V RCANS INTRA‐CONGRESS FIELDTRIP:VISIT TO DOÑANA NATIONAL PARK (SEPTEMBER 25, 2013) V RCANS INTRA-CONGRESS FIELDTRIP VISIT TO DOÑANA NATIONAL PARK Joaquín Rodríguez‐Vidal (Coord.) Juan José Negro Clive Finlayson Cristino Dabrio Francisco Borja Manuel Abad Luis Miguel Cáceres Tatiana Izquierdo
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V RCANS INTRA‐CONGRESS FIELDTRIP: VISIT TO DOÑANA NATIONAL PARK (SEPTEMBER 25, 2013)
V RCANS INTRA-CONGRESS FIELDTRIP
VISIT TO DOÑANA NATIONAL PARK
Joaquín Rodríguez‐Vidal (Coord.) Juan José Negro
Clive Finlayson Cristino Dabrio
Francisco Borja Manuel Abad
Luis Miguel Cáceres Tatiana Izquierdo
V RCANS INTRA‐CONGRESS FIELDTRIP: VISIT TO DOÑANA NATIONAL PARK (SEPTEMBER 25, 2013)
Geodetic bench–marks: 106 m bench‐mark corresponds to El Asperillo; 11, Plio–Pleistocene sandy coastal–plain
deposits; 12, Late Pleistocene upthrown block deposits; 13, Late Pleistocene downthrown block deposits and
Holocene dune systems; 14, Coastal active dune systems on sea–cliff; 15, Present beach deposits; 16, Marshlands (in
black: channel systems); 17, Localities.
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This elevated area served as anchor to the Holocene spit–bars and dune systems
forming the Doñana littoral bar that eventually closed the Guadalquivir river basin
(Zazo et al., 1994; Rodríguez Ramírez et al., 1996, Zazo et al., 2005). The El Asperillo
cliff constitutes the south‐western truncated littoral flank of the dome.
The Asperillo cliff extends for 28 km between the resorts of Mazagón and
Matalascañas (Fig. 3) with average elevations around 20 m. The cliff is being carved
into weakly cemented sandstones by the moderate energy waves of a mesotidal coast
(mean tidal range slightly above 2 m) and undergoes active retreat under
Mediterranean climate with an Atlantic influence and prevailing SW and subordinate E
and SE winds.
The cliffs expose the internal structure of the dome (Fig. 4). Sediments consist mainly
of very well sorted, medium to fine sand. Quartz grains average 80%, plagioclase and
potassium feldspars less than 10%. Biotite, tourmaline and other ferro‐magnesian
minerals are very scarce. Locally, the silt and clay fraction may reach 60% in the
topmost part of the fluviatile deposits.
Figure 4. Schematic profile showing the distribution of sedimentary units and palaeosols. Note the strong vertical
exaggeration. Distances in km from Torre de la Higuera watchtower (after Zazo et al., 1999).
Zazo et al. (1999, 2005) used sedimentary facies analysis, palaeocurrent
measurements, subsurface data from hydrological drillings, Optically Stimulated
Luminiscence (OSL) and radiocarbon measurements (AMS and conventional) to
distinguish several units and to prove that the TLF separated two palaeogeographic
domains. The upthrown tectonic block contains fluvial, marine and aeolian deposits (in
ascending stratigraphic order), whereas the downthrown block trapped aeolian
sediments and laterally discontinuous sand layers rich in organic matter, in which three
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units (U1 to U3) were identified. A surface enriched in iron oxide fossilised the fault
trace sealing both blocks. It is covered by younger semi–mobile and mobile aeolian
dunes (U4, U5 and U6) that accumulated growing up to topographic elevations above
100 m.
The littoral aeolian sheet and wetland system of El Abalario‐Doñana
The littoral aeolian sheet of El Abalario‐Doñana supports more than 600 small ponds
(the highest density in Spain), most them seasonal. The dominant pond morphology is
rounded because they are generated after blowouts. Elongate ponds relate to inter‐
dune corridors and dune fronts. The regional aquifer contributes to the ponds during
periods of high waters, and many ponds form groups mutually interconnected. In any
other times, only the ponds placed along the zone of drainage anomalies at the dome
top (ZDA) remain connected to the aquifer, whereas the others receive water from
sub‐superficial flows only, along the semi‐permeable hydromorphic layers (Borja,
2011).
Acknowledgements Financial support from Spanish Research Projects: CGL08‐03998BTE, CGL08‐04000BTE, CGL12‐33430, and CGL2009‐
11539/BTE, Consolider‐Ingenio CSD2007‐00067‐GRACCIE, AECI‐A/017978/08. UCM Research Group 910198
(Paleoclimatology and Global Change); GEOTOP Lab. Contrib. IGCP 588, and INQUA CMP Comm. ‘Long Term Sea‐
level Changes’ F.A.
