RT Journal Article
T1 Reconstructing depositional environments through cave interior facies: The case of Galería Complex (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain)
A1 Campaña, Isidoro
A1 Benito-Calvo, A.
A1 Pérez-González, Alfredo
A1 Ortega, A. I.
A1 Álvaro-Gallo, Ana
A1 Miguens-Rodríguez, Leticia
A1 Iglesias-Cibanal, Javier
A1 Bermúdez de Castro, José María
A1 Carbonell, Eudald
K1 Pleistoceno
K1 Atapuerca (Yacimiento, Burgos)
K1 Facies (Geología)
K1 Sedimentos (Geología)
AB This work showed that cave sediments are useful for geomorphologic studies and for reconstructing depositional environments. While the cave entrance facies have been extensively studied for their relationship with the fossil and archaeological record, the cave interior facies have received much less attention, although they can provide much information on the geomorphological evolution of the karst. This work presents the stratigraphic and sedimentological study of a section >6 m thick and 10 m long of cave interior sediments of Galería Complex (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain). Galería Complex is a cavity infill of the Sierra de Atapuerca (Spain), composed of three sections filled by at least 30 m of Pleistocene sediments. This sequence is divided into 5 lithostratigraphic units named from bottom to top: GI – GV. GI unit is 19 m thick of interior facies in the base of the Galería Complex, divided into two sub-unit, GIa and GIb, by the Matuyama-Bruhnes paleomagnetic boundary. GI unit shows an issue with the chronology since has uncoherent between TT-OSL and ESR/U-series and paleomagnetism dates. This work has been done by combining field observation with laboratory sedimentary analysis to characterize the texture and structure of the sediments. Based on these studies, 12 layers and 9 sedimentary facies have been identified. The facies associations indicate a clear separation between GIa and GIb sub-units. GIa sub-unit is dominated by epiphreatic conditions and represents continuous relativity sedimentation during the Early Pleistocene; meanwhile, GIb shows important erosion events and facies with reworked materials that indicate vadose conditions during the Middle Pleistocene. This environmental change is related to the geomorphological evolution of the Arlanzón River. In addition, soft-sediment deformation structures have been described, including faults and low-angle folds...
PB Elsevier
YR 2023
FD 2023-11
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/27442
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/27442
LA eng
NO Campaña, I., Benito-Calvo, A., Pérez-González, A., Ortega, A. I., Álvaro-Gallo, A., Miguens-Rodríguez, L., Iglesias-Cibanal, J., Bermúdez de Castro, J.M., & Carbonell, E. (2023). Reconstructing depositional environments through cave interior facies: The case of Galería Complex (Sierra de Atapuerca, Spain). Geomorphology, 108864.
NO Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBUA
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 13 abr 2026