Written by one of the most celebrated historians of the Spanish Civil War, this book presents a fascinating account of the origins of the war and the nature and importance of conspiracy for the ...extreme right. Based on exhaustive research, and written with lucidity and considerable humour, it acts as both an outstanding introduction to the vast literature of the war, and a monumental contribution to that literature.
Part I: Communist Plots and the Spanish Civil War Part II: The Brainwashing of Francisco Franco
The Variscan mountain belt in Iberia defines a large “S” shape with the Cantabrian Orocline in the north and the Central Iberian curve, an alleged orocline belt of opposite curvature, to the south. ...The Cantabrian Orocline is kinematically well constrained, but the geometry and kinematics of the Central Iberian curve are still controversial. Here, we investigate the kinematics of the Central Iberian curve, which plays an important role in the amalgamation of Pangea since it may have accommodated much of the post-collisional deformation. We have performed a paleomagnetic study on Carboniferous granitoids and Cambrian limestones within the hinge of the curve. Our paleomagnetic and rock magnetic results show a primary magnetization in the granitoids and a widespread Carboniferous remagnetization of the limestones. Syn-kinematic granitoids show ca. 70° counter-clockwise rotations consistent with the southern limb of the Cantabrian Orocline. Post-kinematic granitoids and Cambrian limestones show consistent inclinations but very scattered declinations suggesting that they were magnetized coevally to and after the ~70° rotation. Our results show no differential rotations between northern, southern limb and the hinge zone. Therefore, we discard a late Carboniferous oroclinal origin for the Central Iberian curve.
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•Paleo- and rock magnetic evidence of 70° CCW Late Carboniferous rotation.•The rotation is incompatible with a secondary origin for the Central Iberian curve.•Results show a pervasive remagnetization of sedimentary rocks during the rotation.
The eastern Betic Cordillera, Spain, is the most seismically active area within the Iberian Peninsula. We present a Global Positioning System (GPS)-derived horizontal crustal deformation obtained ...from five occupations of the CuaTeNeo GPS network (1997, 2002, 2006, 2009 and 2011) that clearly shows continuing tectonic activity in the SE Betics. The most prominent feature of the GPS velocity field is the NW oriented motion of the majority of the stations at rates ranging from 2mm/yr near the coast to 0.5mm/yr inland. This type of deformation indicates that the main driving force responsible for the observed velocities is related to the on-going convergence between Nubia and Eurasia plates. The calculated deformation field shows evidence for localized deformation related to active faults within the area. Most of the deformation is concentrated on the Alhama de Murcia fault, the source of the 2011 Lorca earthquake (Mw 5.2). We estimate a reverse-sinistral geodetic slip rate of 1.5±0.3mm/yr for this fault. Our crustal deformation field and analyses are important contributions to estimating seismic hazard for the eastern Betics, since it is the first time crustal deformation rates at this scale are presented.
•Plate tectonics responsible for the deformation in the eastern Betics.•Calculated GPS crustal deformation rates range between 0.7 and 2mm/yr to the NW.•The most active tectonic fault is Alhama de Murcia (1.5mm/yr).
Early marine diagenetic dolomite is a rather thermodynamically‐stable carbonate phase and has potential to act as an archive of marine porewater properties. However, the variety of early to late ...diagenetic dolomite phases that can coexist within a single sample can result in extensive complexity. Here, the archive potential of early marine dolomites exposed to extreme post‐depositional processes is tested using various types of analyses, including: petrography, fluid inclusion data, stable δ13C and δ18O isotopes, 87Sr/86Sr ratios, and U‐Pb age dating of various dolomite phases. In this example, a Triassic carbonate platform was dissected and overprinted (diagenetic temperatures of 50 to 430°C) in a strike‐slip zone in Southern Spain. Eight episodes of dolomitization, a dolostone cataclasite and late stage meteoric/vadose cementation were recognized. The following processes were found to be diagenetically relevant: (i) protolith deposition and fabric‐preservation, and marine dolomitization of precursor aragonite and calcite during the Middle–Late Triassic; (ii) intermediate burial and formation of zebra saddle dolomite and precipitation of various dolomite cements in a Proto‐Atlantic opening stress regime (T ca 250°C) during the Early–Middle Jurassic; (iii) dolomite cement precipitation during early Alpine tectonism, rapid burial to ca 15 km, and high‐grade anchizone overprint during Alpine tectonic evolution in the Early Eocene to Early Miocene; (iv) brecciation of dolostones to cataclasite during the onset of the Carboneras Fault Zone activity during the Middle Miocene; and (v) late‐stage regression and subsequent meteoric overprint. Data shown here document that, under favourable conditions, early diagenetic marine dolomites and their archive data may resist petrographic and geochemical resetting over time intervals of 108 or more years. Evidence for this preservation includes preserved Late Triassic seawater δ13CDIC values and primary fluid inclusion data. Data also indicate that oversimplified statements based on bulk data from other petrographically‐complex dolomite archives must be considered with caution.
