Ivan Martin-Rojas

University of Alicante | UA · Earth and Environmental Sciences

The fluvial capture of endorheic basins represents a milestone in basin chronology, implying a profound disequilibrium that triggers critical geomorphological, sedimentological, paleogeographic, and even paleoecological transformations. The primary goal of many geomorphological studies is to determine the timing of endorheic-to-exorheic transitions...

Palaeoseismological studies play a crucial role in the seismic characterization of regions with slow-moving faults. This is the case in the central Betic Cordillera, a highly populated area for which the record of prehistoric earthquakes is very limited, despite being one of the regions with the greatest seismic hazard in Spain. We present here a p...

La Sierra de La Culebra, en la provincia de Zamora, es mundialmente conocida por albergar una de las mayores densidades de lobo de Europa. El protagonismo de esta especie ha eclipsado a otros carnívoros apenas estudiados, que han sido objeto de un trabajo de campo previo al devastador incendio sufrido por este espacio natural.

The Valencia Trough is a NE-SW trending sector of attenuated crust located between the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean, bordered by the Catalan Coastal Ranges to the northwest, the Iberian Chain to the west, and the Balearic fold and thrust belt to the south. It includes several kilometers of Jurassic-Cretace...

Palaeoseismological studies play a crucial role in the seismic characterization of regions with slow moving faults. This is the case of the Central Betic Cordillera, a highly populated area where the record of prehistoric earthquakes is very scarce, despite of being one of the regions with the highest seismic hazard in Spain. We present here a pala...

The coexistence of shortening and extensional tectonic regimes is a common feature in orogenic belts. The westernmost end of the Western Mediterranean is an area undergoing shortening related to the 5 mm/yr NNW‒SSE convergence of the Nubia and Eurasia Plates. In this region, the Central Betic Cordillera shows a regional ENE‒WSW extension. Here, we...

The Baza and Galera faults are two active geologic structures located in the central area of the Betic Cordillera (Southern Spain). The goal of our research is to constrain the activity of this faults from high quality GPS measurements to obtain precise deformation rates. In 2008 a GPS survey – mode network was installed to monitor this area. In pr...

This paper applies remote sensing techniques and 3D point cloud (3DPC) analysis to the study of historical quarries and the relationship between old quarry landscapes and the natural fracture systems of rock massifs. Ancient quarry landscapes present particular characteristics and different features from those of modern quarries. Consequently, spec...

In this work, we prove the usefulness of morphometric analyses, typically applied to basin-border faults, to define the tectonic geomorphology of a slow-moving, intrabasinal structure: the Galera Fault (Guadix-Baza Basin, southern Spain). The Galera Fault is a 30 km-long, oblique-slip fault with major left-lateral and minor vertical slip components...

One of the most significant parameters for seismic hazard assessment analyses is the fault slip rate. The combination of both geological (long-term) and geodetic (short-term) data offers a more complete characterization of the seismic potential of active faults. Moreover, geodetic data are also a helpful tool for the analysis of geodynamic processe...

The geometry and kinematics of active faults have a significant impact on their seismic potential. In this work, a structural characterization of the active Baza Fault (central Betic Cordillera, southern Spain) combining surface and subsurface data is presented. Two sectors are defined based on their surface geometry: a northern sector striking N–S...

In recent years, the dissemination of geoheritage has made great strides in Spain, both at the legislative and outreach levels. As part of these efforts, the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Alicante organizes various activities to promote and enhance the learning of geology and the geoheritage of Alicante Provinc...

The distribution of active faults in the Iberian Peninsula is not homogeneous, being mainly present, but not only, in areas affected by the Alpine Orogeny. They are located in several regions: (1) The Iberian Massif, including Portugal, and Galicia and Cantabrian Mountains in the North, (2) The Pyrenees, (3) The NE of Iberia, (4) The Iberian Cordil...

The 10th September 1919 Torremendo (Jacarilla) earthquake is one of the most significant events occurred in the eastern Betic Cordillera during the instrumental period. It was a moderate size earthquake consisting of two main shocks followed by a series of almost 20 registered aftershocks. According to different authors, the estimated magnitude for...

We present the first GPS‐derived geodetic observations from the NE end of the Eastern Betic Shear Zone obtained from the Bajo Segura GPS network (SE Spain). The network has 11 GPS sites and was sampled four times between 1999 and 2013. Despite the low signal‐to‐noise ratio of the residual velocities obtained, the velocities are nonzero at 95% confi...

Libreto Geolodía Alicante 2019: Busot

Successive excavation of 13 trenches of different orientations reveals the complexity of a normal fault zone in Pliocene-Pleistocene unconsolidated sediments on a strand of the Baza Fault, central Betic Cordillera, south Spain. These trenches and the excavation floor are interpreted and integrated to reconstruct the 3D geometry and internal archite...

This work presents the singular case of Nueva Tabarca island (SE Spain), which is an excellent example where stone-built monuments and historical quarries greatly enhance the geoheritage interest of this site. This small western Mediterranean island brings together a rich, diverse geological record and a baroque architectural heritage represented b...

