Geoparc Orígens has been a member of the ‘Sponsor a Rock’ program of the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain (IGME) for more than a year.
Since then, numerous places of geological interest have been sponsored, but no one has been interested in the calcareous tuff domes of Mont de Conques, in Pallars Jussà (Lleida).
It is a unique geological formation in Europe. In the rest of the planet it is only found in Australia and the United States. They are emblematic spaces on a scientific level and very little known by the local public.
On Mont de Conques there are eleven mapped elements and they have been used as models for the study of domes identified on the planet Mars. Now, the park wants to awaken people’s interest and get someone to sponsor them.
Sponsor a rock’ is a free volunteer program that seeks to conserve and monitor geological heritage.
It is a completely free action and only a minimum commitment of one annual visit is requested to check its status and, if an incident is detected, report it so it can be repaired.
Xavier Mir, scientific coordinator of Geoparc Orígens, has encouraged citizens to sponsor a place “so emblematic” and “so little known” for the vast majority.
The research has linked the domes with the one located inside the Crommelin crater, on the planet Mars, given that they could have formed under similar conditions.
Mir has assured that “unique conditions” are needed for the formation of a dome. A source of underground water is needed that comes out at a point where the terrain characteristics are very flat. Additionally, the water must contain a high percentage of calcium carbonate.
When all these characteristics occur, a domic morphology very similar to a “water volcano” is created. These morphologies are formed over many years; approximately half a thousand.
The importance of scientific publications that have related the morphologies of the planet Mars with the domes lies in the fact that their formation is associated with underground waters, Mir has highlighted.
Geoparc Orígens has contacted NASA in case they wanted to test the robots they sent to Mars to explore its surface and geology on Mont de Conques, given the similarities in some formations. At that time the operation of the Mars Exploration Rover was already closed, but Geoparc Orígens does not rule out new offers.
The Basturs pond, together with those of Banyoles and Montcortès (Pallars Sobirà), is of karstic origin and is one of the most important in Catalonia. All three have in common that they are supplied by underground water loaded with calcium carbonate, but the difference is that only those of Basturs have been created in a very flat area and the progressive formation has generated circular barriers similar to a volcano.
The large Basturs pond is in an evolutionary stage of maturity, but during the Middle Ages its growth was slowed by human impact due to the displacement of limestone from the area, to build nearby buildings.
The Petit pond is a youth pond that also saw its formation truncated due to human causes as a result of the creation of artificial drainages. In addition, the eleven domic morphologies of Mont de Conques are preserved.