Marc Campeny

Natural Sciences Museum of Barcelona · Mineralogy

Carbonatite lavas and pyroclastic rocks are exposed in the volcanic graben of Catanda and represent the only known example of extrusive carbonatites in Angola. A new detailed geological map of the area is presented in this study as well as six different stratigraphic sections. Pyroclastic rocks, apparently unwelded, are dominant in the area and rep...

The origin of intraplate carbonatitic to alkaline volcanism in Africa is controversial. A tectonic control, i.e., decompression melting associated with far-field stress, is suggested by correlation with lithospheric sutures, repeated magmatic cycles in the same areas over several million years, synchronicity across the plate, and lack of clear age...

The present work aims to characterize the ephemeral mineral assemblage related to the fumarolic fields of the Tajogaite volcano, formed in 2021 in La Palma Island (Canary Islands, Spain). A set of 73 samples was obtained after two sampling campaigns in different fumarole sectors of the studied area. Mineralization related to these fumaroles formed...

The Fuerteventura Basal Complex comprises Oligocene and Miocene ultra-alkaline-carbonatitic magmatic pulses with outcrops that extend across kilometer-scale areas in some specific sectors of this oceanic island. Additionally, there is evidence of associated weathering materials that affect these magmatic lithologies. These alkaline magmatic rocks (...

Rare earth elements (REEs) play a pivotal role in the ongoing energy and mobility transition challenges. Given their critical importance, governments worldwide and especially from the European Union, are actively promoting the exploration of REE resources. In this context, alkaline magmatic rocks (including trachytes, phonolites, syenites, melteigi...

The results of the conservation work carried out on an exhibition set-up dating from the early twentieth century are presented. The exhibition set-up consists of a wooden showcase containing about twenty evaporite rocks from the collection of the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (Spain). The work involved the remedial conservation of the roc...

The dumping of an estimated amount of 57 million tons of hazardous sulfide mine waste from 1957 to 1990 into Portmán's Bay (SE Spain) caused one of the most severe cases of persistent anthropogenic impact in Europe's costal and marine environments. The resulting mine tailings deposit completely infilled Portmán's Bay and extended seawards on the co...

The Traspena meteorite fell on 18 January 2021 about 20 km southeast of the city of Lugo (Galiza, Spain), shortly after a huge and bright fireball crossed the sky for 4.84 seconds. Astrometric measurements obtained from the fireball cameras of the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) as well as from many casual videos were used to determine...

The Hamutenha intrusion (Huíla province, SW Angola) is a 3-km-long elongated magmatic body defined by a set of two intrusive units. The northern unit is formed by alternating bands of dunites and olivine gabbros, while the southern unit is composed of amphibole diorites. The Hamutenha body is hosted by the Paleoproterozoic Epupa Complex in the Ango...

La presente investigación aborda la caracterización de los materiales geológicos y el diagnóstico del proceso de deterioro que afecta al yacimiento de grabados rupestres conocido como la Cueva del Agua, en la isla de El Hierro. Se trata de una cavidad volcánica con inscripciones y formas geométricas de la cultura Bimbache. En este enclave arqueológ...

The Oaxacan Complex represents the largest outcrop of late Mesoproterozoic age, granulite-facies metamorphic rocks in Mexico. The southwestern Oaxacan Complex was studied using the Sm–Nd isotopic system in whole-rocks and garnets. The use of garnet for dating granulites is a good approach because garnet is usually a rock-forming mineral in this fac...

Cobalt demand is increasing due to its key role in the transition to clean energies. Although the main Co ores are the sediment-hosted stratiform copper deposits of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Co is also a by-product of Ni–Co laterite deposits, where Co extraction efficiency depends, among other factors, on the correct identification of C...

In the Neolithic Gavà mines, variscite and turquoise were exploited for ornaments manufacturing, although some prospective pits and tunnels were dug on other similar greenish minerals such as smectite or kandite. A 3D study of the distribution of mineral phases allows us to determine the parameters involved in variscite colours. Methods are compris...