References Borja, C. (2011). Lagunas de Doñana (Huelva). Tesis Doctoral Universidad Sevilla. Dirs.: F. Díaz & F. Borja. 531 págs.
(Unp.) ITGE (1990). Introducción, Guadalquivir – Golfo de Cádiz. In: Documentos sobre la geología del subsuelo de España.
Instituto Tecnológico Geominero de España, Madrid. Rodríguez Ramírez, A., Rodríguez–Vidal, J., Cáceres, L., Clemente, L., Belluomini, G., Manfra, L., Improta, S. and De
Andrés, J.R. (1996). Recent coastal evolution of the Doñana National Park (SW Spain). Quaternary Science Reviews, 15, 803–809.
Salvany, J.M. and Custodio, E. (1995). Características litológicas de los depósitos pliocuaternarios del Bajo Guadalquivir en el área de Doñana: implicaciones hidrogeológicas. Revista Sociedad Geológica de España, 8, 21–31.
Zazo, C., Dabrio, C.J., Borja, F., Goy, J.L., Lézine, A.M. Lario, J., Polo, M.D., Hoyos, M. and Boersma. J.R. (1999). Pleistocene and Holocene aeolian facies along the Huelva coast (southern Spain): climatic and neotectonic implications. Geologie en Mijnbouw, 77, 209–224.
Zazo, C., Mercier, N., Silva, P.G., Dabrio, C.J., Goy, J.L., Roquero, E., Soler, V., Borja, F., Lario, J., Polo, M.D. and Luque, L. (2005). Landscape evolution and geodynamic controls in the Gulf of Cadiz (Huelva coast, SW Spain) during the Late Quaternary. Geomorphology, 68, 269‐290.
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STOP B: INTRODUCTION TO THE NATURAL HERITAGE OF THE DOÑANA N. P.
J.J. NEGRO
The Natural Area of Doñana extends over 106,047 hectares and includes Doñana
National and Natural Parks. It is located on the SW Atlantic coast of the Iberian
Peninsula in the Municipal District of Almonte (Huelva). It is one of the most important
protected areas of Andalusia and the largest ecological reserve in Europe. The
geographical situation of Andalusia, as a bridge between Europe and North of Africa,
offers the possibility for European researchers to study many Iberian and African
species. This space has been catalogued as Area of Special Protection for Birds (ZEPA),
Site of Communitarian Importance (LIC ES0000024; 112,355.29 hectares), Biosphere
Reserve (77,260 hectares, since 1980), World Heritage Site (since 1994), RAMSAR site
(111,645.81 hectares, since 1982) and has been qualified as Important Area for the
Steppe Birds in Andalusia (ZIAE 2). The wealth of its aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems
(beaches, dunes, marshlands, scrubland, pine tree forests, streams, lagoons, etc.)
endow its unique characteristics to house a large amount of species, amongst which
some emblematic ones can be highlighted, such as the Iberian lynx and the Imperial
eagle. The marshland can be highlighted as a stopping, breeding and wintering site for
thousands of European, Iberian and African birds, making it an ecosystem with a high
ecological value.
Doñana includes four large ecosystems: the beach, the dunes, scrub‐woodland, and
marshes. Within these, 21 different biotopes have been described, the following 11 of
which are particularly important for their uniqueness in an European context: Scirpus
maritimus marsh, saltmarsh, seasonal lakes, marsh channels, permanent lagoons, the
scrub‐marsh ecotone (known locally as the "vera"), mobile dunes, Mediterranean
woodland, juniper forest, heathland and maquis. The flora includes 803 species of
vascular plants, including 48 endemics to Spain, and four to the Doñana area. The
fauna includes 41 ant species, seven freshwater fish, 30 estuarine fish, 12 amphibians,
19 reptiles and 29 mammals. The avifauna is outstanding, with 361 species
representing 70% of all the species present in Europe. Of these, 119 species breed
regularly in Doñana. In winter, up to 700.000 waterbirds concentrate in the marshes,
making Doñana one of the most important European wetlands. Doñana and its
surroundings provide one of the last strongholds in Europe for the Marbled Teal,
White‐headed Duck and Crested Coot.
Doñana Biological Reserve (ICTS‐RBD), situated in the hearth of Doñana National Park,
is managed by Doñana Biological Station (EBD), a research institute belonging to the
Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC). It consists of two estates, the Doñana
Biological Reserve, which extends over 6,794 hectares, and the Guadiamar Biological
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Reserve, extending over 3,214 hectares. The scientific and administrative affairs are
managed by EBD. At the same time, the legally appointed director of the EBD, in
accordance with the Doñana Law 91/1978 and the Royal Decree 97/2005, is
responsible for coordinating all research projects undertaken in the Doñana Natural
Area. ICTS‐RBD´s main aim is to provide the space and the necessary technical facilities
so that research of the highest standard can be carried out by internal as well as
external users in the facilities of the Doñana ecosystems. This area is legally protected
from direct or uncontrolled human activity. Only researchers and technicians are
allowed to enter the park, which is a great advantage for research development.
