in fuentelsaz (castilla-la mancha, spain)

Rìvista Italiana di Paleontoloeia e Stratigrafi,r
voh-rnre I l0
pp.393-397
April 2004
CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT OF THE AALENIAN STAGE GSSP
IN FUENTELSAZ (CASTILLA-LA MANCHA, SPAIN)
ANTONTO GOy', SOLEDAD URETA', FERNANDO GARCÍA-JORAL , JUAN JOSÉ GOMEZ,,
CONCHA HERRERO' & GEMMA MARTINEZ .
Recei'-ed Seprentber 19, 2002: dccepte(l
Ke1,-1t'orrltt Fuentelsaz, GSSIì Lowe r Jurassic, Middle Jur,rssic,
Aalenian, Geoconservation, NiÌruràl Monument, Geositc.
Abstract. The Global Boundlry Stratotvpe Section :rnd Point
of
the Toarcìan-A:rlenien Boundarl.' (Lou.er-MìddleJurlssic) in lruentels,rz
Section is the first GSSP defined in Spain. Anroni; the rcquirerrents of
the ICS for the choice of the best boundarv level are ecccssibilitv to
the type-section and free access for research, lnd guarlntees fronr the
respective authority concerning to the free access and the pernr;rnent
protection of the site. In our point of vierv, the most suitlble prorecrion
figure to sirfegu;rrd the fulfilnre nt of the ICS's lequireÌìcnts according to the Spanish Consenation Policy and l-egisletion is rhc'N;ìturirl
Monument. This paper deals n,ith the consen'arion nranagement and
classification of the Fuentelsaz aret as I Niìturtl Monuntent. beins the
Comunidad de Castilla-La Mancha Authorities the ones that h;rve tcr
take the necessary steps ro prorect the sire.
Ri.tssilnto. L:r Sezione e Punto Globale dì Strarotìpo per il linrite Toarciano-A;rlenirno (Gìurassico inferiore-nredio) nella Sez-ione di
il prìmo GSSP definito in Spatna. Tre i requisiti dell'ICS
per la scelta del miglior livello del limite ci sono l;r r;rssiungibilità della
sezione-tipo ed il libero àccesso per l;r ricerca, e garanzìe drr partc delFuentelsaz è
le rispettive autorità riguardo il libero xccesso e Lì protez;onc pernr.ìnente del sito. Secondo il nostro punto di vista, il profilo di protezione più appropri;lto pel' tutel:rre I'adenrpinrenro delle richieste ICS, in
;rccordo con la Politica e Legislazìone Spagnola di Conservaz-ione, è il
Monumento Naturale. Questo lavoro rrarra liÌ gestione clelll conscr-
h classìfìcazione dell'area di Fuentelsaz conle un Monunrento Niìturale, clal momento che le Ar-rtorità di Comunided de Castilla-
vazione e
La Mancha sono quelle che devono intraprendere ip;.Lssi necess;rri
protezione del sito.
I
18,
2003
Introduction
Nowadays the establishment of elobal chronostratisraphic standards is one of the n.rain objectives of the International Comrnission on Stratisraphy (ICS). The Fuentelsaz Section, located at Guadalajara Province, Castilla-La
Mancha Conrn.runity, Spain (Fig. l) was proposed for the
first time in 1991 as a candidate for the Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Aalenian
Stage within the Aalenian Working Group Meetins of Skye
(Scotland). Afterwards this Section has been involved in a
lone process of discussions, over ten years, that took place
in several Jurassic Working Group Meetinss and Symposia: Poitiers (France) 1991, Marrakech (Morocco) 1994,
Mendoza (Argentina) 1994, Nuévalos-Freibure (SpainGermany) 1996 and Vancouver (Canada) 1998. in this
last Symposium organised by the International Subcomn.rission on Jurassic Stratigraphy (ISJS) the resolurion ro
define the GSSP of the Aalenian Stage in Fuentelsaz was
presented. Finally, it was ratified by the ICS of the International Union of Geoloeical Sciences (IUGS) during
the 31" International Geoloeical Consress (Río deJaneiro, Brasil, 2000).