La presente investigación aborda la caracterización de los materiales geológicos y el diagnóstico del proceso de deterioro que afecta al yacimiento de grabados rupestres conocido como la Cueva del Agua, en la isla de El Hierro. Se trata de un tubo volcánico de basalto con inscripciones de carácter líbico-bereber y un rico repertorio de formas geomé...

Rediscovery of two fragments of the meteorite of Barcelona (1704)

The basement of eastern Mexico comprises Grenvillian-age granulite-facies metamorphic rocks. The Oaxacan Complex represents the largest outcrop belt of this basement in Mexico. In this work, southwestern Oaxacan Complex garnets are studied from a petrographical, geochemical, and geothermobarometrical perspective for the first time. The studied garn...

El complejo arqueológico de las Minas Prehistóricas de Gavà (Barcelona), atesora un entramado de minas construidas y explotadas entre el 5000-6000 AP (Borrell et al., 2015). Este complejo neolítico muestra una explotación minera subterrá- nea a gran escala, con galerías hasta 15 metros de profundidad. El principal objeto de explotación fue la varis...

MAP2XANES is an intuitive Jupyter notebook that automatizes the analysis of synchrotron X-ray fluorescence imaging and X-ray absorption spectroscopy for the characterization of complex and heterogeneous samples. The notebook uses basic modules and functions from Numpy, Scipy, Pandas, iPywidgets and Matplotlib libraries for a powerful data reduction...

MAP2XANES is an intuitive Jupiter notebook that automatizes the analysis of synchrotron X-ray fluorescence imaging and X-ray absorption spectroscopy for the characterization of complex and heterogeneous samples. The notebook uses basic modules and functions from Numpy, Scipy, Pandas, iPywidgets and Matplotlib libraries for a powerful data reduction...

We present the description of a new species of Limoniidae Rondani, 1856. Trentepohlia (Paramongoma) miocenica Mederos & Wang n. sp. is described from resinites (little or poorly polymerized amber) of Yanigua Formation, in the Eastern District of Dominican Republic, well differentiated from the other species from the fossil record of Hispaniola to d...

The XAS analysis of a blue-and-white Ming porcelain's decorations has been used to elucidate the porcelain's production technology. The porcelain exhibits the typical blue decorations with dark spots that are constituted by dendritic aggregates enriched in Mn and Fe. The XAS revealed that during firing Mn2+ and Fe2+ ions diffused into the glaze and...

One of the limiting factors for the analysis of minor elements in multiphase materials by electron probe microanalysis is the effect of secondary fluorescence (SF), which is not accounted for by matrix corrections. Although the apparent concentration due to SF can be calculated numerically or measured experimentally, detailed investigations of this...

On Christmas Day 1704, at 17 h (UT), a meteorite fell in Terrassa (about 25 km NW of Barcelona). The meteorite fall was seen and heard by many people over an area of several hundred kilometers and it was recorded in several historical sources. In fact, it was interpreted as a divine sign and used for propaganda purposes during the War of the Spanis...

The Eureka deposit in Castell-estaó in the Catalan Pyrenees is a Cu-U-V deposit, hosted by Triassic red-bed sandstones, and classified here as a low-temperature, sandstone-hosted stratabound metamorphite U deposit. The main mineralisation is stratabound, related to coal-bearing units and produced during the Alpine deformation by migration of hydrot...

The essential role of Critical Elements (CE) in 21st century economy has led to an increasing demand of these metals and promotes the exploration of non-conventional deposits such as weathering profiles. The present work is focused on the study of a weathering profile located at the Archaeological Park of the Gavà Neolithic Mines, Barcelona, Catalo...

The polymetallic Huanuni deposit, a world-class tin deposit, is part of the Bolivian tin belt. As a likely case for a “mesothermal” or transitional deposit between epithermal and porphyry Sn types (or shallow porphyry Sn), it represents a case that contributes significantly to the systematic study of the distribution of critical elements within the...

