Quaternary Geopark - North Granada Valleys

Abstract

The proposed “Quaternary Geopark - North Granada Valleys” covers 1,410 km2 in south-east Spain (Eastern Andalusia). The geology of the region has influenced the culture of inhabitants from prehistory to the present. The geology, geomorphology, archaeology and culture blend to create an inseparable whole, in an area that has some of the most ancestral traditions and human traces of Continental Europe. The proposed geopark covers the main fluvial valleys in quaternary sediments in this North Granada intermountain depression. The arid nature of the region’s weather, with scarce vegetation on the valley slopes, favours observation of one of Continental Europe's best quaternary records.These lands, included in the limits of this Geopark proposal, show, through a direct and visual reading supported by their landscape, the quaternary geological history of a vast territory without an exit to the sea during millions of years, which trapped and generated an extraordinary record of continental quaternary sediments. The highlight of its geological history is a palaeoriver and paleolake that were active approximately between 5 million year ago and 0,5 million years ago, during the endorheic period in which quaternary sediment were accumulated. Since then, a new exorheic period lasting until the present has configured its current geomorphology, characterised by an impressive eroded landscape. These valleys with spectacular badlands expose the most wide-ranging and longest-lasting group of paleontological deposits of Continental European quaternary vertebrates. In particular, large vertebrates deposits have been discovered in Early Pleistocene sediments, with more than 150 sites identified. The proposed geopark is a perfect addition to the current group of Iberian geoparks. The park enables conservation and exploration of an exceptional quaternary record, in a territory with some of the minimum anthropic alteration in Continental Europe. The people of the Province of Granada, throughout the 34 municipalities in question, have safeguarded and protected the area for centuries. Now, the area will be available for educational purposes and for society as a whole.