Project Description
This geosite includes several excavated quarries on the flanks of the volcanic building of Tinamala, whose eruption dates back to the Upper Pleistocene. On the cuts of the quarries, we can clearly see an internal structure of the tephra cone, formed by a basaltic projection of pyroclastic deposits that is partially soldered and is bright red. The pyroclasts are mainly lapilli size, although there are also some spherical bombs and, in some cases, spectacular corteza de pan structures. The dune xenoliths are abundant in these deposits, as well as, although not as much, sedimentary lithics. We may observe faults and fractures typical of the settling process of the cone. As it is a consolidated tuff, it has allowed the extraction of construction blocks, especially between 1955 and 1965. Jesús Soto built an exclusive machine used to cut the blocks on this quarry. The extraction of blocks has resulted in a unique stepped cut.
This geosite has mainly a volcanological interest and a petrological second interest. The cut of the rock and the reddish shade of the pyroclasts make the outcrops particularly beautiful, similar to an Egyptian landscape. This is a rare quarry, interesting from an ethnographic and cultural perspective. The opera Aida was performed in one of these quarries.