Person: Muñoz Martín, Alfonso
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First Name
Alfonso
Last Name
Muñoz Martín
Affiliation
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Faculty / Institute
Ciencias Geológicas
Department
Geodinámica, Estratigrafía y Paleontología
Area
Geodinámica Interna
Identifiers
8 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
Item Quantifying the erosional impact of a continental-scale drainage capture in the Duero Basin, northwest Iberia(Quaternary Research, 2018) Antón López, Loreto; Muñoz Martín, Alfonso; De Vicente Muñoz, GerardoFormerly closed drainage basins provide exceptional settings for quantifying fluvial incision and landscape dissection at different time scales. Endorheic basins trap all the sediment eroded within the watershed, which allows estimates of post–basin opening erosion patterns. The Duero Basin was a former closed basin and is presently drained by the Duero River into the Atlantic Ocean. During the Cenozoic, the basin experienced a long endorheic period, marked by the formation of continental carbonates and evaporites. The retrogressive erosion of the Atlantic drainage coming from the Portuguese coast subsequently captured the internal drainage, and significant fluvial dissection occurred. Presently, the basin contains a relatively well-preserved sedimentary fill. Gridding and surface fitting in this paper provide the first attempt to reconstruct the surface of the top of the former endorheic sedimentary sequence to quantify the erosional impact of the basin opening. At least 2251±524 km3 of sediment was removed from the formerly closed basin following the start of exorheism. This volume represents a mean basin-surface lowering of 65±13 m. Erosion estimates and landscape dissection patterns are consistent with geologic evidence of progressive establishment of an outward drainage system.Item Exceptional river gorge formation from unexceptional floods(Nature Communications, 2015) Antón López, Loreto; Mather, A.E.; Stokes, M.; Muñoz Martín, AlfonsoAn understanding of rates and mechanisms of incision and knickpoint retreat in bedrock rivers is fundamental to perceptions of landscape response to external drivers, yet only sparse field data are available. Here we present eye witness accounts and quantitative surveys of rapid, amphitheatre-headed gorge formation in unweathered granite from the overtopping of a rock-cut dam spillway by small-moderate floods (B100–1,500m3 s�1). The amount of erosion demonstrates no relationship with flood magnitude or bedload availability. Instead, structural pattern of the bedrock through faults and joints appears to be the primary control on landscape change. These discontinuities facilitate rapid erosion (4270m headward retreat; B100m incision; and B160m widening over 6 years) principally through fluvial plucking and block topple. The example demonstrates the potential for extremely rapid transient bedrock erosion even when rocks are mechanically strong and flood discharges are moderate. These observations are relevant to perceived models of gorge formation and knickpoint retreat.Item Using river long profiles and geomorphic indices to evaluate the geomorphological signature of continental scale drainage capture, Duero basin (NW Iberia)(Geomorphology, 2013) Antón López, Loreto; De Vicente Muñoz, Gerardo; Muñoz Martín, Alfonso; Stokes, MartinWell-constrained case studies of transient landscape responses are needed to improve our understanding of erosion processes associated with drainage captures. The Duero basin is an excellent location for such a study because the landscape is currently undergoing pronounced geomorphological changes resulting from the opening of a former closed drainage. The present-day continental interior basin (N50,000 km2) drains to the Atlantic Ocean via the Duero River, but during the Cenozoic the basin experienced a long endorheic period marked by the formation of evaporites. Currently, the entire continental interior is an area of relative tectonic quiescence, characterised by a relict low-relief upland topography (Meseta). Systematic variations in lithology and a well-constrained tectonic setting throughout the basin and adjacent areas allow for the comparison of channel morphology between the Cenozoic Duero basin and its western fringe. To explore the signal of transient geomorphic response to capture and opening of the former endorheic basin, the main channel and 24 tributaries were analysed in terms of their longitudinal profiles and the application of geomorphic indices (concavity index [Ci], valley floorwidth-to-height ratio [Vf], and stream-length gradient index [SL]). The analysis reveals two zones with distinctive morphologies: (1) an upper reach domain consisting of broad flat valleys and low-gradient streams where concave longitudinal profiles dominate and (2) a middle reach domain characterised by steep, deeply incised canyons where a convex long profile dominates marking a major kinckzone. The quantitative information on channel shapes and long profile geometries allows the interpretation of these patterns in terms of driving forces for fluvial landscape development. Large-scale morphometric analysis highlights the transient response of the entire basin to a capture-related base level lowering and illustrates the importance of drainage captures as potential internal drivers of landscape modification and topographic