Conformins to the euidelines of the ICS about the
requirenrenrs of any GSSP (Remane et
1,996), multidis^1.
ciplinary studies at Fuentelsaz Section were carried out.
First of all, the detailed biostratigraphical and chronostratieraphical framework was provided by the xnlmonire
Dpto. y UEI de Paleontolosía, Frcultad dc Ciencias Gcolósicrs (UCM) e Instituto dc Gcolosía Flconónric.r (lGE. CSIC), Ciudad Universitrrias/n,E-2804OMadrid(Sprin).E'-nlai|:;-tgor'(tgeo'uc:-tt.c's,sclluret:r(rtco.tlc|]].es'
qenlmllnJr(rr geo.tlcllì.cs
2
;rllrr
Jub,
.
Dpto. de Estratigrafía y UEI de Correl;rciones Estratisr;ífic;rs, F;rcultad de Ciencias Geológic:rs (UCM) c Instituto de Geología Econónrica
(IGE, CSIC), Ciudad Universitrria s/n, E-28040 Madrid (Sprin). Fl-nrril: jrorrez-(r gc.(ì.ucnr.rs.
A. Goy,, S. Uretrt, F. Gttrcía-.f ontl,.l . J. Gónez, C. Hcrrent
391
1987,l99l). Fr.rentclsaz disof the best u'orlclu,ildc ar.nrlonite record for
docunrcntins the evolutionirrv linelse within thc subrìssenrblirscs (Gov 6i Uret:r
pl:rvs one
fanrilics Granrnroceratin;rc :rnd Liocerrrtinae as rvell ls thc
e,rrlv devclopnlent of the Leioceras genus. Increasing rhe
intcrest and the ir.nportance of Fuentels,rz outcropsr rhc
rcscarch on other fossil invcrtcbntes such as br,rchiopods
(G:rrcíir-Joral ct al. l99O) rvls undcrtirken. In the ninctics,
Fuentclsaz- h,rs been studied bv r.ncans of different nlethodologies and points of vieu, resulting in sevcr:rl nrr.rltidisciplinarv pilpers (Gov ct al. 1994, 1996, 1999b) that
have i n'n'olr,ed sedinrentolo gy', nr,rcro,rnd nricropirlircontolo gv (:rnl nlon ites, brirch iopods, bivalves, forarn.r i n ifcrir,
ostracods, calca.rreous n,rn noplirncton and palynonrorphs),
nrrgnctostrrrtitraphv, scochcntistry and mineraloty, and
c,rrbon and oxyeen isotopcs, rrs wcll as other specific p,rpcrs rbout brachiopods (G:rrcí:r-Jor:rl & Goy 1995) rnd
forirnrinifcr,r (Herrero & C;.rnalcs 1997).Tlte svnrhesis of
all thcse drtrr can be found in Cresta et al. (200 l).
Basic data on the site proposed for protection
The Fuentelsalz Section is locirted in e:rstern Sp:rin.
Geo grlphic:rlly, the Lower-M iddle Jurassic bor,rnd:rry outcrops, in rvhich it is includcd, rre situated in the Castillirn
Brirnch of the Iberi,rn Chirins. The site is placed insidc
shect No. ,164 Used of thc National Geoerrphic Map,
scalc l:50.000 (UTM coordinates: X: 598.15, Y 45836;
geogrirphic coordinrtes: latitr.rdc .+ l" 04' 48"N, longitudc
l " 49' 4l "W). From irn adnrinistrrtive point of vierv it falls
within the Gu,idalajirra province, in the Autonomous Rcsior.ì of Castilla-La M,lnchir, vcrv close to the border with
the Autononlous Region of Arlgón.
