IGCP Spanish National Committee
Prof. Dr. Marcos A. Lamolda (Chairman); Facultad de Ciencias-UPV; Apartado 644; E-48080 Bilbao; Spain
Tel. 34 946012608. Fax no. 34 9448500. E-mail: gpplapam@lg.ehu.es
Members: Dr. A. Barnolas and Dr. A. García-Cortés (Instituto Geológico y Minero de España-IGME); Dr. B. Andreo (448); Dr. M. García Fernández (455); Dr. P. P. Gil (434); Dr. A. Márquez (458); Prof. Dr. E. Martínez-García (440); Dr. C. Quesada (453); Dr. J. Saavedra (436); Prof. Dr. F. Vilas (464); Prof. Dr. C. Zazo (437).
Dr. P.P. Gil (project 434), Dr. J. Saavedra (project 436), Prof. Dr. C. Zazo (project 437), and Prof. Dr. E. Martínez (project 440), left the committee once their projects have finished on December 31th 2003.
2. IGCP projects in which Spanish Working Groups have participated
Project no. 436: 'Pacific Gondwana Margin'
Dr. Julio Saavedra; Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología, C.S.I.C.; Cordel de Merinas, 40-52; E-37071 Salamanca
Abstract
The main goal of the Spanish Group in this project (“Tectonic Evolution of the Pacific Gondwana Margin - Structure, Assembly and Break-up Events”, 1999-2003) has been concentrated on explore and correlate the geological development of the Gondwanan continental masses that now form the southern boundary of the Pacific Ocean (South America and other). Activities (objectives) were focused on investigating (1) the continental basement inherited from the margin of the supercontinent of Gondwana, (2) the age and provenance of the accretionary metasediments of that margin and their relationship to subduction-related magmatic arcs, etc. Projects 120, 249, 345 and 436 have all been well supported by an experienced community of investigators interested in the petrology and tectonics of southern South America and its neighbours in Gondwana. The final scientific meeting of the project was held in South America and specifically to Chile, a key country in the Pacific Gondwana Margin (10 Congreso Geológico Chileno, Concepción, Chile, 6-10 October 2003). In its four years IGCP Project 436 has done much to bring together researchers working throughout the countries of 'southern' Gondwana. Many new and valuable contacts have been made, and are continuing to be made, resulting in new collaborations between individuals (notably increased access of South American (and other countries) scientists to the ion-microprobe facilities in Australia, and the involvement of Australian scientists in South American activities). This interchange has been achieved largely through the aim of holding meetings in or as close as possible to all of the countries that once constituted the Pacific margin of Gondwana.
Project no. 437: 'Coastal Environmental Change during Sea-Level Highstands'
Dr. Caridad Zazo; Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, CSIC; c/ José Gutiérrez Abascal, 2; 28003 Madrid
Abstract
The Members of the Spanish Working Group (GTE) continue their scientific research related to driving factors in coastline evolution during highstands, as well as during intermediate phase of falling sea card. Consequently stadies are carried out on land and continental shelf; in both cases fundamentally based on sedimentary and biological records.
The improved use of new dating techniques (Uranium-series; Radiocarbon datings, luminiscence, etc) including archeological data, allows better accuracy in temporal scales and the possibility not only knowledge of sea level and climate changes during orbital cycles (long term) but also for brief oscillations (short term) that act according to cyclicity, at least on the scale of Hemisphere. The driving mechanism for these abrupt changes are also under research.
Natural Hazards such as tsumamis, storms, wind strenghs, arid events, etc are also included in the studies.
The 5th International IGCP Meeting which simultaneously was the Final IGCP 437 Meeting, was held in Italy (Otranto-Taranto, 22-28th, September) was attended by Spanish members of the GTE who presented several panels and papers.
GTE 437 home page
Project no. 448: ' World correlation on Karst Ecosystem'
Dr. Bartolomé Andreo; Depto. de Ecología y Geología; Facultad de Ciencias; Campus de Teatinos s/n; E-29071 Málaga
Abstract
The works done by the Spanish Group of the Project 448 (GTE 448) have continued during the year 2003 with the former research lines of previous years in several karstic ecosystems of Spain. As for karstic hydrogeology, a method has been developed for determining the average rate of recharge in carbonate aquifers and the hydrogeological characterization of this type of aquifers has been advanced from information registered in springs and wells. The groundwater resources protection is an important objective of the Project 448, which has been carried out by means making vulnerability maps to the contamination in several spanish carbonate aquifers. With regard to karstic modelling has been worked in exokarstic features (specially karren) and endokarstic forms (cavities).
