixed in Hydrogeology as a Science of Nature. The HYGLO-Lab Research Group of the IGME-CSIC National Center attempts, through its lines of research, with a double global and local component, to provide answers to some of these questions.

[EN] High relief karst systems with a well-developed network of karst conduits (caves and supercaves) along the vertical (Z-supercaves) are geological structures that have an important value by a number of reasons (water resources, geodiversity, biodiversity, planetary geology, among others) and that require a special methodology of research. One relevant line of work of the research group Environmental Hydrogeology and Global Change (HYGLO-Lab) focuses on developing novel tools to facilitate hydrogeological and geomorphological research of high relief karst massifs.

[EN] The acequias de careo are ancestral water channels excavated during the early Al-Andalus period (8th-10th centuries), which are used to recharge aquifers in the watersheds of the Sierra Nevada mountain range (Southeastern Spain). The water channels are maintained by local communities, and their main function is collecting snowmelt, but also runoff from rainfall from the headwaters of river basins and distributing it throughout the upper parts of the slopes. This method of aquifer artificial recharge extends the availability of water resources in the lowlands of the river basins during the dry season when there is almost no precipitation and water demand is higher. This study investigates the contribution of the careo channels in the watershed of Bérchules concerning the total aquifer recharge during the 2014-2015 hydrological year. Several channels were gauged, and the runoff data were compared with those obtained from a semi-distributed hydrological model applied to the same hydrological basin. The natural infiltration of meteoric waters accounted for 52% of the total recharge, while the remaining 48% corresponded to water transported and infiltrated by the careo channels. In other words, the careo recharge system enhances by 92% the natural recharge to the aquifer. Our results demonstrate the importance of this ancestral and efficient channel system for recharging slope aquifers developed in hard rocks. The acequias de careo are nature-based solutions for increasing water resources availability that have contributed to a prosperous life in the Sierra Nevada. Its long history (>1200 years) suggests that the system has remarkable resilience properties, which have allowed adaptation and permance for centuries in drastically changing climatic and socioeconomic conditions. This recharge system could also be applied to -or inspire similar adaptation measures in- semi-arid mountain areas around the world where it may help in mitigating climate change effects.

El Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) presenta este miércoles, 28 de junio, en su sede central en Madrid, los informes Ciencia para las Políticas Públicas (Science For Policy). Elaborados por equipos de investigadores del CSIC, tienen el objetivo de servir de puente entre los centros de investigación y los decisores políticos para contribuir a la definición de políticas públicas basadas en la evidencia científica.

Esta publicación es una contribución de la Red de Investigación “Siembra y Cosecha del Agua en Áreas Naturales Protegidas” del Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarrollo.

Water sowing and harvesting (WS&H) consists of a series of ancestral procedures by which humans collect and infiltrate (sow) rainwater and runoff underground, so as to recover (harvest) it downgradient at some later time. This management of the water has made it possible for various regions of Ibero-America that is, Latin America plus the Iberian Peninsula to overcome dramatic cultural and climatic changes over the centuries. The principles governing WS&H coincide with those pursued under the present paradigm of Integrated Water Resource Management. Moreover, WS&H implies a better use of water and enhanced conservation of the environment and patrimony, as well as recognition of rural communities as vital custodians of the land and of its relevant cultural aspects. The main WS&H systems that serve Ibero-American countries are described here, emphasizing the principles underlying this means of water management as exemplary of hydrogeoethical systems.

La publicación recoger de forma resumida el conocimiento que se tiene actualmente de los efectos nocivos que los incendios forestales causan a las aguas subterráneas. es fruto de los estudios e investigaciones llevado a a cabo por el IGME a través del Departamento de Investigación en Recursos Geológicos y su Área de Hidrogeología General y Calidad del Agua. La publicación se organiza en 7 capítulos que analizan y recorren distintos aspectos implicados en esta temática.

La actividad geológica de Marte parece haberse detenido en un pasado remoto de hace miles de millones de años, de modo que Marte se puede considerar como un planeta fósil. Pero esto no significa que su geología sea simple y aburrida, sino todo lo contrario: sin océanos ni vegetación, la geología de Marte se muestra en todo su esplendor, además de estar llena de enigmas fascinantes y misterios científicos, muchos de ellos todavía no resueltos. ¿Es Marte un planeta de una única placa tectónica?, ¿por que son tan gigantescos sus volcanes?, ¿hubo alguna vez un océano?, ¿tiene actividad sísmica? Y, por supuesto, la pregunta fundamental: ¿hubo vida en Marte?, o mas excitante aun, ¿hay vida en la actualidad? Estructurado en 61 breves capítulos que pueden leerse en cualquier orden, este libro permitirá a los apasionados por la ciencia y la aventura espacial realizar un recorrido aleatorio por este planeta singular.

Water sowing and harvesting (WS&H) consists of a series of ancestral procedures by which humans collect and infiltrate (sow) rainwater and runoff underground, so as to recover (harvest) it downgradient at some later time. This management of the water has made it possible for various regions of Ibero-America that is, Latin America plus the Iberian Peninsula to overcome dramatic cultural and climatic changes over the centuries. The principles governing WS&H coincide with those pursued under the present paradigm of Integrated Water Resource Management. Moreover, WS&H implies a better use of water and enhanced conservation of the environment and patrimony, as well as recognition of rural communities as vital custodians of the land and of its relevant cultural aspects. The main WS&H systems that serve Ibero-American countries are described here, emphasizing the principles underlying this means of water management as exemplary of hydrogeoethical systems.

This study aimed to evaluate the presence of ultraviolet filters (UV-Fs), benzotriazoles, pyrethroids and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in freshwater and wastewater from the northern Antarctic Peninsula region. All water samples analyzed contained UV-Fs residues and high concentrations were detected in anthropogenic impacted sites (< LOD up to 1300 ng/L). Likewise, benzotriazoles were detected in all water samples (< LOQ–920 ng/L). Regarding suspended particulate matter, almost all UV-Fs and all benzotriazoles were measured at concentrations ranging from < LOQ to 33 µg/g dry weight. Pyrethroids were also detected (< LOQ–250 ng/L) and their presence implies the existence of a gateway to the Antarctica Peninsula from other regions. The data confirmed the presence of PFASs (< LOD–7500 ng/L) in this area, in agreement with previous studies. In light of these results, extended monitoring in Antarctica should be carried out to perform a reliable environmental risk assessment leading to propose recommendations to minimize the anthropic impact.