Figure 5.
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STOP C: THE ECOLOGICAL VALUE OF LA VERA AND DOÑANA LAKES
C. FINLAYSON
Zones of high physiographical diversity at small spatial scales generate rich ecological
diversity, generally referred to as ecotones. This often occurs where topographical
changes occur across small distances but they can happen in other scenarios. In the
low‐lying ground of the Coto Doñana a major ecotone exists where the ground water
that has filtered into the dune systems surfaces at its interface with the substrate of
the marismas – the large marshlands of the Guadalquivir River. This ecotone is known
locally as La Vera and is a veritable inland coastline which runs for many kilometres in a
roughly north‐south direction.
Figure 6.
The ecological richness of La Vera varies between seasons and years but is always high.
During the dry summer months (July‐September) it is – alongside the lakes with
permanent water – an area that concentrates many species which come to drink in the
receding water holes. They are also a source of concentration of predators which hunt
the animals which are dying inside the drying pools or others which are gathered to
drink. La Vera and the Doñana lakes thus concentrate a variety of species at this time
including Fallow Deer Dama dama, Red Deer Cervus elaphus and Wild Boar Sus scrofa;
predators that regularly hunt here are the endangered Iberian Lynx Lynx pardina as
well as raptors, particularly Black Kite Milvus migrans, Red Kite Milvus milvus and the
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endangered Spanish Imperial Eagle Aquila adalberti. In late summer, from late August
to late October, these zones attract many trans‐Saharan passerine migratory birds
which arrive from northern Europe and use the area as a stop‐over ahead of the
crossing of the Sahara Desert. Typical species include Northern Wheatear Oenanthe
oenanthe and Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca.
In wet winters, when the marismas flood, many animals concentrate in La Vera where
there is dry ground. This provides a different kind of concentration, of waterfowl and
wading birds, as well as the mammalian herbivores, which attracts predators. At this
time Marsh Harriers Circus aeruginosus are particularly numerous. The receding waters
during the spring see La Vera at its best. The Cork Oak Quercus suber and other trees
which are scattered in linear fashion along it attract vast numbers of birds that will
nest on the trees and, from here, radiate out to forage in the marshes and along La
Vera itself. These large nesting colonies are known famously as “La Pajarera” and the
species that nest in these trees include the kites and eagles as well as Spoonbills
Platalea leucorodia, Grey Herons Ardea cinerea, White Storks Ciconia ciconia and
Black‐crowned Night Herons Nycticorax nycticorax.
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STOP D: THE RECORD OF TSUNAMIS IN THE DOÑANA NATIONAL PARK
J. RODRÍGUEZ‐VIDAL, M. ABAD
Between 218 and 209 BC, the western coasts of Iberia suffered the impact of a
historical tsunami, with an epicentre probably located in the Atlantic Ocean near the
Cape St. Vincent area (SW Portugal). Palaeogeographical changes in the River
Guadalquivir estuary, the ancient Roman Lacus Ligustinus, have been recorded in
erosional and depositional landforms, both stratigraphically and as landscape relicts.
The tsunamigenic waves (run‐up of 5 m) and their subsequent backwash eroded the
previous littoral spits transversally, generating rectilinear cliffs and incisions. The
littoral foredunes were also eroded and reactivated as transgressive dunes over the
edge of the marshes. Former coastal sediments (520‐100 BC) generated overwash
deposits, ebb tide deltas and sand sheets within the estuary, as well as a subsequent
bioclastic beach on the lagoon shore, defining the post‐tsunami (130 BC‐ 80 AD)
estuarine shoreline (Roman lagoon). Some coastal pre‐Roman (7th to 3rd centuries BC)
human settlements were abandoned, and later, in the Roman period (1st century AD),
saltworks were installed.
Figure 7. Geographical location of the study area, Holocene morphosedimentary features and core sites (CM, DR, GR, HR) in the Guadalquivir estuary (Doñana marshlands).
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The Vetalengua ridge is characterized by a large lateral extension and a narrow width
(20‐30 m). Thickness (5‐70 cm in most cases) decreases landward, usually covering
previous marsh and lagoon facies. They display an erosive base, with vegetation
remains and intraclasts of the underlying sediments in the basal lag. In the upper part,
bioclasts are in most cases fragmented and arranged in thick laminae or displaying a
disorganized disposition. Textural analysis allows delimiting subfacies with a bimodal
grain‐size distribution and poor sorting in both cases.