Tl.re Toarcirrn nr:rtcriitls (Lower Jurassic) ,rnd thc
Allenian nraterials (Middle Jurassic), consist of :rlternating nrarls irnd limestones, rc,rchir.rg ir consider,'rblc thickncss rt this point (Fig. l). Thc ntarls are predonrintrnt in
the Airlcnsis and the Operlinunr Zones up to thc nriclcllc
p,rrt of the Con.rptr,rnr Subz-or.rc. The lir.nestorles irrc predonrir.rantlv nrudstones :rnd bioclirstic wackesrones. Thcy
outcrop on the south slopc of thc Cerro Cabez-:t Quctr:rdit, itt irn ,rltitude of ll20 nr, in ir tributrrry ravirre of
thc Arrovo del Val, p,rrt of thc fluviirl net of thc Picdr,r
Ril'cr, u'hich in turn is pirrt of thc fluvi:rl b,rsin of the
tbro
Rir.cr.
Thc outcrop rvhich rrceds to be prorected is relrrtivcly,srn,ill, beins.rbout 1000 nr in length,rnd 500 nr in
rvider-ress, where a tottrl protcctiorr irrea (or irlelt .rrerr) of
arbout 6 knr' is considcrecl to bc tnoush.
Conservation needs of the Fuentelsaz Section
The conservirtiorl of ir.rtcrestins ueologicrrl (rrnc{
biologicll) sites, irs the onc wc irre dealirrg ivitlr, is essentiirl lor the preservrrtiol.t of oLrr scientifi" L.''i'.,','
k
G. AIrtrtíncz,
The philosophy thrt nrotivated scicntists frorr diffcrent
countries to start in 1996 thc Geositcs projcct r.rnder the
p2ltronilge of the Inte rn:rtional Unior.r of Ccologic,rl Sciences (IUGS), has beer.r taken into rccollr'ìt rvhen dealing
rvith the conservirtion needs of the GSSP of the Aalenian
Stage :rt Fuentelsirz. tù/c understood thrrt it is ncccssary to
give an objectivc birsis on rvhich to build,rny initirtive et
a national -or intcrnirtior.ral- level, in rclation to the pro-
tcction oI this urriquc site.
First of all, it is inrportlnt to tr.rrrsrnit to the autonor-t-tic rnd stirte ardrrinistratior-rs. thrrt thc lrue ntelsaz
Section prescnts scver,rl ,rssets u,hich suggcst lrot ir.ìst its
conserv:rtion, but ,rlso den-rrrnd sonle guirrrrntec thrrt it rvill
not be h,rrnred beyond reprrir. This sitc grrthcrs, rnrons
others, the follorvins qr-ralities:
- It has
plcte lnd
;r
high rcpresentativitv, bcing thc nlost conl-
of ir linrit of thc strrrtirraphic
It shoulcl irllorv thc nr:rxir.n,rl lnd nrost cxh;rustive
understirncling of thc n:lture ,'rnd origirr of the phenonrenon it represcnts.
- It corrcsponds to a singul;rr scction. unique .rt
r slobal sc,rle, whiclr h,rs to ,rct i1s a chronostrirtigr:rphic
expre ssivc rvav
record.
reference in interregional correlirtions.
- It should cnirble the ircconrplishrrcnt of global
nrultidisciplinirry str.rdies, for rvhich it is neccsslr)'to consider a dispos,rbility and potenti,rlity critcrion. This is due
to the prr.rctical necessities of science, u,hich nr.rv require
later studies, r'erific:rtions and reinterprctations.
It cern rrlso be used as a standlrd, rvith cducational
:rnd cultural arinrs. We ,rlso considet irs Wimbledon et al.
(2000), that our international geoloeical hcritage is essential to sciencc irnd cducatior.r, rnd is ,i rcsponsibility
rvhich should bc shared by all geological scientists, and
of coursc, in ,r speci,rl rva1, in our casc, b1' ccntr,rl and peripheral (arutonor.n ic an d local ) irdnr i n i s rrrrti or.r s.
