Portugal and Spain

Iberian Peninsula

Sessions 1 and 2

Civilization exists by geologic consent, subject to change without notice. Will Durant

University of Texas, Life Long Learning SAGE: Winter 2011

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

Portugal and Spain

Iberian Peninsula

Sessions 1 and 2

Civilization exists by geologic consent, subject to change without notice. Will Durant

Senior University Georgetown Winter 2011

Vagabonds tramping geology Don Beaumont, Sandi Phillips, & Rocky Romero

Senior University Travels

GEOLOGY WITH DON BEAUMONT Thursday, March 10, 2011

8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Tracing the 65 million year old Balcones Fault and 100 million year old Edwards Limestone Aquifer from Georgetown to Austin,Texas

Join us as we follow the Balcones Fault and Edwards Aquifer from the Georgetown Airport where the fault begins and shallow water wells can be drilled to the Edwards limestone. Then we visit the Buie Ranch where we learn how unpredictable drilling for water can be. At nearby Berry Springs Park we will explore one of five major

Edwards springs that attracted early settlers to the Georgetown area. Driving south on IH-35 we will learn why Inner Space Cavern and the Texas Crushed Stone

Quarry are located here and what caused the prominent ridge on which LaFrontera shopping mall is built. Driving down Route 1 we will follow the fault to its greatest

vertical displacement at Mount Bonnell. Then it is lunch at the Oasis Restaurant on the upthrown side of the fault followed by a river cruise viewing the river gorge

landscape created by the fault.

$78 per person I ncludes motor coach, lunch, boat, ref reshments, all gratuities,

Hosted by Babs Cape Class has priority for reservations through February 4;

Open to membership February 5 EMAI L: admin@senior-u.org checks to POB 488, 78627

Geology in the News

Humans left Africa earlier than once thought Austin American Statesman, January 28, 2011

125,000 years ago to eastern Arabia rather than 100,000 years ago into Palestine

Suggests new route directly from East Africa to Arabia rather thanup the Nile River and then through the Sinai.

It might have been like this

Now to BP and Arctic Russia

BP to spend billions exploring for oil & gas in the Kara Sea of Arctic Russia

Kara Sea

North Sea

Now to Western Europe and Iberia

Countries of Western Europe

Iberia

Topographic Provinces

Topographic ProvincesMountains, Plateaus, and River Low Lands

Geologic Map of Western Europe

Colors relate provinces of the same age

Geologic MapColors show rocks of different:

1. ages2. types

What are the earth’s rock types?

http://certmapper.cr.usgs.gov/data/envision/index.html?widgets=geologymaps&mapservice=geology_europe&xmin=-35.79&xmax=55.75&ymin=27.96&ymax=74.57

Three Types of Rocks make up the Earth’s Crust 1. Sedimentary Rocks

2. Metamorphic Rocks3. Igneous Rocks

Portugal and Spain have all three rock types in a very complex pattern

Let’s look at sedimentary rocks

Rocks: Types & Cycles

Sedimentary Rocks

Burial: heatpressure

Common Sedimentary Rock Types

Sediments

Common Sedimentary Rock Types

Limestones = sea shells & shell debris

Sandstones = sand

Shales = clay (mud)

Next: Metamorphic Rocks

Most sedimentary rocks are formed: 1. in the oceans 2. at the edge of the continents

Rocks: Classes & Cycles

Sediments to Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary Rocks to Metamorphic Rocks

Partial Melting

Common Metamorphic Rocks

Common Metamorphic Rocks

Limestone: partially melted = marblemarble

Sandstone: partially melted = quartzitequartzite

Shale: partial melting = = slateslate

Shale & Sand partial melting = schist = gneissschist = gneiss

Finally, igneous rocks

Rocks: Classes & Cycles

Sedimentary Rocks to Metamorphic Rocks

Metamorphic Rocks to Igneous Rocks

At the surface molten Lava

At depth molten MagmasComplete

Melting

Igneous Activity

Volcanic: At or near the surface of the earth

Plutonic: Well below the surface of the earth (visible by deep erosion)

Now, at quick look at volcanic igneous rocks

From meltedoceanic crustor shales

Igneous Rocks Volcanoes

Dark color HeavyNo “grains”

