Conference Agenda

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Session Overview
Session
Technical visit. Geological cruise along the northern coast of Alicante
Time:
Friday, 19/July/2024:
7:30am - 5:30pm

Location: Field trip - Altea & Calpe, Alicante

Field trip to Altea-Calpe, Alicante
Session Topics:
Excursions / technical visits

Guides for the excursion: Pedro Alfaro, José M. Andreu, Olga Bedmar, Menno De Ruig, Antonio Estevez, Iván Martín Rojas, Iván Medina Cascales, Adrià Ramos, Eva Santamaría Pérez & Alfonso Yebenes.

Presentations

Geological boat tour of the North Alicante coast (E Spain)

Pedro Alfaro, José M. Andreu, Olga Bedmar, Menno De Ruig, Antonio Estévez, Iván Martín Rojas, Ivan Medina Cascales, Adrià Ramos, Eva Santamaría Pérez, Alfonso Yébenes

Universidad de Alicante, Spain

The northern Alicante province (Eastern Betic Cordillera) is known for its scenic coastline, characterized by hundred-meters cliffs, coves, and protected natural areas like Serra Gelada or Peñón de Ifach. The panorama from the sea shows a very steep relief, transitioning rapidly from sea level to peaks ascending over 1000 meters. In this region, we describe a 15-nautical-miles boat trip between Benidorm and Calpe comprising 11 sites of interest. The sites show exceptional Geodiversity, encompassing topics such as stratigraphy, tectonics, petrology, geomorphology, and hydrogeology. In terms of stratigraphy, the cliffs of Serra Gelada reveal Mesozoic sedimentary rocks from the sallow marine platform that dominated the southern Iberian palaeomargin prior to the Miocene orogeny. Also in Serra Gelada, several eolianites (climbing dune deposits) are identified, overlaying Pleistocene colluvial breccias. These eolianites reach nearly 200 m in altitude, providing high quality outcrops of eolian cross-bedding. Other sites related to sedimentology include a massive olistolite found over Miocene marls in Sierra Oltá. Tectonically, the region features significant faults that shape the cliffed coast, such as the normal faults bounding Serra Gelada and Morro de Toix, and right-lateral faults. Other structures include the Sierra de Bernia anticline and the Altea diapir. Geomorphologically, the focus is made on the towering cliffs of Serra Gelada (more than 400 m) and Peñón de Ifach. The cliffs showcase abundant limestones that favor karstification, specifically in Morro de Toix. Moreover, submarine springs are present along the coast. One of these features is the Toix drain, an inversac-type spring that manifest the complex circulation between fresh and marine water. In summary, this scenic boat tour allows to understand the relationship between the current coastal landscape and the geological history of Alicante.