A volcanic dome complex of Miocene age hosts the In-bearing Ánimas–Chocaya–Siete Suyos district in SW Bolivia. Ore mineralization occurs as banded and massive infillings in subvertical, NE-SW striking veins. In this article, a detailed petrographic study is combined with in situ mineral geochemistry determinations in ore from the Arturo, Chorro and...

El MCNB custodia una de las colecciones de lámina delgada más importantes del territorio catalán. Esta nace a finales del siglo XIX a través de donaciones de diferentes naturalistas y aficionados, la más importante por parte de Gonzalo Moragas i Barret de 1337 láminas. Estas donaciones iniciaron en el MNCB un interés por este tipo de preparación. C...

Las colecciones científicas requieren de una herramienta informática integral que incorpore datos y metadatos de los ejemplares para facilitar su gestión y su correspondiente publicación y difusión. Para cubrir estas necesidades, el Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona (MCNB), ha desarrollado una herramienta informática que permite la gestión in...

The Cardona salts showcase was built and designed in 1921 by Francesc Pardillo. Located at the Museu Martorell building (Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona) it exposes and preserves a collection of salt rocks from the Cardona Salt Mountain. These specimens were donated at the end of 19th century by Ms. Casilda de Salabert i Arteaga (Medinaceli...

The tin-rich polymetallic epithermal deposit of Poopó, of plausible Late Miocene age, is part of the Bolivian Tin Belt. As an epithermal low sulfidation mineralisation, it represents a typological end-member within the "family" of Bolivian tin deposits. The emplacement of the mineralisation was controlled by the regional fault zone that constitutes...

La gestión de las colecciones del Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Barcelona (MCNB) requiere de una herramienta informática capaz de administrar la ingente cantidad de información asociada a las mismas. Una vez analizadas las alternativas comerciales disponibles en el mercado, los técnicos del MCNB optamos por diseñar un gestor propio de colecciones,...

Large kaolin deposits developed by weathering on Precambrian granitic rocks have been discovered in the Caluquembe area, Huíla province, Angola. To determine accuracy of analysis and to evaluate the kaolinite grade, a full-profile Rietveld refinement by X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRPD) and Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used. Caluquembe kaol...

Since the beginning of mineral collections, they contained specimens that may present potential health risks. Even so, due to ignorance, they were classically manipulated without any kind of prevention. The progress of knowledge in fields such as medicine, physics, chemistry or even mineralogy, has demonstrated that this type of samples can be dang...

RESUMEN La minería de los recursos de hierro del área de Gavà (Cataluña) fue activa de forma intermitente durante las épocas Ibérica y Romana, la Edad Media, y hasta la era industrial, lo cual se ha probado mediante datos arqueológicos y documentos históricos. Es posible que, inclusive, la minería de hierro en el área haya existi-do durante el peri...

RESUMEN El Complejo Minero Neolítico de Gavà (CMNG) ubicado en Cataluña tuvo como objeto la explotación de la variscita verde utilizada para la elaboración de adornos y joyería. Los trabajos arqueológicos en más de 100 minas indican que la minera en este complejo se llevó a cabo ~5800 años antes del presente. CMNG constituye (A) uno de los primeros...

Variscite is an aluminium phosphate mineral widely used as a gemstone in antiquity. Knowledge of the ancient trade in variscite has important implications on the historical appreciation of the commercial and migratory movements of human population. The mining complex of Gavà, which dates from the Neolithic, is one of the oldest underground mine sit...

The Mineralogy teaching collection from the University of Barcelona has proved to be a successful tool for students. The urge of its renewal to meet the necessities of modern industry brought the idea to replicate this collection in order to offer high quality teaching material to other universities worldwide. This project has led to an internation...

The Kunene Intrusive Complex (KIC), in NW Namibia and SW Angola, is one of the largest Proterozoic anorthosite massif-type exposures in the world. A geochemical, mineralogical and petrological study of four Fe–Ti(–V) oxide bodies located in the understudied Angolan part of the KIC has been performed. The massive Fe–Ti(–V) oxide bodies, locally apat...

