%0 Journal Article
%A López García, José Ángel
%A Oyarzun, Roberto
%A López Andrés, Sol
%A Manteca Martínez, José Ignacio
%T Scientific, Educational, and Environmental ConsiderationsRegarding Mine Sites and Geoheritage: A Perspectivefrom SE Spain
%D 2011
%@ 1867-2477
%U https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/42115
%X Should abandoned mine sites be eligible forsome official protection under the umbrella of geoconservation?Providing they have enough educational andscientific value, the answer is affirmative, and we suggestthat they should be granted protection at the level ofgeoheritage sites. Some may see mining as an environmentaldisaster, but others, with a more geologically orientedmind, may perceive mining as a blessing. Mining unveilsthe geology, thus allowing a more comprehensive vision ofgeological features such as rock units, faults, minerals, etc.We analyze the advantages and disadvantages of abandonedmines and districts as geologic observational sites, throughthe analysis of two mining districts from SE Spain:Mazarrón and Cartagena–La Unión. We propose that if anabandoned mine site or district has enough geologicalvalue, not only the mining site but also the whole geologicblock hosting the ore deposits should also be protected. Inthis respect, the Sierra de Cartagena, hosting the Cartagena–La Unión district, is a valuable geological asset where animportant chapter of the Alpine and late Alpine geologichistory of SE Spain is written.
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