General Information

Structure type
Deformed/Undeformed
Geological Setting ,
Outcropping/buried
Evaporite unit/s name
Evaporite unit/s age
Evaporite unit/s origin ,
Classif. (Hudec and Jackson, 2009)
Classif. (Jackson and Talbot, 1986)
Age of evaporite flow or deformation (when deformed)
Other comments Messinian salinity crisis represented in the Lorca basin. Early-Middle Miocene compression produced sectorial uplifts and basin development that increased marine restriction and isolation, favouring the evaporite precipitation. During the Late Miocene, extensional tectonics occurred along the Lorca basin. Evaporites can be stratigraphically and chemically correlated with those outcropping in the Fortuna basin.

Location

Location

Map (detail)

Location
Location

Geological map

Location

Cross section

Location

Structure type (Hudec and Jackson, 2009)

Location

Regional Stratigraphy

Location

Other maps 1

Location

Other maps 2

Generic Data

Unique ID 136
Name Lorca
Structure type Evaporite body
Deformed/Undeformed Undeformed
Buried/Outcropping Outcropping
Geological setting Betic System
Geological Regional Setting Lorca Basin
Evaporite unit/s name La Serrata Fm. (Varied Mb unit, Detrital Mb unit, Lower Gypsum unit, Upper Gypsum Unit, Laminated Peliteunit, Basal Anhydrite unit, Lower Salt unit, Upper Salt unit and Overlying Gypsum unit
Evaporite unit/s age Late Tortonian-Early Messinian (Upper Miocene)
Evaporite unit/s era Cenozoic
Evaporite unit/s origin Marine and Continental
Evaporite unit/s composition Marlstone-Massive gypsum-Sandstones-Halite
Post-kinematic unit/s (or post-evaporite units when evaporites are undeformed) Quaternary (alluvial and colluvial detrital deposits)
Post-kinematic unit/s age (or post-evaporite units when evaporites are undeformed) Pleistocene-Holocene
Classification (Hudec and Jackson, 2009) No diapirism
Classification (Jackson and Talbot, 1986) No diapirism
Mining activity? Y
Mining activity start 1860
Mining activity end Active
Mining galleries? Y
Mining products Gypsum
Mining sub-products Sandstone, Gravel
Evaporite flow? N
Age of evaporite flow
Flow or deformation triggering mechanisms
Flow-linked structures?
Halokinetic structures
Post-evaporite and pre-kinematic unit/s (overbuden)
Syn-kinematic unit/s
Available seismic profiles LA SALUD S / LA SALUD N / GUADALENTIN / S-85-74
Available boreholes LRC-2b / LRC-3 / LRC-1b / LRC-2 / LRC-1 / LRC-1b / LRC-4 / LRC-5 / LRC-3 / LRC-4 / LRC-2 / LRC-2b / LRC-5 / LRC-1 / CC-2 (CABEZO COLORAO)
Additional comments Messinian salinity crisis represented in the Lorca basin. Early-Middle Miocene compression produced sectorial uplifts and basin development that increased marine restriction and isolation, favouring the evaporite precipitation. During the Late Miocene, extensional tectonics occurred along the Lorca basin. Evaporites can be stratigraphically and chemically correlated with those outcropping in the Fortuna basin

Mining Data

UNIQUE_ID 136
Minning exploitations within <2km? Y
Historical/Active Active
Exploitation name #1 LA SERRATA
Exploitation ID (Spanish National Mining Cadastre) #1 1165
Municipality #1 Lorca
Province #1 MURCIA
Company #1 EXPLOTACIONES RIO DE AGUAS S.L
Main minning Products #1 Gypsum
Exploitation name #2 LOS TRINCHERAS
Exploitation ID (Spanish National Mining Cadastre) #2 1365
Municipality #2 Lorca
Province #2 MURCIA
Company #2 HERMANOS GONZALEZ LUCAS S.A.
Main minning Products #2 Gravel and sand
Exploitation name #3
Exploitation ID (Spanish National Mining Cadastre) #3
Municipality #3
Province #3
Company #3
Main minning Products #3

Quantitative Data

UNIQUE_ID 136
Outcropping area (km2) 107.75687
Horizontal intersection area (km2) (when buried) Not buried
Depth of intersection area (km2) (when buried) Not buried
Max. Width (Km) 13.4627777
Max. Length (Km) 25.5379022
Max. Evaporites thickness (km) 0.5
Max. Deformation age (Ma)
Min. Deformation age (Ma)
Deformation stages 0