adjustments. Furthermore, the Duero basin case study also emphasises that well-constrained bedrock geology and tectonic patterns are essential to avoid misinterpretation of geomorphic indexes.Item La deformación alpina en el Sistema Central Español(Geo-guías, Rutas geológicas por la Península Ibérica, Canarias, Sicilia y Marruecos, 2019) De Vicente Muñoz, Gerardo; Muñoz Martín, Alfonso; Olaiz, A.J.; Vegas Martínez, Ramón; Antón López, Loreto; Martín Velázquez, Silvia; Giner Robles, Jorge Luis; Rodriguez Pascua, M.A.La idea del origen compresivo del Sistema Central (SC) se debe a Birot y Solé Sabarís (1954) [1], antes del establecimiento del papel que la tectónica de placas juega en el desarrollo de las estructuras intraplaca. Sin embargo, sus observaciones de campo no fueron tenidas en cuenta y, durante mucho tiempo, el SC fue considerado como una estructura extensiva [2]. Los primeros modelos de estructura del SC, en un contexto compresivo intraplaca, fueron propuestos por Vegas y Suriñach (1987) [3], que calcularon un engrosamiento cortical de 5 km, mientras que Warburton y Álvarez (1989) [4] construyeron una sección transversal con el desarrollo de una tectónica de piel fina asociada a un detachment intracortical proveniente de las Béticas y con un acortamiento asociado de 50 km. Esta idea fue también propuesta con menos detalle para el sector portugués, pero en relación a un estilo tectónico de piel gruesa y un acortamiento menor [5]. No obstante, estos trabajos carecían de observaciones de campo. En concreto, la sección de Warburton y Álvarez adolece de numerosas inconsistencias. El estilo tectónico propuesto durante la celebración de la III reunión de la Comisión de Tectónica de la SGE, que es el que se tiene en cuenta hoy en día, fue el de una tectónica de piel gruesa, sin despegues en la cobertera, con la formación de cabalgamientos imbricados de piel fina con implicación del basamento y pop ups dentro del basamento varisco de direcciones NE-SO a E-O. El acortamiento asociado se calculó en un 14% (20 km) [6, 7].Item Mapa de esfuerzos activos en línea de la Península Ibérica a partir de Mecanismos Focales calculados desde el Tensor de Momento Sísmico(Geotemas, 2012) Muñoz Martín, Alfonso; De Vicente Muñoz, Gerardo; Olaiz Campos, Antonio José; Antón López, Loreto; Vegas Martínez, Ramón; Granja Bruña, José LuisThis work shows a new on-line stress map for Iberian Peninsula obtained from the inversion of earthquakes focal mechanisms calculated with the centroid moment tensor. An amount of 299 focal mechanisms have been selected with several quality criteria from different catalogues (CMT Harvard, ETH, Med-Net, I.G.N. and I.A.G.) from 1973 to January 2012. Values for the maximum horizontal stress and the shape factor of the ellipsoid (horizontal/vertical stress) have been calculated following De Vicente et al. (2008).. The local results have been interpolated to a 10’ regular grid in which the relation between tectonic horizontal stress and vertical load has been taken into account. The final map shows a good correlation with the primary tectonic forces generated in the plate boundaries and the local perturbations related with main crustal heterogeneities. Both the maps and data are free for download from http://www.ucm.es/info/lta/lta.html Applied Tectonophysics Group WebSite). [RESUMEN]Este trabajo muestra el nuevo mapa en línea de esfuerzos activos para la Península Ibérica obtenido a partir de la inversión de mecanismos focales de terremotos (MF) calculados con Tensor de Momento Sísmico (TMS). Un total de 299 MF han sido seleccionados con varios criterios de calidad de diferentes catálogos (CMT Harvard, ETH, Med-Net, I.G.N. e I.A.G.), para un periodo comprendido entre 1973 y enero de 2012 y profundidades menores de 60 km. Los valores de la dirección de máximo acortamiento horizontal (Dey) y el factor de forma (carga horizontal/vertical) han sido calculados siguiendo a De Vicente et al. (2008). Los resultados obtenidos se han interpolado a una malla regular de 10’, teniendo en cuenta las orientaciones de las componentes horizontales de esfuerzo, y el factor de forma. Los mapas finales muestran una buena correlación con indicadores geológicos y cinemáticos. Las orientaciones de los esfuerzos horizontales se relacionan con las fuerzas primarias provenientes de los límites de placas, y con perturbaciones locales relacionadas con heterogeneidades de primer orden a nivel cortical. Tanto los mapas, como los datos procesados son accesibles a través de la Web del Grupo de Tectonofísica Aplicada de la UCM http://www.ucm.es/info/lta/lta.html.Item Iberia, a natural laboratory for the quantification of the large scale erosional response to the fluvial capture processes(8º Congresso Nacional de Geomorfologia - Geomorfologia 2017, Congresso Nacional de Geomorfologia (8. 