Figure 8. Core profiles showing lithofacies and calibrated ages of shells
These deposits are constituted by bioclasts included in a greenish to greyish silty‐sandy
matrix. In general, facies exhibit fining‐upward sequences, passing from basal fine
sands to very fine sands with important contribution of silt near the top. Quartz is the
main component (up to 70% in most cases), accompanied by secondary percentages of
phyllosilicates and feldspars. Molluscs represent an important proportion (10‐40% dry
weight) of the sediment. Shell debris and disarticulated bivalve shells of euryhaline
(mainly C. edule) and marine (mainly A. tuberculata, Donax vittatus and Spisula solida)
are abundant. Gastropods are represented by freshwater (Gyraulus laevis, Melanopsis)
and marine (Rissoa, Lemintina, Hinia) specimens. Fragments of barnacles, scaphopods
and bryozoans are also frequent. Microfauna is well represented with 50‐500
individuals/g of brackish ostracods (Cyprideis torosa, Loxoconcha elliptica) and
foraminifera (Ammonia tepida, Haynesina germanica), together with marine
specimens of both groups (Basslerites berchoni, Carinocythereis whitei, Urocythereis
britannica, A. beccarii, E. crispum).
These ridges show numerous features described in tsunamigenic deposits: a) an
erosional base; b) occurrence of intraclast and plant remains near the base; c) finer
sediments towards the top; d) presence of higher sand percentages (near the Doñana
spitbarrier) in relation to the underlying sediments; e) changes in the clay mineral
composition; f) strong changes of fauna in relation to the underlying layers; g)
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presence of numerous marine species of both macro and microfauna with evidence of
reworking. Consequently, a tsunamigenic origin is attributed to these beds.
Figure 9. Morphosedimentary formations of Vetalengua area and DR core. 1‐2, interpretative cross‐section of Vetalengua ridge during Roman time
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STOP E: RECENT EVOLUTION OF DOÑANA SHORELINE: ALMENARA WATCH‐TOWERS
L.M. CÁCERES, J. RODRÍGUEZ‐VIDAL, M. ABAD
Several defensive towers (Torres de Almenara) were constructed in the late 16th and
early 17th century along the main beaches to prevent the pirate attacks. Some towers
remain actually, whereas others have been destructed by erosion processes and
human activities. Nevertheless, the precise location of all of them was situated in an
anonymous text of 1756 and a nautical map of 1770, both cited by Menanteau (1979).
The difference between the 1756‐1770 situations and the present‐day location permits
to estimate the average progradation ratios in these beaches.
Once reached the transgressive maximum (Flandrian Maximun) around 6500 years BP,
the Huelva coast experienced a progressive stabilization recorded in the backward
movement of the interfluvials sectors with cliff generation, as well as in the
progradation of the estuaries. This tendency has been steady until the present time as
it is possible to be observed by means of historical constructions like the Almenara
watch‐towers. The advance or retreat movements of the littoral of Huelva are
represented in Figure 10 where these constructions are still preserved. The absolute
values and the annual mean rates for the last two and a half centuries are also
indicated. At a first glance, it is possible to establish two sectors with different trends.
Firstly, the western sector, where progradation prevails, is characterized by the large
advances of the coast as those occurred in Isla Canela or in the Punta Umbría‐Punta
Arenilla spits. In this sector, the development of spits and barrier islands has forced the
Flandrian shoreline to move progressively seawards. On the other hand, in the eastern
sector prevails an erosive coast with cliffs in which retreats of as much as 300 m are
recorded (Asperillo). However, in the most eastern sector of Doñana a large coastal
progradation is produced by means of the formation of the large spit system of
Doñana. Erosion in Mazagón and La Hoguera watch‐tower has softened this old
promontory with the result of a progressive movement of the erosive‐sedimentary
inflexion point towards the east, where is now located at Zalabar watch‐tower. In this
sense, erosive processes have been transferred towards areas that were initially
progradating and promote the growing of the end of the spit de Doñana.
The rates of advance or backward movement are regulated by the cyclonal or
anticyclonal activity, which influences directly in marine dynamics. These climatic
cycles regulate the availability of sedimentary supply and therefore, the growth of
beaches, sandy barriers, as well as the cliff backward movement. In the last decades,
different alterations in the coast have modified their natural dynamics and therefore,
they have broken the existing balance. Especially showy are the groynes located in the
fluvial mouths, which cause retention of sediments to the west and deficit and erosion to
the east.
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Figure 10. Sedimentary and erosive balance in the section Guadalquivir‐Guadiana, from present and historic dates.
“Torres de Almenara” are been used as shoreline indicators.
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CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS
M. ABAD. Departamento de Geodinámica y Paleontología. Universidad de Huelva. Avda. 3 de Marzo,