New to Camino, any suggestions for the best route for geology?

[Charmaine McGregor]

Hi everyone, its my first time to walk to the Camino, however I don't have enough time/funds to do the entire route.
Does anyone know the best route to see some nice geology? I'm relatively fit and am planning to start in late Jan.

Thank you in advance,
Charmaine

 

[VNwalking]

Charmaine, there was some chatter a while ago about formations on the Norte and the Frances.
On the norte there's some nice flysch deposits (https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/one-week-to-deba.37084/#post-356949), and there were some posts about interesting things on the frances but I can't find them.
You have this image, right? (It's from http://www.iberianature.com/material/spaingeology.html)
It'll point you in the right direction.

 

[Felice]

What sort of geology are you interested in - sediments, metamorphics, igneous or just pretties?

 

[Icacos]

This one, perhaps? https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/geology-of-the-camino.21543/

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

Geology, good lord, I'm certainly no expert but I would go for the Norte in that case. The thing is I see you'll start in January and it will be rainy and cold up there!

Take care

/Bad Pilgrim

 

[grayland]

One of our regular and long time experienced members, newfydog, is a professional geologist.
Maybe he will join the conversation.

 

[SYates]

One of our regular and long time experienced members, newfydog, is a professional geologist.
Maybe he will join the conversation.

Just giving @newfydog an extra call out, so that it turns up on his alert list. Buen Camino and before I forget it, have you looked at Las Médulas near Ponferada? See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Médulas

 

[WandererJolie]

The flysch cliffs of the Norte are beautiful. Take the GR alternate route after Zumaia for the best look at them along the coast (I can't remember the number of the GR route, but any tourist office will have tons of info for you.)
Here's one of my photos from this past July.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

To get to where this picture of the flysch was taken just follow the GR signs when you get to the picnic area at the top of the hill after Zumai.

 

[newfydog]

Thanks for thinking of me.

I'm not expert on the geology of Spain, though I think the recommendations for the Norte are good one. I love the structural geology up there and I'm sure it gets out of those messy flysches and into some of the nice carbonates.

The evaporates of the interior Cantabrian basin along the Frances are world class examples, if you are into that stuff. Unfortunately, there is a lot of alluvium too.

Certainly, a geologist could spend a week at the the Cruz de Fero, figuring out where some of those rocks came from.

That is a heck of a nice map Viranani posted.

There is a bit more in this thread, as mentioned by icacos

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/geology-of-the-camino.21543/

 

[peregrina2000]

This may be slightly off topic, but once when I was in Villaviciosa on the Norte, I ran into a geologist and his wife who take groups of undergraduate students on summer geology visits to Europe. They said that Spain's geology is way too complicated for a beginner, at least that's what I remember them saying, so they come to Spain after the students go home. Does that make any sense to anyone who understands geology?

 

[Kiwi-family]

San Salvador has some pretty rocks!

 

[newfydog]

This may be slightly off topic, but once when I was in Villaviciosa on the Norte, I ran into a geologist and his wife who take groups of undergraduate students on summer geology visits to Europe. They said that Spain's geology is way too complicated for a beginner, at least that's what I remember them saying, so they come to Spain after the students go home. Does that make any sense to anyone who understands geology?

There is an element of truth to that. In a layercake-simple place, such as the Grand Canyon, it is possible to see much of the whole story. Much of Spain is more of a marble cake. However, there are spectacular examples of many individual geologic features worth seeing, even if the overall picture is a bit much to take in.