Hontoria’s stone (Burgos, Spain): Characteristics and weathering

This paper deals with petrological and petrophysical features of the Hontaria's stone, Burgos (Spain), with which many important monuments were built in northern Spain, in orderr to establish a basis for individual monument restoration. The study contains an historical reference to sorne buildings in which this stone was employed, geological considerations of the origin area, laboratory analysis of the samples, and results of the most common characterization tests. As a conclusion, it can be stated that the Hontoria's stone is apure limestone, with good mechanical and hydrological behaviour, resistent to weathering, easy to quarry (underground mining) and with large resources

A modern human pattern of dental development in Lower Pleistocene hominids from Atapuerca-TD6 (Spain)

The study of life history evolution in hominids is crucial for the discernment of when and why humans have acquired our unique maturational pattern. Because the development of dentition is critically integrated into the life cycle in mammals, the determination of the time and pattern of dental development represents an appropriate method to infer changes in life history variables that occurred during hominid evolution. Here we present evidence derived from Lower Pleistocene human fossil remains recovered from the TD6 level (Aurora stratum) of the Gran Dolina site in the Sierra de Atapuerca, northern Spain. These hominids present a pattern of development similar to that of Homo sapiens, although some aspects (e.g., delayed M3 calcification) are not as derived as that of European populations and people of European origin. This evidence, taken together with the present knowledge of cranial capacity of these and other late Early Pleistocene hominids, supports the view that as early as 0.8 Ma at least one Homo species shared with modern humans a prolonged pattern of maturation.

3-D reflection seismic imaging of the Hontomin structure in the Basque-Cantabrian Basin (Spain)

Peer reviewed

3-D reflection seismic imaging of the Hontomin structure in the Basque-Cantabrian Basin (Spain)

Peer reviewed

Strontium isotopes and sedimentology of a marine Triassic succession (upper Ladinian) of the westernmost Tethys, Spain

Chemical Stratigraphy, or the study of the variation of chemical elements within sedimentary sequences, has gradually become an experienced tool in the research and correlation of global geologic events. In this paper 87Sr/ 86Sr ratios of the Triassic marine carbonates (Muschelkalk facies) of southeast Iberian Ranges, Iberian Peninsula, are presented and the representative Sr-isotopic curve constructed for the upper Ladinian interval. The studied stratigraphic succession is 102 meters thick, continuous, and well preserved. Previous paleontological data from macro and micro, ammonites, bivalves, foraminifera, conodonts and palynological assemblages, suggest a Fassanian-Longobardian age (Late Ladinian). Although diagenetic minerals are present in small amounts, the elemental data content of bulk carbonate samples, especially Sr contents, show a major variation that probably reflects palaeoenvironmental changes. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios curve shows a rise from 0.707649 near the base of the section to 0.707741 and then declines rapidly to 0.707624, with a final values rise up to 0.70787 in the upper part. The data up to meter 80 in the studied succession is broadly concurrent with 87Sr/86Sr ratios of sequences of similar age and complements these data. Moreover, the sequence stratigraphic framework and its key surfaces, which are difficult to be recognised just based in the facies analysis, are characterised by combining variations of the Ca, Mg, Mn, Sr and CaCO3 contents

[B_Kortezubi_Santimamiñe] Trabajos topográficos de complemento al escaneado tridimensional de la cueva de Santimamiñe (Kortezubi, Bizkaia). Poligonal de precisión y apoyo topográfico

[ES] Se trata de una cueva de gran belleza e interés geológico, se desarrolla sinuosamente a lo largo de algo más de 350 metros alternando grandes salas y estrechos corredores. Cuenta con un conjunto de pinturas rupestres catalogadas en el Paleolítico Superior y está incluida en la lista de Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la UNESCO en «Cueva de Altamira y arte rupestre paleolítico del Norte de España».

Algas verdes en el picoplancton y nanoplancton del estuario del río Nervión (Golfo de Vizcaya)

332 p. : il., gráf.

Molecular ecology of european mustelids: Unraveling evolutionary and ecological patterns in Martes and Lutra genera

208 p.

Landscape Genetics for the Empirical Assessment of Resistance Surfaces: The European Pine Marten (Martes martes) as a Target-Species of a Regional Ecological Network

Coherent ecological networks (EN) composed of core areas linked by ecological corridors are being developed worldwide with the goal of promoting landscape connectivity and biodiversity conservation. However, empirical assessment of the performance of EN designs is critical to evaluate the utility of these networks to mitigate effects of habitat loss and fragmentation. Landscape genetics provides a particularly valuable framework to address the question of functional connectivity by providing a direct means to investigate the effects of landscape structure on gene flow. The goals of this study are (1) to evaluate the landscape features that drive gene flow of an EN target species (European pine marten), and (2) evaluate the optimality of a regional EN design in providing connectivity for this species within the Basque Country (North Spain). Using partial Mantel tests in a reciprocal causal modeling framework we competed 59 alternative models, including isolation by distance and the regional EN. Our analysis indicated that the regional EN was among the most supported resistance models for the pine marten, but was not the best supported model. Gene flow of pine marten in northern Spain is facilitated by natural vegetation, and is resisted by anthropogenic landcover types and roads. Our results suggest that the regional EN design being implemented in the Basque Country will effectively facilitate gene flow of forest dwelling species at regional scale.