Geology

The orographic configuration and the number of different geological substrates that exist in Somiedo are a major factor in explaining the enormous biodiversity of the environment. Straddling the siliceous formations typical of western Asturias, and the predominant limestone in the east, Somiedo is a delight for lovers of geology: synclines, faults, karst phenomena, scree, landslides, mass movements, glaciers, etc. ….

Earth’s history spans more than 4.6 billion years and the information that allows us to reconstruct it is written in rocks. Stratum by stratum, similar to the pages of a book, the rocks and fossils tell us what our planet was like in the past and what living beings inhabited it. The science that allows us to read this peculiar book is Geology, which focuses on studying, characterising and analysing minerals, rocks, fossils and sediments. The knowledge it provides us with is key to understanding some processes, such as plate tectonics, which occur at extraordinarily slow speeds and are repeated more or less cyclically on Earth.