A coalition of leftist political groups, civic movements, and grassroots organizations led by social activist Ada Colau won the Barcelona municipal elections of 2015 and is now governing the Catalan ...capital. The key to this success may well have been its critical positioning in relation to its tourism. Until recently considered a best practice in urban regeneration and a successful global destination, Barcelona has seen in the last 2 years a radical change in the public perception on tourism: from “manna from heaven” to serious issues that are affecting the quality of life of its citizens.This article looks into the factors that may have determined this political change, from the growth of tourism beyond what could be considered a critical threshold for an urban system, to the development of a critical discourse on tourism by the new coalition—attributed to its peculiar constituency and working methods—and the role of the media in airing this discursive shift. The article follows the thread of the “growth machine” theorizations and questions whether the increasing dimension of tourism in urban societies could be a driver for regime changes.
Abiotic methane in serpentinized peridotites (MSP) has implications for energy resource exploration, planetary geology, subsurface microbiology and astrobiology. Once considered a rare occurrence on ...Earth, reports of MSP are increasing for numerous localities worldwide in low temperature, land-based springs and seeps. We report the discovery of six methane-rich water springs and two ponds with active gas bubbling in the Ronda peridotite massif, in southern Spain. Water is hyperalkaline with typical hydrochemical features of active serpentinization (pH: 10.7 to 11.7, T: 17.1 to 21.5 °C, Ca–OH facies). Dissolved CH4 concentrations range from 0.1 to 3.2 mg/L. The methane stable C and H isotope ratios in the natural spring and bubbling sites (δ13CCH4: −12.3 to −37‰ VPDB; δ2HCH4: −280 to −333‰ VSMOW) indicate a predominant abiotic origin. In contrast, springs with manmade water systems, i.e., pipes or fountains, appear to have mixed biotic-abiotic origin (δ13CCH4: −44 to −69‰; δ2HCH4: −180 to −319‰). Radiocarbon (14C) analyses show that methane C in a natural spring is older than ca. 50,000 y BP, whereas dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) analysed in all springs has an apparent 14C age ranging from modern to 2334 y BP. Therefore most, if not all, of the CH4 is allochthonous, i.e., not generated from the carbon in the hyperalkaline water. Methane is also released as bubbles in natural ponds and as diffuse seepages (∼101–102 mg CH4 m−2d−1) from the ground up to several tens of metres from the seeps and springs, albeit with no overt visual evidence. These data suggest that the gas follows independent migration pathways, potentially along faults or fracture systems, physically isolated from the hyperalkaline springs. Methane does not seem to be genetically related to the hyperalkaline water, which may only act as a carrier of the gas. Gas-bearing springs, vents and invisible microseepage in land-based peridotites are more common than previously thought. In addition to other geological sources, MSP is potentially a natural source of methane for the troposphere and requires more worldwide flux measurements.
•Methane-rich water springs and seeps discovered in the Ronda peridotite massif.•Stable C and H isotope ratios indicate a predominant abiotic origin of methane.•Methane is not generated from the C in the hyperalkaline water.•Methane is released as bubbles and diffuse seepages.•Gas follows migration pathways independent from the hyperalkaline springs.