This paper presents the workflow implemented to build a high resolution, 3D, geological model of the Nueva Tabarca Island historical quarry. This 3D model could be the main input for potential restoration by replacement of the deeply weathered stones in the baroque monuments of the island. The workflow starts with the construction of a photogrammet...

Libreto del Geolodía de Alicante 2018. Crevillente

This paper on the Baza Fault provides the first palaeoseismic data from trenches in the central sector of the Betic Cordillera (S Spain), one of the most tectonically active areas of the Iberian Peninsula. With the palaeoseismological data we constructed time-stratigraphic OxCal models that yield probability density functions (PDFs) of individual p...

The historical quarry of the Nueva Tabarca fortress (Mediterranean Sea, SE of Spain) was developed in a complex sedimentary Miocene deposit. Five lithostratigraphic units have been defined, including different lithologies such as breccias and microconglomerates (Unit 1), massive and laminated lithoarenites (Units 1, 3 and 5), calcarenites and bioca...

The Agost Basin is characterized by a Miocene–Quaternary shallow marine and continental infilling controlled by the evolution of several curvilinear faults involving salt tectonics derived from Triassic rocks. From the Serravallian on, the area experienced a horizontal maximum compression with a rotation of the maximum stress axis from E–W to N–S....

On February 23, 2015, an earthquake of magnitude Mw 4.7 (Imax = V, scale EMS) struck the center of the Spain, triggering dozens of instabilities in taluses and natural slopes of an area characterized by low relief. These instabilities were characterized by: (1) very small size, most of them with volumes lower than 1 m³, and (2) to occur in rock mas...

En este trabajo presentamos el análisis de una serie de secuencias de crecimiento asociadas a los pliegues de propagación de la Zona de Falla del Bajo Segura (Cordillera Bética oriental). Los nuevos datos de campo aportados permiten estimar la edad de inicio de la deformación durante el Mioceno superior (~ 6,5 Ma) en el frente meridional de pliegue...

This work presents a 3D geometric model of growth strata cropping out in a fault-propagation fold associated with the Crevillente Fault (Abanilla-Alicante sector) from the Bajo Segura Basin (eastern Betic Cordillera, southern Spain). The analysis of this 3D model enables us to unravel the along-strike and along-section variations of the growth stra...

The Bajo Segura Basin, located in the NE end of the Eastern Betic Shear Zone, is one of the areas with highest seismic activity of the Iberian Peninsula. It is bounded by the Crevillente Fault to the north and the Bajo Segura Fault to the south, and it is characterized by a Late Miocene to Quaternary folded cover. We estimate the present-day deform...

En este trabajo hemos cuantificado las tasas de deformación actual de la cuenca del Bajo Segura (NE del corredor de cizalla de la Bética oriental), a partir del análisis de una red GPS con 11 vértices geodésicos. Se han analizado los datos de cuatro campañas GPS entre junio de 1999 y enero de 2013, que han sido procesados con la versión 6.2 del sof...

We here present a structural analysis of the northern area of the Bajo Segura Basin, in the eastern Betic Cordillera. In this area the Crevillente syncline occurs, which consists of a fault-propagation fold related to the Crevillente Fault (Abanilla-Alicante sector). This south vergent syncline shows a growth geometry. The analysis of the growth se...

Taking into account previous detailed stratigraphic and facies analyses carried out in the Alpujarride succession from the Sierra de Gádor (Almeria province) and correlations with other sectors, we propose a synthetic stratigraphic column for the Alpujarride Triassic Platform; this column consists of two formations: a basal meta-siliciclastic forma...

The Peloritani Chain (NE Sicily) is composed of different tectonic units, denoted from top to bottom: Aspromonte, Mela, Mandanici-Piraino, Ali-Montagnareale, Fondachelli, and Longi-Taormina Units. They are made up of Variscan crystalline basements and post-Variscan sedimentary covers, except the two structurally highest units that are formed only b...

Some Internal Units of the western Alpine peri-Mediterranean orogenic system (Betic Cordillera, Calabria-Peloritani Arc) point out to a complex Alpine tectono-metamorphic evolution followed by an exhumation phase. Before the onset of the Alpine compressive tectonics, the rocks of these units belonged to the margins of a microcontinent, the Mesomedi...

Abstract: The sedimentary record of the Tarcău and Vrancea Nappes, belonging to the flysch accretionary zone of the Eastern Carpathians (Eastern Carpathian Outer Flysch), registered Cretaceous-Miocene events during the evolution of the Moldavidian Basin. Our biostratigraphic data indicate that the deposits studied are younger than previously report...

A litho-biostratigraphic analysis has been carried out in the Gador-Turon unit of the Sierra de Gador (Alpujarride complex, Betic Cordillera, SE Spain). The Triassic succession of this unit is composed of a lower meta-detrital formation overlain by an upper meta-carbonate formation divided in six members. In the latter, a Ladinian–Carnian-rich foss...