Dangers or risks of destruction or deterioration
For thc tinrc beins, ir.r.rr.ninent risks of destruction
or deterioration of this site lre not krìow11, irt le:rst in the
short run. Thc scctiou is easillr accessible :rnd is located
:rbout 500 r.n frorr the llst houscs of thc lìr-rentcls,rz village. This villasc, ,rlthough it l'rrs relrrtivelv iurport,rnt in
historic,rl tinrcs inside the Senorío dc Molirr,r de Arasór.ì,
in rvhich it is irrcluded, non,,rdrrvs l.rtrs ,r popr.rl,rtion of
lbor,rt 300 inhlbitlnts. The or,rtcrops ivhich need to be
prote ctcd lrc scprrr;rtcd fronr the r,'illrgc bv ,r snrrrll v,rlley,
rvith non-irrigartcd irsricultur,rl crops, rvhich crrn h,rrdly
exp:rnd into thc slopc rvherc thc GSSP of tl.rc Airler.riirr.r
Stage is pl,rccd.
On the otlre r hirnd, in tl.re lirst fcu,r,errrs the villase
has hird r lou, dcvclopnlent, n,ith a negirtivc derlogrlphic srorvth. Nov buildings h,rve bccn br"rilt ,rlong the rotrd
leadins to thc interprovinciirl roircl rvhich links Molin;r
Arirgón (Gr.rirclalirjirrir) with Nuóvalos (Zrirauoza). The
clc
C o n s a n' rtt i o
t
t
t ) t tT
n
Lt
gc ) n
c
n
t
oJ F t r a t t t a / s rt z
39s
rt r a rt
0
T------ommunity
50
--------
Fuentelsaz
Gallocanta Lake
SFFi
f"ra'"
íi.
'"
100 km
A. Goy, S. Ureta, F. García-Joral, J. J. Góntez, C. Herrent Et G. l'lartínez
396
economy of the villaqe rests mirinly on asricukure and
does not have any kind of industrv or minins exploit:rtion in its surroundings, rvhich nlav represenr .r noriceable risk for the site.
Actions towards the conservation and sociocultural development of the Fuentelsaz Section
The UNESCO establishcs that the fossils and prlaeontolosical sites belonrÌ to the cultural heritase xs p:rrr
of the E;rrth, accordinu to the agreement on the protection of World Natural Heritlee, of November 1922, subscribed by Spain in its Law of 02-05-75.Its protection
is contemplated in the llws on Natural Heritage of cach
country ffor Spain in Lirw 4/1989, of March 27, on thc
conservation of Natural Areas (BOE no.74,28-03-89,
Art. l2), and in some other auronomic laws]. This protection refers to the crcation of Natural Reserves lnd
Monuments -palaeontological sites of special interesr :rrc
explicitly mentioned- in which the extraction of rocks or
fossils is prohibited, unless properly authorised. Son.re irutonomous regions, among thenr Castilla-La Manch:r, havc
also included in the cultr,rral heritage prorecrion laws thc
totality of the fossils found in their territory. This wiry,
the Consejería de Cultura of this i'rutonomy, has ir clear
knowledge of the value of Palireontoloel' as rr sood that
has to be put in the hands of the scientific conrrnunirv
for its research. In turn, it should eo back ro sociery in
the form of scientific and popular publications. A good
example of this is the book "La huella del pasirdo. Fósiles de Castilla-La Manchir" published by the Junt:r de
Corrunidades de Castilh-I-l M:rncha, which includes rr
chapter devoted to invertebrlte Jurassic fossils (Goy ct
al.1999a).
frastructures diffc'rent from those required by rhe protected area, the scicntific rvork lacking the lppropriate
iruthorisation, the activities dedicated to the production
and tr,rnsport of energ1,, the installation of cournrunication networks, the dunrping, buryinu lnd storing of debris and liquid or solid residues, the instirllarion of static
publicity not rclltcd ro the Natural Monun.renr, erc...