The phenomenon of Neolithisation refers to the transition of prehistoric populations from a hunter-gatherer to an agro-pastoralist lifestyle. Traditionally, the spread of an agro-pastoralist economy ...into Europe has been framed within a dichotomy based either on an acculturation phenomenon or on a demic diffusion. However, the nature and speed of this transition is a matter of continuing scientific debate in archaeology, anthropology, and human population genetics. In the present study, we have analyzed the mitochondrial DNA diversity in hunter-gatherers and first farmers from Northern Spain, in relation to the debate surrounding the phenomenon of Neolithisation in Europe.
Analysis of mitochondrial DNA was carried out on 54 individuals from Upper Paleolithic and Early Neolithic, which were recovered from nine archaeological sites from Northern Spain (Basque Country, Navarre and Cantabria). In addition, to take all necessary precautions to avoid contamination, different authentication criteria were applied in this study, including: DNA quantification, cloning, duplication (51% of the samples) and replication of the results (43% of the samples) by two independent laboratories. Statistical and multivariate analyses of the mitochondrial variability suggest that the genetic influence of Neolithisation did not spread uniformly throughout Europe, producing heterogeneous genetic consequences in different geographical regions, rejecting the traditional models that explain the Neolithisation in Europe.
The differences detected in the mitochondrial DNA lineages of Neolithic groups studied so far (including these ones of this study) suggest different genetic impact of Neolithic in Central Europe, Mediterranean Europe and the Cantabrian fringe. The genetic data obtained in this study provide support for a random dispersion model for Neolithic farmers. This random dispersion had a different impact on the various geographic regions, and thus contradicts the more simplistic total acculturation and replacement models proposed so far to explain Neolithisation.
A complete Ediacaran–Early Cambrian stratigraphic transition can be observed in the southern part of the Central Iberian Zone (Iberian Massif). Two different stratigraphic units, underlying ...Ordovician series, display geochemical and Sm–Nd isotopic features in agreement with an evolving geodynamic setting. Pusa Shales (Early Cambrian) rest unconformably on greywackes of the Lower Alcudian Formation (Late Ediacaran). Both sequences present minor compositional variations for major and trace element contents and similar REE patterns, close to those of PAAS (Post Archean Australian Shale). Trace element contents and element ratios suggest mixed sources, with intermediate to felsic igneous contributions for both units. Tectonic setting discrimination diagrams for the Ediacaran greywackes indicate that these turbiditic series were deposited in a sedimentary basin associated with a mature active margin (volcanic arc). However, the compositions of the Cambrian shales fit better with a more stable context, a back-arc or retro-arc setting. εNd(T) and TDM ages are compatible with dominance of a similar cratonic source for both sequences, probably the West Africa Craton. εNd565 values for the Ediacaran greywackes (−3.0 to −1.4) along with TDM ages (1256–1334Ma) imply a significant contribution of juvenile material, probably derived from the erosion of the volcanic arc. However, εNd530 values in the Cambrian shales (−5.2 to −4.0) together with older TDM ages (1444–1657Ma), suggest a higher contribution of cratonic isotopic sources, probably derived from erosion of the adjacent mainland. Coeval with the progressive cessation of arc volcanism along the peri-Gondwanan realm during the Cambrian, there was a period of more tectonic stability and increasing arrival of sediments from cratonic areas. The geochemistry of the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition in Central Iberia documents a tectonic switch in the periphery of Gondwana, from an active margin to a more stable context related to the onset of a passive margin.
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•The Ediacaran–Cambrian transition in Central Iberia occurred in an evolving setting.•TDM ages of Ediacaran greywackes indicate an input of arc-derived juvenile material.•Older isotopic sources in Cambrian shales point to a more stable continental sources.
