The Cuencas Mineras Protected Landscape (Asturias). geomorphological setting

Abstract

The Cuencas Mineras Protected Landscape was declared in 2002. It is situated in the central area of Asturias region over Carboniferous bedrock of alternating sandstones, siltstones, limestones and mudstones with coal layers. Different activities have been traditionally developed in the area, as agricultural, farmer, forest, industrial and mining ones. From a geomophological point of view, this area developed in the medium fitted valley of the Nalón river presents particular features that distinguish it. They are evaluated in this paper by making 1:25,000 scale geomorphological mapping and GIS data management. The results highlight that the protected area shows a relative predominance of mass movements linked to scarps (89% rock fall deposits, 78% debris and 76% rock avalanches) and less representativeness of anthropogenic deposits, which are mainly coal dump (10% in the protected area). This geomorphologic variability is related to altitude, lithology and landuse distribution.