Portugal and Spain

Iberian Peninsula

Session 3

Senior University Winter 2011

Vagabonds tramping geologyin Iberia, France, UK, & Germany Don Beaumont, Sandi Phillips, & Rocky Romero

Geology in the NewsFirst: Alaskan Arctic Ocean

The past is never dead. It’s not even past William Faulkner

Geology in the News

Royal Dutch Shell cancels 2011 Arctic Ocean drilling due to slow government approval of permits

Greenland

Alaska

Canada

Alaska

Canada

Siberia

Shell drilling delayed

Next: Quebec and Asbestos Mining

Canadian asbestos company hopesto resume mining in Quebec to supply demand in third world countries.

Geology in the News

Geology of Serpentine

Next: Southern Sudan, a new nation

South Sudan (non Islamic) votes to become anindependent: what happens to their oil reserves?

Friday Feb. 11

Next: More early humans to Polynesia

Early human migration to Polynesia now thought to be 6,000 years earlier than 4,000 years ago: i.e. during low sea level due to last continental glacier

The latest on 3 million year old Lucy

New data on the earthquake in Chile

Chilean earthquake produced by sudden 25 feet of plate movement; normal annual movement = 3 inches.

Modeling suggests another major quake since earth stress not completely released

Friday Feb. 11Gold mining beginning again in old, long abandoned USA mining areas

Old Mines Reopen in a Revival of California’s Gold Rush; NYT online 2-10-11By JESSE McKINLEYPublished: February 10, 2011

Gold price, $1300/oz. supports reopening old gold mines in many abandoned gold mining areas including California and Nevada.

Gold is a mineral that is deposited when hot hydrothermal solutions cool as they move upward through the continental crust. These deposits are:

1. gold “flecks to nuggets” often in quartz veins or2. gold “flecks” disseminated in a host rock, often limestone

When gold impregnated rocks weather and erode the heavy gold often accumulates in stream beds (placers) and even in ocean beaches & bars,

Consequently, gold is mined in:1. underground tunnels and shafts (gold veins)2. open pit mines (disseminated gold flecks)3. stream panning and dredging

Finally, back to Iberia and France

The creation of today’s landscape in Iberia: beginning 5 to 3 mmybp

North Africa collides withEurope 5 to 3 million years ago

Mediterranean Sea divided into two large “salt lakes”Iberia crushed between France and Morocco

The creation of today’s landscape in Iberia: beginning 5 to 3 mmybp

How did the crushing affect Iberia?

The Crushing (folding) of Iberia

North Africa

France

The corrugation of Iberia

And a little more of what we’ve covered

Rivers concentrate erosional debris in the oceans at their deltasThe Big Rivers create Geosynclines in the oceans at their deltas

What is the thickness of a Geosyncline?

Let’s look at the Mississippi River Geosyncline

A little of what we’ve covered

Example of a Geosyncline:Gulf of Mexico

1. Integration of the debris of several rivers

Modern Sediment

Accumulations

Swamp Muds

Shallow water Sands

Deep water Muds

2. Accumulation of thick layers of debris

New Orleans

Gulf of Mexico Geosyncline (debris)

Sun City

Austin

Debris Loading of the Continental MarginDebris Loading of the Continental Margin

Gulf ofGulf of

MexicoMexico

12 miles thick!

Now let’s apply that to the Iberian Gulf of Valencia

Ebro River drainage area

Douro River drainage area

Tagus River drainage area

Mass Transfer by the Rivers of Iberia

Guadalquivir Riverdrainage area

Guadiana Riverdrainage area

Debris split to the open Atlantic

Moving debris from the center of Iberia to the Med & Atlantic

Results: center rises, west and east margins sink! Warping Iberia.

Gulf of Valenciageosyncline

Gulf of Cadizgeosyncline

Mass Transfer Central continent being moved to the sea

Gulf of Valencia Geosyncline

The burial of the yellow rock Time 1: Gulf of Valencia now

Spain

The burial of the yellow rock Time 2: Future time

The burial of the yellow rock Time 3: Future-future time

The Yellow Rock in Time 3 has been squeezed, heated, & partially melted What will happen next?The Appalachian Model

Mediterranean Sea

Met

amor

phic

and

Igne

ous

Mou

ntai

ns

East

Dip

ping

San

dsto

nes

and

Shal

es

Limes

tone

s

Fold

ed S

ands

tone

and

Sha

le M

ount

ains

The Appalachian Geosynclinal Model The Fate of Thick Debris in the Sea along Continental Margins

Debris of the Appalachia geosynclineturned into the Appalachian MountainsHere’s how mountain building works

Rocks at the surface today

The Appalachian geosyncline has been welded back into the North American continent

Mountain BuildingMountain BuildingAppalachian ExampleAppalachian Example

Mountains welded onto continent

Today’s Gulf of Valencia Geosyncline

Limestones Sandstones Sandstones andShales Shales

VirginiaPennsylvaniaOhioIllinois

Appalachian Geosyncline 250 million years ago

Crushed MeltedRocks = Mountains

Pennsylvania Virginia

Back to the Gulf of Valencia Geosyncline

Onshore Spain

Spanish Continental Shelf

Gulf of ValenciaGeosyncline

Ebro RiverDelta

Futu

re V

alen

cia

Mou

ntai

ns

Bay of Valencia: Google Earth

How are geosynclines made into mountains?We’ll talk about those geological processes in another session

Now let’s look at the geology ofsome of the provinces of Iberia

Cantabrian Trough

Cantabrian Trough

Cantabrian Trough

60 million year old ,mountains made in 150 million year geosyncline

Contains the largest Iron and Coal deposits of Iberia

How does this relate to theNatural Resources of Iberia?

Cantabrian Trough

Natural Resources Map: Iberia

Mineral Resources Iberia

Minerals for the Bronze Age

Iron for the early Iron Age

Coal for the later Iron Age

Cantabrian Trough

Cantabrian Trough

Two periods of mountain building affecting two geosynclines:one geosyncline with mountains about 200 million years oldsecond geosynclinal mountains about 50 million years old

Next: the Iberian Massif

Cantabrian Trough

Iberian Massif

Mountains of Appalachian age 200 million years old forming the core of Iberia

Younger rocks deposited on theIberian Massif

Iberian MassifFoundation core of Iberia

Youngest rocks being deposited now

Now: Map of Appalachian age mountain building

Shaded areas are “mountain” rocks exposed at the surface

Appalachian Age Mountain Building

Iberian Massif

Metallic ores associated with the Iberian Massif mountains

Mineral Resources Iberia

Minerals for the Bronze Age

Iron for the early Iron Age

Coal for the later Iron Age

Iberian Massif

Iberian Massive hasthe Copper & Tin for the Bronze Age

A quick look at pre-written history of Iberia

Pre-written history Time Line, Iberia

Next, the Advent of Humans Chart

HomoerectusHomo

Antecessor/mauritanicus

Homoergaster

The Current Geological RecordAdvent of Humans: last 2 million years

Next, focus on the last 80,000 years

Homorhodesiensis

Homoneanderthalensis

Homo sapiens

PleistoceneIce Ages

h Erectusarrives in IberiaNeanderthals & sapiens

arrives in Iberia

Uniquely human characteristics?1. Reason

2. Conscience (right & wrong)3. Adapt to any climate

Time of WrittenWorld History

Now, a look at the human migration route

Last ice ageHomo sapiens in Spain

Rift ValleysLocation of earliest human fossils

Nile River

Migration of Hominids & Humans out of Africa

The Stone Age: 10,000 to 3,000 BC

Iberia in 5,000 years of World History