Scientific, Educational, and Environmental Considerations Regarding Mine Sites and Geoheritage: A Perspective from SE Spain

Abstract

Should abandoned mine sites be eligible for
some official protection under the umbrella of geoconservation?
Providing they have enough educational and
scientific value, the answer is affirmative, and we suggest
that they should be granted protection at the level of
geoheritage sites. Some may see mining as an environmental
disaster, but others, with a more geologically oriented
mind, may perceive mining as a blessing. Mining unveils
the geology, thus allowing a more comprehensive vision of
geological features such as rock units, faults, minerals, etc.
We analyze the advantages and disadvantages of abandoned
mines and districts as geologic observational sites, through
the analysis of two mining districts from SE Spain:
Mazarrón and Cartagena–La Unión. We propose that if an
abandoned mine site or district has enough geological
value, not only the mining site but also the whole geologic
block hosting the ore deposits should also be protected. In
this respect, the Sierra de Cartagena, hosting the Cartagena–
La Unión district, is a valuable geological asset where an
important chapter of the Alpine and late Alpine geologic
history of SE Spain is written.