Wounds in the landscape

“This marble quarry is located in Estremoz. In this region, marbles are located in an anticline, a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. In global terms, the collision of the two continental blocks gave way to a new great continent named “Pangea”. The carbonate raw materials located in the surface were buried to a maximum depth of 5 km, thus giving rise to the marble of Extremoz. The marble quarry is currently exploited for civil construction and ornamental use. Moreover, this rocks are mined for several years using open pit methods, which has a significant impact not only in what concerns the environment and landscape, but also in the Portuguese exports. The heaps are storage without special concerns, which means that there’s a real risk of soil and groundwater contamination. This situation has a great influence on the permeability of the soil, uptake of nutrients and, therefore, the fertility of the soil. Thus, grazing cover is destroyed and cork oak forests,which occupies a predominant place in the region, are undermined”.

Author: Frederico Santos (Portugal)

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Bibliography:

Lopes, L. O Triangulo do mármore. Évora.

Oliveira, J. T. (2013). Geologia da região de Estremoz.

Rodriguez, C. F., & Azpiroz, M. D. Geología de la Zona de Ossa Morena (Huelva).

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