Light colorMedium weight No “grains”

From melted continental Crust or sandstone & shale

Basalt Rhyolite

Next: the Plutonic Igneous rocks

Plutonic (deeply buried) Igneous Rocks

Mantle rockOriginal rock below the earth’s crust

Original Continental Crust or melted sandstone & shale

GabbroGranite

Putting it all together; our solid earth

The Earth’sRocky Crust

ContinentalGranite: 20 to50 miles thick

OceanicBasalt5 miles thick

The Solid Earth The Rocky Igneous Crust

5 to 50 miles thick

The Solid EarthContinentalGranite

OceanicBasalt

The Mantle

Composed of rock called gabbro

Where are sedimentary rocks created?

Continent beingDestroyed byWeathering &Erosion

Rivers move the Continental Debris to the Continental MarginsWhere it is accumulates as layers of sediments

Sediments (sands, muds, & shells) are buried and squeezed into Sedimentary Rocks

Sedimentary RocksWhere are they formed?

Modern sediments of Iberia

Where & how are sedimentary rocks converted to metamorphic rocks?

Modern sediments of Iberia

Rivers carry erosional debris to the ocean at the continental margins

Ocean

But first a word about the earth’s crustOceanic Crust:

Under all of the deep seasAbout 5 miles thick

Continental Crust: Comprises all continentsAbout 20 to 50 miles thick

Where & how are sedimentary rocks converted to metamorphic rocks?

Where & how are sedimentary rocks converted to metamorphic rocks?

Sediments in ocean at the margin of the continent

Where have sedimentary rocks in North America been converted to metamorphic rocks?

Building a new mountain range by crushing & melting the sedimentary rocks creating metamorphic rocks

Where are Metamorphic & Igneous Rocks Made?

Debris along continental marginsis crushed and melted when crustal plates collide forming Metamorphic and Igneous Rocks

Note: Iberia has Appalachian age mountains!

How do we explain this?

Where and how did this happen?

Appalachian age mountains

Alpine (“recent”)age mountains

The Crushing and Melting when Africa collided with North America to produceMetamorphic & Igneous Rocks of the Appalachian Mountains

On a collision course

Iberia

Before we continue with the history of Appalachia and Iberia: Geologic Time

Geologic Time: The Last 570 Million Years

Last slideNorth America & Africa (Iberia, etc) on a collision course

Collision!! Mountains in Appalachia, Iberia, France, Scotland & Norway

The Crushing and Melting when Africa collided with North America creating Metamorphic & Igneous rocks in Appalachia, Iberia, France, Scotland & Norway

Crunch!!!!

Mountain ranges created by collision of earth plates

Crust broken into PLATES

Plates move (drift) slowly colliding & shearing each other

North American Plate

African Plate

Eurasian Plate

Plate motion: Continental Drift

Continental (plate) Drift

Appalachian Mountains

South America, Florida, Africa & SW Europe

North America & NW Europe

Super continentPangaea

Focusing on western Europe

Continental (plate) Drift

Iber

ia, F

ranc

e &

Ger

man

yEuropean “Appalachians”

Modern WorldMountain Ranges From Blakey

Modern WorldMountain Ranges From Blakey

North Atlantic: Close Up

Modern WorldMountain Ranges (blue) From Blakey

Ouachita Appalachian France &France &

Germany

Germany

IberiaIberia

Back to Iberia: The Geologic Map

Colors show rocks of different:1. ages2. types

Iberia: The Geologic Map

Colors show rocks of different:1. ages2. types

Weathering & Erosion of different rocksproduces different topographies & soils

Different topographies & soils determine where humans live and flourish

Iberia: The Geologic Map

This map shows the present day rock surface produced by the weathering & erosion of the complex continental crust of Iberia

Why is this important?

Weathering & ErosionTopography and Soils

Geologic MapRock Types at the surface

Natural Resources Map Farming & Mining (Ores)

Proposition: Rocks of different types weather & erodeproducing different soils that determine type of agriculture

Weathering and Erosion also exposesdifferent ores at or near the surface

Why are ore occurrences important?

Human history has been shaped by the possession of ore deposits

Beaumont, Univ Penn SPP paper 203, 2010

The mineral resources of Iberia