Photo: Monica Gumm
Mr. Gonsálvez Rey, we are standing in the middle of a volcano in the Castile-La Mancha region. What are you investigating here?
We research extraordinary plant and animal fossils that have been preserved since a major volcanic eruption 300 million years ago. A volcano formed right here around 7.4 million years ago. Thanks to Professor Elena González Cárdenas, here in the 90s we discovered the most important volcanic region of the Iberian Peninsula in terms of the number as well as the type of volcanoes and their age.
How many volcanoes are there in the region?
Opinions differ in science. There are around 350 volcanoes.
Why weren’t they discovered earlier?
I think it was just ignorance. We have been doing educational work in schools and communities to raise awareness among residents for 20 years. In March 2024, UNESCO finally named the volcanic area in Campo de Calatrava a Global Geopark.
What is special about this area?
There are 65 volcanic lagoons. France has nine in Auvergne, ten in the Eifel, one in Hungary and 14 in Italy. Isn’t it crazy that the Canary Islands have volcanoes but not a single volcanic lagoon? With its exceptional biodiversity, the La Inesperada lagoon in Pozuelo de Calatrava is one of the wetlands of international importance. The geo-diversity of the Almadén and Cerro Gordo mines is also unique. Mercury has been mined in Almadén for over 2,500 years. It is the only mercury mine in the world, which has been exploited since Roman times.
Interview
Rafael Ubaldo Gosálves Rey is Professor of Geography and Spatial Planning at the University of Castile-La Mancha in Spain. For 20 years he has been researching volcanic activity in the Ciudad Real region, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde and Italy.
How do these lagoons form?
They arise from hydro-magmatic eruptions. You have to imagine it like small atomic bomb impacts that release eight to nine kilotons of energy. This creates large holes called maars. In some maars, water accumulates, such as in the La Inesperada lagoon. Only a third of the maars in Castile have temporary water. It almost never rains. It is extremely important for our lagoons to dry out for years. The reservoirs of seeds and eggs stored there are specialized to survive without water. When it rains, the flora and fauna literally explode, like this year.
So a kind of hibernation?
Yes, and not just months or years, but decades. When we use a sieve to take samples from the lagoon, visitors are surprised at what we get out. Shrimp, mussels, and even a type of microcrustacean dinosaur, the Triops mauritanicus, which has not evolved for 200 million years. The animals sometimes wait decades to hatch. Most people associate lagoons with bird life, but we scientists are interested in plants and crustaceans.
What attracts people to the visitor center and bird watching area?
Up to 65 species of birds live there, such as great crested grebes, little egrets, sandpipers and black-necked grebes. Unfortunately, a colony of seagulls is particularly noticeable. The birds find more food in the landfills than on the coast. In the evening, up to 20,000 seagulls come to the lagoon because seagulls stand in the water at night. That’s a problem, they don’t belong in this habitat and are aggressive towards other birds. We are currently investigating how seagulls and white storks transport microplastics from landfills to lagoons through their droppings.
What is special about the volcanoes in Campo de Calatrava?
Icons like Mount Teide in Spain or Mount Fuji in Japan are a minority on earth. The most common type of volcano looks like our Cerro Gordo. It is modest and resembles a gentle hill. The volcanoes here were formed approximately 7.5 million years ago. We are standing here in one of the oldest areas of the Iberian Peninsula.
Are there other phenomena that indicate volcanic activity?
Volcanic gases are emerging nearby. It is the only active fumarole in the Iberian Peninsula. As early as 1575, residents of the village of Valenzuela reported a hole from which flames were coming. In 2000, a jet of gas and water shot out of the ground in Granátula. It was called the Granátula geyser. In a study we carried out in 2009 with the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands, we found that the Campo de Calatrava is the volcanic region with the highest diffuse CO2emissions in Europe, apart from Italy.
Can the volcano erupt again?
On the explosiveness scale, Cerro Gordo is about two or three out of eight. If it can be proven that the last eruption occurred less than 10,000 years ago, the volcano is considered active. The youngest volcanoes in Ciudad Real are around 6,500 years old. It is not known when there will be another eruption in the area, it could be soon or in 10,000 years. Recently, Chinese and Portuguese scientists reported the complexity of plate tectonics in the Iberian Peninsula. This research approach suggests that our volcanism could awaken at any time. We of course have geochemical stations and a seismometer network that gives some advance warning of activity.
There is a quarry in the middle of the volcano crater. What is being mined here and how can that be reconciled with a nature reserve?
The Swiss company Holcim extracts volcanic ash here to produce ecological cement. By enriching the limestone with the ash, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced during production. It is of course paradoxical to destroy a volcano for this purpose. We had to fight for many years to ensure that the company only dismantled part of it, now under our scientific supervision.
What does the area mean for the communities – has there been a change in awareness in recent years?
Commercial strategies were developed. Several wineries produce so-called volcanic wines. One even lets its best wines mature in a volcanic cave so that they are protected from any electromagnetic pollution. This is intended to slow down the maturation and preserve the characteristics of the wine for longer. We also have volcanic olive oils here. A few years ago a pastry shop came up with the idea of making “Magmitos de Poblete”. The little magma cakes look like chocolate kisses.
What are your hopes for the future?
This region is one of the breadbaskets of Europe, but has been badly hit by the last few years of drought and is economically backward. We need to develop sustainable marketing strategies to promote our region, with a focus on our volcanic landscapes and our traditions such as the unique Holy Week celebrations in the villages. Our goal is to encourage companies and public institutions to take their own initiatives in order to further develop the region.
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