GTE 448 home page
Project no. 458: 'Triassic/Jurassic Boundary Events'
Dr. Ana Márquez; Depto. de Geología; Facultad de Biología; c/ Dr. Molines, 50; E-46100 Burjasot
Abstract
Main field works have been made in the Iberian Range, Betic Cordillera, Coastal Catalan Ranges and Basque-Cantabrian Region. The study of conodont biodiversity present troubles because of no taphonomic and paleobiologic control on their assemblages. Once those characteristic are well know, they will allow to imporve the evolution of genus Pseudofumishius and related forms, especially when a fine biostratigraphy is established. A review on several Triassic bivalve taxa is ongoing, focused on extinction and recovery of those taxa in both Permian/Triassic and Triassic/Jurassic boundaries. In other to achieve it, microstructural and mineralogical characteristic of its shells are been studied. The SWG-IGCP 458 has been integrated within the IGCP 467 “Triassic Time” 2002-2006 headed by Dr. M. Orchard (Geological Survey of Canada), who is the present Chairman of the Subcommission on Triassic Stratigraphy (STS), and according with him.
Project no. 464: 'Continental Shelves during the Last Glacial Cycle: Knowledge and Applications' (Dr. Federico Vilas)
Prof. Federico Vilas; Depto. de Geociencias Marinas; Facultad de Ciencias; Apartado 874; E-36200 Vigo
Abstract
The project will focus on continental shelves during the last glacial cycle and will carry out comparisons around the world and establish workshops. The project will also address understanding of the geometry and palaeogeography of shelves, of palaeoclimate investigation of the imprint of higher frequency climatic events on continental shelves; application of seismic methods to identify the palaeomorphology of shelf deposits and the testing of sequence stratigraphic methods/models from ancient materials to younger sediments. Data acquisition by surveying and mapping will result in a ‘world map’ of the extent and character of continental shelf sediments (particularly at 20 ka BP).
A synthesis of the results will be published during all the project, which will provide: (1) an understanding of the various styles of relict and modern continental shelf, (2) an estimate of the carbon budgets and storage of carbon at the Last Glacial Maximum that will be compared to modern shelves, and (3) an aid in economic and resource development of coastal zones. Among the societal benefits are: training of participants from less developed countries; studies of the resource assessment and genesis of shallow marine placer deposits and sand.
GTE 464 home page
3. National Committee activities
The Spanish National Committee (SNC) had a meeting during 2003. This regular meeting was held at Madrid on July 10th, Spanish National Commission UNESCO headquarters with Prof. M. Lamolda in the chair. This meeting was attended by 9 participants, who were welcome by the General Secretary of the Comisión Nacional Española de Cooperación con la UNESCO, Excmo. Sr. D. Tomás Solís Gragera. The Secretary General presented to this committee (SNC, IGCP) the critical situation of the Comisión Española UNESCO, especially the huge dificulties in respect to finance its activities.
The committee reviewed the projects newly adopted by the IGCP Scientific Board during its last session in early February 2003. No new proposal has been presented to constitute other Spanish Working Groups. This year there are a total of 10 working group, but only 5 are active, according to reports received by this chairmanship. At the end of the year, 4 SWG left the committee once their projects are finishing in 2003. This is one of the lower participation of Spanish scientific in the IGCP since its constitution in 1975.
The Chairman on behalf of the SNC IGCP has send letters of support for three proposals of new projects, to be presented during the next IGCP Scientific Board meeting, one of them presented by Spaniard researchers. All three are very interesting to our country.
Sponshorship of meeting has been dramatically reduced as no finance has been available this year to those activities, actually none activity except the annual meeting of this committee, has got fund.
The International conference on Bioevents: their stratigraphical records, patterns and causes, held on June 3rd to 8th at Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia, had the support, without funds, of this committee, as several working groups presented their contributions. The conference was granted by the Municipal Council of Caravaca and the Murcia Regional Government, and had the scientific support of both the International Palaeontological Association and the Sociedad española de Paleontología. The chairman of this committee was the Chairman of the Scientific Committe of the conference.