Chiva is a circular lagoon with a diameter of 900 m, located in the vicinity of the Catanda graben (An-gola). This area is largely covered by Quaternary lacustrine sediments, however, a few dykes of carbonatitic composition have been found near the SE shore of the lagoon. The intrusion of these carbonatitic dykes has been linked to the occurrence o...

The pyroclastic carbonatitic rocks from the Catanda volcanic area (Angola) contain annite and phlogopite grains which have been affected to a significant extent by vermiculitization. A mineralogical study of these micas has revealed that the annite was altered to K-vermiculite while vermiculitization of phlogopite generated Ca-vermiculite. Intermed...

The pyroclastic carbonatitic rocks from the Catanda volcanic area (Angola) contain annite and phlogopite grains which have been affected to a significant extent by vermiculitization. A mineralogical study of these micas has revealed that the annite was altered to K-vermiculite while vermiculitization of phlogopite generated Ca-vermiculite. Intermed...

A set of small volcanic edifices with tuff ring and maar morphologies occur in the Catanda area, which is the only locality with extrusive carbonatites reported in Angola. Four outcrops of carbonatite lavas have been identified in this region and considering the mineralogical, textural and compositional features, we classify them as: silicocarbonat...

La col·lecció de Mineralogia és una de les infraestructures més antigues de la Universitat de Barcelona (UB). Un segle i mig més tard d'haver estat eliminats els estudis universitaris a Barcelona pels decrets de Nova Planta, i cercant-ne la restauració, la influent Societat Econòmica Barcelonesa d'Amics del Pais plantejà el 1835 la creació d'una cà...

A drilling program in NW Botswana based on anomalies detected by geophysical prospection allowed discovering the structure of the Proterozoic basement and several styles of mineralizations. A riftogenic Proterozoic basin trending NW-SE was filled with sedimentary series, mainly black shales and conglomerates in the depocenter and conglomerates, qua...

Remains of highly eroded carbonatitic volcanic edifices occupy a region of 50 km 2 in the vicinity of the Catanda village, Kwanza Sul province, Angola. Carbonatitic lava flows and pyroclastic deposits are present in the area forming sequences of volcanic materials up to 600 metres in thickness. We have studied the composition of the melt inclusions...

Remains of carbonatitic volcanic buildings are located near the village of Catanda (Kwanza Sul, Angola). These volcanic carbonatites occupy an area of 50 Km2 forming small and eroded edifices mostly covered by quaternary sediments and hosted in Archaean granites. The age of the Catanda volcanic activity is not precisely calculated although Silva an...

The Virulundo carbonatite in Angola is one of the largest in the world and contains pyrochlore as an accessory mineral in all of the carbonatite units (calciocarbonatites, ferrocarbonatites, carbonatite breccias and trachytoids). The primary magmatic pyrochlore is fluorine dominant and typically contains about equal molar quantities of Ca and Na at...

The Kunene Complex consists of group of anorthosite intrusions located between the south of Angola and the northern part of Namibia. Although the ultramafic rocks are not present in the Kunene Complex a great number of small satellite mafic-ultramafic bodies can be found close to its west side. One of these bodies (Hamutenha) is a dunite/gabbro ban...

The Kunene Complex, outcropping between SW Angola and NW Namibia, is one of the biggest Proterozoic anorthositic complexes in the world [1]. It is cut by a set of Ti-Fe oxide dykes or lenticular bodies, which are hectometric to kilometric in length and metric to decametric in width. The mineral associations of four oxide bodies have been studied: D...

The Cunene complex is a large group of gabbro-anorthosite intrusions that covers an area of 15.000 km 2 between southern part of Angola and northern Namibia. Although ultrabasic rocks have not been found to data in the main anorthositic intrusion of the Cunene complex, a great number of small basic-ultrabasic bodies appear close to the west margin...