On May 5th, 2013 a planar rock slide (~450 m3) occurred in the village of La Riba (NE Spain), which forced the closure of the road C-240z for 6 months. This slide left a hanging block (~130 m3) ...suspended on the slope forcing a controlled blasting, followed by rock slope stabilization works. The volume of rock displaced during the both events was deduced from LiDAR and photogrammetry data following two approaches: subtracting pre- and post-event data and reconstructing the volume by fitting planes on the structural surfaces after a structural analysis of the slope. Information about the natural rock slide was obtained from the records of two permanent broadband seismic stations located 10 km from the site. From these seismic records, the existence of a rock slide was confirmed and its time of occurrence was determined, information that would be otherwise unknown. In addition, despite the small volume displaced during the event, its location was deduced from a single seismic station analysis. The blasting process was recorded with two high-definition (HD) video cameras and by two temporary seismic stations deployed close to the site (<100 m). Both the seismic and video recordings enabled us to reconstruct the trajectories and propagation details of the blasted rock blocks, involving material of different size sliding on the slope, suspended in the air or bouncing and impacting along the slope and on the road. Potential and seismic energy ratios (Es/Ep) for each event were calculated from seismic data analysis in order to investigate the possibility of estimating properties of the rockfalls, primarily volume. The potential energy of both events was deduced from the volumes calculated using remote sensing methods and ranged between 189 and 201 MJ for the natural rock slide and between 48 and 54 MJ for the artificially triggered rockfall. The seismic energy was calculated following two approaches; estimating pseudo local magnitudes and by classical wave propagation theory, obtaining Es values ranging from 2.0 × 10−1 MJ to 4.4 × 10−1 MJ for the natural rock slide and from 4.5 × 10−3 to 9.1 × 10−3 MJ for the artificial event. We estimated ranges of Es/Ep ratios between 1.5 × 10−7 and 5 × 10−3 for the natural rock slide and between 8.5 × 10−5 and 1.1 × 10−4 for the artificial rockfall. The comparison of the volumes calculated using these ratios with the realistic volumes estimated from remote sensing data analysis, show that the seismic method is far less reliable for this task, specifically for small volumes (<500 m3) at long distances (>10 km). Partially, because only a part of the released energy is transmitted into the ground as seismic energy, and partially because the recorded seismic signal is highly dependent on the event characteristics and the geotechnical conditions of the ground materials. Nevertheless, seismic data is very well suited to detect and characterize in detail both rockfall events of different nature and size. Merging and integrating remote sensing techniques such as LiDAR or photogrammetry with seismic measurements should allow the implementation of rockfall early warning systems.
•A small rockslide is characterized using a 3-component seismic record acquired at a station distant 10 km.•A blasted rockfall is analyzed with nearby (100 m) seismic data and video recordings•Rock volumes are estimated using LiDAR and photogrammetry, even without pre-event data•Rockfall seismic energies and Es/Ep ratios are estimated from seismic data•Combining remote-sensing and seismic data provide reliable data to study rockfalls
A proper monitoring and management of semi-arid landscapes affected by wildfire is needed to reduce its effects on the soil hydrological response in the wet season. Despite ample literature on the ...post-fire hydrology in forest soils, it is not well documented how the hydrologic processes respond to changes in vegetation cover and soil properties of semi-arid lands (such as the forest and areas with sparse forests) after wildfire. To fill this gap, this study evaluates soil hydrology in a semi-arid soil of Central Eastern Spain dominated by Macrochloa tenacissima (a widely-spread species in Northern Africa and Iberian Peninsula) after a wildfire. Rainfall simulations were carried out under three soil conditions (bare soil, burned and soils with unburned vegetation) and low-to-high slopes, and infiltration, surface runoff and erosion were measured. Infiltration rates did not noticeably vary among the three soil conditions (maximum variability equal to 20%). Compared to the bare soil, the burned area (previously vegetated with M. tenacissima) produced a runoff volume lowered by 27%. In contrast, in the area covered by the same species but unburned, runoff was lowered by 58%. The burned areas with M. tenacissima produced soil losses that were similar as those measured in bare soils, and, in steeper slopes, even higher. Erosion was instead much lower (−83%) in the sites with unburned vegetation. Overall, the control of erosion in these semi-arid lands is beneficial to reduce the possible hydrological effects downstream of these fire-prone areas. In this direction, the establishment of vegetation strips of M. tenacissima in large and steep drylands of bare soil left by fire may be suggested to land managers.
•Soil hydrology in a semi-arid soils dominated by Macrochloa tenacissima is evaluated.•Infiltration rates did not noticeably vary among soils.•Compared to bare soils, runoff decreased in both burned and unburned sites.•Erosion was similar in bare and burned soils, and lower in unburned sites.•M. tenacissima strips in drylands are suggested as post-fire management.