The week-long meeting involved aural presentations, posters and field trips. Approximately 150 participants attended this very successful international conference. The meeting started with a pre-conference field excursion to the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary section at Agost, where participants were able to sample this classic KT boundary section, and to the Hauterivian-Barremian section in Rio Argos, close to Caravaca. Formal sections commenced with an introductory talk by the President of the IPA, Professor R.J. Aldridge, who used the early Silurian Ireviken Event as an example to illustrate current thinking on bioevents and their documentation. Twenty invited talks were presented over the three days of formal presentations, ranging in stratigraphic coverage from the Cambrian of Spain, through the late Ordovician Hirnantian glaciation and the terminal Ordovician graptolite extinctions, right up to the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo as a possible model for the KT boundary mass extinction. In between, papers on Devonian, Middle and terminal Permian and the KT boundary mass extinctions were presented as well as the Palaeocene-Eocene thermal maximum. Inevitably the KT boundary included the most contributions, including a masterly summary by Jan Smit of the significance of the Barranco de la Gredero KT boundary section at Caravaca. In addition, detailed analyses were presented on Chicxulub and its ejecta by Philipe Claeys, and sedimentary mechanisms associated with the Chicxulub impact by José Grajales. Finally, Marshall provided a general review of stable isotopes and what they reveal about past oceans, while Rampino summarized current thinking on impacts and their relationship with geological boundaries and mass extinctions. Simultaneous translations were from Spanish to English and vice versa were available for all invited aural contributions which greatly enhanced their value.
Over 70 poster presentations made up the bulk of the scientific contributions to the conference and adequate time was available to review them. An especially useful aspect was the provision of a timetable for authors of posters to be available to discuss their contributions with other participants. Topics were too diverse to detail here and were truly global in their coverage. Two special publications are planned from the conference contributions. Papers of international interest will appear in a special volume of the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. Those of particular relevance to the Iberian Peninsula will appear in a special issue of the Journal of Iberian Geology.
The formal sessions were scheduled around a second field excursion to the KT and Palaeocene-Eocene boundary sections in the Barranco de la Gredero at Caravaca. Again participants were able to photograph, discuss and sample these classic sections.
The Spanish Working Group of IGCP project no. 448 held its annual meeting at Huesca, July 18 to 19, with contributions of participants and a geological visit to the Sierra de Guara, where were seen several karstic springs. Con tribution should be published in no. 2 of the Boletín Geológico y Minero, in 2004.
The SWG of IGCP project no. 458 was an active participant in the international conference Bioevents Caravaca 2003 (see above). This group had its annual meeting during the XIX Jornadas de Paleontologia (regular meeting of the Spanish Palaeontological Society), held at Morella (Castellón). Three contributions were presented about topics of IGCP projects 458 and 467 "Triassic Time".
The SWG of IGCP project no. 464 had its annual meeting during the 4th Simposio sobre el Margen Continental Ibérico Atlántico, held at Vigo (Ponntevedra) on July 9th, 2003.
During the period January-December 2003, Comisión Nacional Española de Cooperación con la UNESCO funded this SNC with an amount of 900 euro (4600 in 2002, and 15000 in 2001), to provide assistence for Spanish participation in the IGCP. It was spent in support of the Spanish National Committee meeting at Madrid.
This year has not been possible to publish the "Boletín Informativo", the official booklet of this committee, which has been published during 26 years, because of no financement to do that. The Comision Nacional Española de Cooperación con la UNESCO made three proposals to finance other activities of SWG - projects 448 and 458 and 464, but no news about fund aproval by the Ministry of Foreing Affaires. The National Commission on Geology contribution in the year is 2313.90 euro, not yet credit.
Unfortunately, the bad foreseen situation of this committee announced in the last year report is a fact. All foreseen SWG meetings for 2004 have no official financial support, participants will provide by themselves from their own funded research projects.
4. Forthcoming events available in connection with the Programme
* Annual Meeting of the Spanish Working Group, project nº 448, and Field-trip to the Karst System in the Cantabrian Mountains, Oviedo May 2004
* Annual Meeting and Symposium of the Spanish Working Group, projects nº 458 and 467 during the XX Jornadas de Paleontología (Spanish Paleontological Society). Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) October 2004.
* Annual Meeting and Symposium of the Spanish Working Group, project nº 464 during the 6th Congreso Geológico de España, Zaragoza July 12nd - 15th 2004.
Spanish National Committee
* Annual Meeting. Madrid, Spring 2004