A study has been performed on the Cretaceous to Early Miocene succession of the Vrancea Nappe (Outer Carpathians, Romania), based on field reconstruction of the stratigraphic record, mineralogical-petrographic and geo- chemical analyses. Extra-basinal clastic supply and intra- basinal autochthonous deposits have been differentiated, appearing later...

Evidence is presented for Triassic rift-related palaeo-structures from the Alpujarride Complex carbonates of the Betic Cordillera, SE Spain. Direct evidence of synsedimentary extensional tectonics is provided by macro- to meso-scale normal faults overstepped by younger strata. Most faults define domino-like horst and graben structures. The faults a...

The rifting process that lead to continental break-up of the Pangea continent has been well characterised in the Jurassic successions, as the main extension occurred during this time span. However, data from the initial Triassic rifting phases are scarce and based on indirect evidence. Here, we report on a wide range of features preserved in the In...

In the Sierra de Gádor (Almeria province) terrains belonging to the Internal Betic Zone crop out. According to stratigraphie, structural and petrologic features we have recognised five tectonic units. These units are called, from bottom to top, Gádor-Turón, Laujar, Murtas, Felix and Chirán unit. The lower fourth are ascribed to the Alpujárride Comp...

In the Sierra de Gádor (Almeria province) terrains belonging to the Internal Betic Zone crop out. According to stratigraphic, structural and petrologic features we have recognised five tectonic units. These units are called, from bottom to top, Gádor-Turón, Laujar, Murtas, Felix and Chirán unit. The lower fourth are ascribed to the Alpujárride Comp...

In this paper, we present the results of the stratigraphic and structural study of the Orihuela and Callosa Mountains (Alicante province, SE Spain), belonging to the Internal Betic Zone. The terrains cropping out in this area had been assigned by previous authors to the Ballabona-Cucharón Complex, lately redefi ned as the Almágride Complex. New dat...

New paleomagnetic results from Neogene sedimentary sequences from the Betic chain (Spain) are here presented. Sedimentary basins located in different areas were selected in order to obtain paleomagnetic data from structural domains that experienced different tectonic evolution during the Neogene. Whereas no rotations have been evidenced in the Late...

\The Anisian-Camian Verrucano Group of the Tuscan Metamorphic Units and the Triassic-Hettangian Pseudoverrucano Formation of the homonymous unit are mainly continental redbeds occurring in Tuscany at the base of the Alpine orogenic cycle. A study carried out throughout the Apennine, Maghrebian and Betic Chains emphasized the presence in all these o...

Mapping, lithostratigraphic, biostratigraphic and structural detailed analyses in Sierra Espuña area (Internal Betic Zone, SE Spain) have allowed us to reconstruct the Jurassic–Cretaceous evolution of the Westernmost Mesomediterranean Microplate palaeomargin and, by correlation with other sectors (Northern Rift, central and western Internal Betic Z...

Jurassic studies in the Internal Zones of the Betic Cordillera are scarce since this zone is composed mainly of pre-Jurassic metamorphic rocks. Only the “Dorsal” and the Malaguide domains include fossiliferous Jurassic successions, as in Sierra Espuña (SE Spain), which is one of the bigger and well-exposed Jurassic outcrops of the Internal Zones. C...

Tectonic units of the Sierra Espuña-Mula area are described in order to characterize the palaeogeographic passage from the Alpujarride to the Malaguide Complexes through the “intermediate units”. Moreover, the Meso-Cenozoic cover of the Malaguide units in this area show the transition from the Malaguide to the “Internal Dorsal”. Both features are r...

Los datos que a continuación detallaré corresponden a observaciones realizadas directamente en afloramientos de campo, complementados en la mayoría de los casos con las observaciones cartográficas, es decir con mapas y cortes geológicos que pretenden aportar una mayor claridad. Con el fin de que la exposición de los datos que he recogido sea lo más...

The Calabria–Peloritani Arc southern terrane is a stack of crystalline basement nappes, some of them provided with a widely outcropping Alpine sedimentary cover, sealed by clastics of the Stilo–Capo d’Orlando Formation (SCOF). New field observations in the Stilo area lead to define a Pignolo Formation as a sedimentary cycle predating the emplacemen...

New studies have been carried out on the Tertiary of the Stilo Unit, the uppermost of the Calabria-Peloritani Arc southern sector, and the Stilo-Capo d'Orlando Formation, sealing the whole nappe stack. The Tertiary terrains linked to the Mesozoic cover of the Stilo Unit consist of the lowermost Oligocene Palizzi Formation and the Late Rupelian-Aqui...

In this paper, we present the results of the stratigraphic and structural study of the Orihuela and Callosa Mountains (Alicante prov- ince, SE Spain), belonging to the Internal Betic Zone. The terrains cropping out in this area had been assigned by previous authors to the Ballabona-Cucharón Complex, lately redefi ned as the Almágride Complex. New d...