Other close singular sites of interest to the sociocultural
development of the Fuentelsaz Region
The Fuentelsaz- Section, close to ir nredieval castle, is located in the Senorío de Molin,r de Aragón, in the
tourist route of the Mon:rsterio de Piedra. This Senorío
w:rs, during the Middle Ases, ir border line between the
Kinedoms of Cirstilla :rnd Aragón, which orirÌiniìted an
inrportant civil and nrilitirry architecturc in its ,rrea of influence. Therc irrc romanic churches, such as the one of
Santa Catalin:r in Hinojosx, or rhe one of Lir Carrasca in
Castellar de h Muela, and monasteries as the one of La
Virgen de Ia Hoz- close to the capital of the Senorío, or
the Cistercian nronasteries of La Buena Fue nte del Sistal
irnd Santa Mirríir dc Huerta, besìdes the :rlrcady nlentioned
Monasterio de Picdra. Amons the militirrl' archirecrure
stand out the castles of Molina de Aragón, in the Ruta
del Cid, and those of Zira and Corduente.
Also, near Fuentelsaz, there is a beirutiful scenerx
rvith rocky landscape irnd protected dense forests, such as
the recently created P:rrque del Aho Tajo, and the Laguna
de Galloc,rnta, which is r specific example of an unusual
wetland in inner Spain, with more tharn 220 species of
birds, about one hundred of which breed there regularly,
and is considered as the mosr importlnt gathering point
for immigrating conrmon cranes in rvestern E,urope.
Taking into accounr thrt the Autononrous Resion
of Castilla-La Mancha has irdopted its environnrental
competences, particularlv for the lesislative development and execution regarding the "environmental and
ecosystem protection", ,rs well as "protected n;ttLlral trcas", possibly the most adequate figure for the prorecrion
of the Stratotype of the Aale nian Limit is rhat of Nrrurill
Monument. This fisure is resulated by Article 45 of Larv
9/1999, of May 26, on the Consen ation of N:lture , issued
by the Courts of this :rurononìous region.
The lan' tvpifying rhe figure of Natur,rl Monunrenr,
alloq,s that the protected l:rnds can be inscribed :rs "un-
resistrable" in the Mining Rccord, and that it is zoncd
as a rural area by tl.re urbirn irnd resional planninu, uiving it environmental, natural irnd l:rndscape prorccrion.
However this designation permits the activities clf gcological research, as well as rhose of any other scientific
discipline.
In the protected areir (or arlert area), it could also
be prohibited, if considered convenient, all activitics irlplying land moving, the construction of buildinss or in-
Conclusions
Sumnring up, for rhe consen,ation and the sociocultural developnrent of the Fuentelsaz Section, up ro now,
action has been taken :rt the level of the autonon.ric and
state adn.rinistrariorls.
On onc hand, taking into account all rhe considerations presentcd here, the proper steps have been taken to set the Conscjería de Agricultur:r y Medio Ambiente of the :rutonomous region ro preprrc, in ,r relatively
short time, rr decrec. This should then be rccepted by
the Governnrent irnd the Consultive Cor.rncil of Castilla-La Mancha, declaring the Fuentelsa'rz- Section a Natural Monuntent.
At the si'ulrc tinle, and throurÌh the Instiruto Geológico v Minero de L,sprna (IGME), dependent from the
Spanish Ministerv of Environnlenr, rhe Fuentelsaz Section h:rs been inclr.rdcd in an invenrorv of Gcosites of
exceptional intercst, in the Mesozoic Series of the Betic
and Iberian Rlnses.
Consutation til.tltagement of Fuentelsaz area
Acknou,ledgmetrts. Wc s,ould like to thank Dr. Diego GirrcírBellido for the partirrl tr;lnslrtion of the m,rnusct'ipt. This l'ork hrrs
been financiallv supported bv the Prolect BTE200l-192+ ol rhe Sprn-
397
ish Ministerv of Science rrnd Technolotl,. The ,ruthors rvould also like
to thlnk the rcvics'e'rs S. EInrv ,ind C. Meiste r for rheir criticrl revien's
,rnd tu{gcttiont th.rt inrproted thc nrrnu:cript.
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