El impacto de la minería en la sedimentación y la ecología de lagos de alta montañael registro sedimentario de La Cueva (Asturias, NO de España)
- M. Morellón 1
- J. Vegas 2
- C. Morales-Molino 3
- A. Vicente de Vera 4
- M. Leunda 3
- S. Plà-Rabes 5
- J. Sánchez-España 2
- F. Martín-Hernández 1
- J.A. Rodríguez-García 2
- M.P. Mata 2
-
1
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
info
-
2
Instituto Geológico y Minero de España
info
- 3 University of Bern.
- 4 Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE) – CSIC
- 5 CREAF. Campus de Bellaterra (UAB)
ISSN: 1576-5172
Year of publication: 2021
Issue Title: X Congreso Geológico de España
Issue: 18
Pages: 1015
Type: Article
More publications in: Geotemas (Madrid)
Abstract
La Cueva (43º 03’ N, 6º 06’ O, 1550 m asl) is a 21-m deep lake of glacial origin located in the Somiedo Natural Park (western Cantabrian Range, Asturias). The lake catchment has been subjected to the impact of iron mining since the early 19th century until late 20th century. The recently accomplished environmental restoration of the area involved the re-deposition of large tailings in the lake catchment. The multi-proxy analysis (sedimentology, geochemistry, magnetic susceptibility, magnetic remanence, diatoms, pollen, charcoal and dung fungal spores) of a 66-cm long sediment core, recovered from the deepest area of the lake and dated using 210Pb and 14 C, allows reconstructing the dynamics of this lake during the last millennium from its ‘pre-mining impact’ conditions to the present. The sedimentary sequence of La Cueva has recorded how recent climate change and diverse human activities (farming, cattle raising, mining, hydropower) have driven changes in the sedimentary and biological dynamics of the lake and the surrounding vegetation. This study illustrates the complex interaction and rela- tive importance of climate variability and human impact in the recent evolution of mountain lakes and the importance of paleolimnological research on the evaluation of restoration measurements in natural protected areas.