2017. Porto), 2017) Antón López, Loreto; Muñoz Martín, Alfonso; Vicente Muñoz, Gerardo De; Alberto Gomes, António; Teixeira, José; Soares, LauraDue to its geological location and diversity, Iberia is a key natural laboratory for the study of tectonic and geological processes. Within those it is especially suitable for the study of large-scale fluvial capture processes, and their influence on topography and landscape evolution. Nowadays, Iberia is characterized by the presence of highly elevated extensive flat surfaces (Iberian Mesetas). Those high plains correspond to planation surfaces developed mainly on Palaeozoic and Mesozoic rocks, and sedimentation surfaces of Neogene rocks. These last mostly represent the sedimentary deposits related to infill of the, formerly closed Foreland Basins. Three main rivers (Duero, Ebro and Tajo) which watersheds cover an area over 250 km2, drain almost half of the total Iberia surface. For these basins the development of the present-day drainage network was related to the opening of formerly closed fluvial systems, developed within ancient Cenozoic basins. In The Iberian Peninsula, the signature of that change in drainage conditions is still preserved in some areas, and can be studied through the analysis of longitudinal profiles shapes and the relief characterization. The analysis of present and former topography represents a powerful qualitative tool for a relative quantification of fluvial dissection and basin denudation, allowing to illustrate the spatial distribution of surface erosion, associated to the exorheic history of the basins. This work approaches the analysis of the denudation processes for the main formerly endorheic Iberian basins.Item Alpine paleostress reconstruction and active faulting in western Iberia(Central European Journal of Geosciences, 2010) Antón López, Loreto; Muñoz Martín, Alfonso; Vicente Muñoz, Gerardo DeThe study of intraplate tectonics is crucial for understanding the deformation within plates, far from active plate boundaries and associated stress transmission to the plate interiors. This paper examines the tectonic evolution of the Variscan basement at the western margin of the Cenozoic Duero basin. Located east of the Vilariça Fault System in NW Iberia, this intraplate zone is a relatively flat but elevated area with an intense NNE-SSW trending fault system and associated moderate seismicity. Although the area has played an important role in the Duero basin configuration, its Alpine to present-day tectonic evolution has not been well constrained. In order to characterize the successive paleostress fields, 1428 pairs of fault-striae were measured at 56 sites and two focal mechanisms were used. Stress inversion methods have been applied to analyze paleostress regimes. Results show the existence of three dominant maximum horizontal stress (Shmax) trends: N-S, NE-SW and E-W. Relative and absolute dating of the activated faults for each Shmax shows that the clearly predominant N-S paleostress field in the zone has been active since the Oligocene up to the present day; while a NE-SW stress field is found to have been active during the Cretaceous and an older E-W paleostress field was active in the earlier Alpine cycle (Late Triassic).Item Seismicity and potencially active faults in the Northwest and Central-West Iberian Peninsula(Journal of iberian geology, 2012) Martín-González, F.; Antón López, Loreto; Insua Arévalo, Juan Miguel; Vicente Muñoz, Gerardo De; Martínez Díaz, José Jesús; Muñoz Martín, Alfonso; Heredia, N.; Olaiz Campos, Antonio JoséThe Northwest and Central-West Iberian Peninsula configure an intraplate area far from the active plate boundaries, where the Variscan basement crops out extensively (Iberian Massif). This area of the Iberian Peninsula has been traditionally considered a seismically stable region; however, it presents a moderate intraplate seismicity which indicates the presence of active structures and the occurrence of potentially damaging earthquakes. The scarcity of Mesozoic and Cenozoic deposits makes very difficult to track the record of the more recent tectonic activity and the characterization of active tectonic structures within the Iberian Massif. Nevertheless the seismic sequences of 1995-1997 in Lugo (5.1 mb; IV) and 2003 in Zamora (4.2 Mw) provided important information about the orientation of the present stress tensor, and the distribution of the hypocenters informed about the rupture geometry of the fault planes. The present work integrates geological, geomorphological, structural, and seismological data in order to define the main potentially active faults in the region. Faults trending NE–SW to N–S are potentially active as strike-slip, in some cases with a reverse component, under a NW-SE to N–S compression. [RESUMEN] El Noroeste y Centro Oeste de la Peninsula Ibérica son parte de una región intraplaca alejada de los bordes de placa sísmicamente activos, donde aflora el basamento varisco (Macizo Ibérico). Esta región de la Península Ibérica ha sido tradicionalmente considerada sísmicamente estable; sin embargo, presenta una moderada sismicidad que indica la presencia de estructuras activas y terremotos potencialmente catastróficos. La escasez y dispersión de los depósitos Mesozoicos y Cenozoicos hace difícil identificar la actividad tectónica más reciente, así como la caracterización de las fallas potencialmente activas dentro del Macizo Iberico. Sin embargo la sismicidad de 1995 y 1997 en Lugo (5.1 mb) y de 2003 en Zamora (4.2 Mw) aportó importante información para determinar la orientación del tensor actual de esfuerzos. De igual modo, la orientación de las replicas aportó información sobre los planos de rotura. El presente trabajo integra datos geológicos, geomorfológicos, estructurales y sismotectónicos para definir las principales fallas potencialmente activas en la región. Las fallas con orientaciones NE-SW hasta N-S son potencialmente activas, bajo un tensor de esfuerzos de NW-SE a N-S, como fallas de desgarre y en algunas zonas con componente inversa.