Reference Data

UNIQUE_ID 136
Section source de Galdeano, C. S., García-Mondéjar, J., Ferrairó, J. M., 2012. Evolución tectónica del sector de Lorca desde el Mioceno superior al Cuaternario/Tectonic evolution of the Lorca sector from the Late Miocene to the Quaternary. Física de la Tierra, 24, 193. [link]
Well / Borehole availability #1 García-Veigas, J., Ortí, F., Rosell, L., Inglés, M., 1994. Caracterizacion petrologica y geoquimica de la unidad salina messiniense de la cuenca de Lorca (sondeos S4 y S5). Geogaceta, 15(78.8). [link]
Well / Borehole availability #2 n.a.
Available data (Stratigraphy) #1 García‐Veigas, J., Gibert, L., Cendón, D. I., Artiaga, D., Corbí, H., Soria, J. M., …, Sanz, E., 2020. Late Miocene evaporite geochemistry of Lorca and Fortuna basins (Eastern Betics, SE Spain): Evidence of restriction and continentalization. Basin Research, 32(5), 926-958. [link]
Available data (Stratigraphy) #2 Carpentier, C., Vennin, E., Rouchy, J. M., Cornée, J. J., Melinte-Dobrinescu, M., Hibsch, C., …, Bartier, D., 2020. Ages and stratigraphical architecture of late Miocene deposits in the Lorca Basin (Betics, SE Spain): New insights for the salinity crisis in marginal basins. Sedimentary Geology, 405, 105700. [link]
Available data (Stratigraphy) #3 Ortí, F., García-Veigas, J., Rosell, L., Rouchy, J. M., Ingles, M., Gimeno, D., …, Playa, E., 1993. Correlación litoestratigráfica de las evaporitas messinienses en las cuencas de Lorca y Fortuna (Murcia). Geogaceta, 14, 98-101. [link]
Available data (Stratigraphy) #4 Playà, E., Ortı, F., Rosell, L., 2000. Marine to non-marine sedimentation in the upper Miocene evaporites of the Eastern Betics, SE Spain: sedimentological and geochemical evidence. Sedimentary Geology, 133(1-2), 135-166. [link]
Available data (Stratigraphy) #5 Benali, S., Schreiber, B. C., Helman, M. L., Philp, R. P., 1995. Characterization of organic matter from a restricted/evaporative sedimentary environment: late Miocene of Lorca Basin, southeastern Spain. AAPG Bulletin, 79(6), 816-829. [link]
Available data (Stratigraphy) #6 Krijgsman, W., Garcés, M., Agustı, J., Raffi, I., Taberner, C., Zachariasse, W. J., 2000. The ‘Tortonian salinity crisis’ of the eastern Betics (Spain). Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 181(4), 497-511. [link]
Regional Stratigraphy Montenat C. H., d’Estevou, P. O., Fernandez, J. R., De Galdeano, C. S., 1990. Geodynamic evolution of the Betic Neogene intramontane basins (S and SE Spain). Paleontologia i Evolucio Especial, 2, 5-60, Unpublished. [link]
Seismic data availability #1 n.a.
Seismic data availability #2 n.a.
Seismic data availability #3 n.a.
Available data (Structure) #1 de Galdeano, C. S., García-Mondéjar, J., Ferrairó, J. M., 2012. Evolución tectónica del sector de Lorca desde el Mioceno superior al Cuaternario/Tectonic evolution of the Lorca sector from the Late Miocene to the Quaternary. Física de la Tierra, 24, 193. [link]
Available data (Structure) #2 Guillén Mondéjar, F., 1994. La evolución espacio-temporal de la Cuenca de Lorca (Murcia). Aspectos geológicos y mineralógicos [Ph.D. Thesis]: Universidad de Murcia, 400pp. [link]
Available data (Structure) #3 Krijgsman, W., Leewis, M. E., Garcés, M., Kouwenhoven, T. J., Kuiper, K. F., Sierro, F. J., 2006. Tectonic control for evaporite formation in the Eastern Betics (Tortonian; Spain). Sedimentary Geology, 188, 155-170. [link]
Available data (Structure) #4 Frizon de Lamotte, D., Guézou, J. C., Albertini, M. A., 1989. Deformation related to Miocene westward translation in the core of the Betic zone Implications on the tectonic interpretation of the Betic orogen (Spain). Geodinamica Acta, 3(4), 267-281. [link]
Available data (Structure) #5 Guillén Mondéjar, F., Rodríguez Estrella, T., Arana, R., López Aguayo, F., 1995. Historia geológica de la cuenca de Lorca (Murcia): influencia de la tectónica en la sedimentación. Geogaceta, 18, 30-33. [link]
Available data (Structure) #6 n.a.
Available data (Analogue modelling) #1 n.a.
Available data (Analogue modelling) #2 n.a.
Available data (Analogue modelling) #3 n.a.
Available data (Gravimetry – Tomography) #1 Ayala, C., Bohoyo, F., Maestro, A., Reguera, M. I., Torne, M., Rubio, F., Fernández, M., García-Lobón, J. L., 2016. Updated Bouguer anomalies of the Iberian Peninsula: a new perspective to interpret the regional geology. Journal of Maps, 12(5), 1089-1092. [link]
Available data (Gravimetry – Tomography) #2 n.a.
Available data (Gravimetry – Tomography) #3 n.a.
Available data (Geochemistry) #1 García‐Veigas, J., Gibert, L., Cendón, D. I., Artiaga, D., Corbí, H., Soria, J. M., …, Sanz, E., 2020. Late Miocene evaporite geochemistry of Lorca and Fortuna basins (Eastern Betics, SE Spain): Evidence of restriction and continentalization. Basin Research, 32(5), 926-958. [link]
Available data (Geochemistry) #2 García-Veigas, J., Ortí, F., Rosell, L., Inglés, M., 1994. Caracterizacion petrologica y geoquimica de la unidad salina messiniense de la cuenca de Lorca (sondeos S4 y S5). Geogaceta, 15(78.8). [link]
Available data (Geochemistry) #3 Benali, S., Schreiber, B. C., Helman, M. L., Philp, R. P., 1995. Characterization of organic matter from a restricted/evaporative sedimentary environment: late Miocene of Lorca Basin, southeastern Spain. AAPG Bulletin, 79(6), 816-829. [link]
Available data (Geochemistry) #4 Ayora, C., Garcia-Veigas, J., Pueyo, J. J., 1994. X-ray microanalysis of fluid inclusions and its application to the geochemical modeling of evaporite basins. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 58(1), 43-55. [link]
Available data (Petrophysics) #1 i Turell, J. D., Sprovieri, R., Caruso, A., Di Stefano, E., Coll, E. G., Mur, J. J. P., …, Taberner, C., 1997. Premilinary integrated magnetostratigrafía and biostratigraphic correlation in the Miocene Lorca basin,(Murcia, SE Spain). Acta geológica hispánica, 161-170. [link]
Available data (Petrophysics) #2 Krijgsman, W., Leewis, M. E., Garcés, M., Kouwenhoven, T. J., Kuiper, K. F., Sierro, F. J., 2006. Tectonic control for evaporite formation in the Eastern Betics (Tortonian; Spain). Sedimentary Geology, 188, 155-170. [link]
IGME Geological Map (MAGNA50) Sheet number 953-Lorca. [link]
Other Maps #1 (source) Montenat C. H., d’Estevou, P. O., Fernandez, J. R., De Galdeano, C. S., 1990. Geodynamic evolution of the Betic Neogene intramontane basins (S and SE Spain). Paleontologia i Evolucio Especial, 2, 5-60, Unpublished. [link]
Other Maps #2 (source) Guillén Mondéjar, F., Rodríguez Estrella, T., Arana, R., López Aguayo, F., 1995. Unidades tectosedimentarias y rupturas en la Cuenca de lorca (Murcia). Geogaceta, 17, 39-42. [link]
Other related references #1 Andreetto, F., Dela Pierre, F., Gibert, L., Natalicchio, M., Ferrando, S., 2019. Potential fossilized sulfide-oxidizing bacteria in the Upper Miocene sulfur-bearing limestones from the Lorca Basin (SE Spain): paleoenvironmental Implications. Frontiers in microbiology, 10, 1031. [link]
Other related references #2 Artiaga, D., García-Veigas, J., Gibert, L., Soria, J. M., 2020. The late Miocene Campo Coy gypsum (Eastern Betics, Spain). Geogaceta, 67, 63-66. [link]
Other related references #3 Jurkschat, T., Fenner, J., Fischer, R., Michalzik, D., 2000. Environmental changes in pre-evaporitic Late Miocene time in the Lorca Basin (SE Spain): diatom results. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 181(1), 65-78. [link]
Other related references #4 Pierre, C., Rouchy, J. M., Blanc-Valleron, M. M., 2002. Gas hydrate dissociation in the Lorca Basin (SE Spain) during the Mediterranean Messinian salinity crisis. Sedimentary Geology, 147(3-4), 247-252. [link]