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Santa Clara
In August 2008, I joined a fieldtrip to the Santa Clara region in central Cuba, in which we continued research on the evolution of the northern Caribbean subduction channel, that accomodated subduction of the Proto-Caribbean and north-American plate below the Caribbean plate from the Aptian or even earlier, to the Eocene. Moreover, this subduction channel exhumed high-pressure metamorphic blocks, which form one of the main bases for the reconstruction of the subduction history. I joined this trip of two weeks, to collect information for future research proposals on the structural and tectonic history of Cuba within the context of these processes. Below you find a photo collage to give you an impression of this trip.
The crew
Manuel Iturralde-Vinent, National History Museum, Havana, Cuba.
Antonio Garcia-Casco, University of Granada, Spain
Luis Bernal, Geological Survey of Cuba
... and me :)
The Fieldwork In general, we have collected rock samples from high-pressure blocks in the Cuban serpentinite melange, that formed the Cretaceous to early Cenozoic subduction channel, and studied as a first reconaissance trip the high-pressure nappes of the Sierra de Escambray in south-central Cuba. Below an impression...
Making plans (rum required)
Bad plan...more inspiration needed
Try again...
Ah! A plan came! Luis, Manuel and me in the Sierra de Escambray
Antonio and me looking at a granitic dike intruding the Amphibolites of the Mabujina unit, a high-temperature metamorphic root of the Cuban volcanic arc
The things you have to do to keep your colleagues happy...
Found a high-pressure boulder in the serpentinite melange. The most awful rocktype there is, but don't tell anyone I said that..
The professor explains...
Luis and Antonio studying a block of antigorite (high-temperature serpentinite) with veins of asbestos (keep your breath!!)
Now what the hell is this...
And this??
...ah! Eclogite! That's what we were looking for! Red minerals are garnets, green omphacite and black retrograde amphibole...
Luis and Antonio selecting sample...
Eclogite below, retrograde amphibolite above
Antonio following directions of Manuel while sampling (the stuff is quite hard...)
Me, trying to locate some good rocks
Found it! Isoclinally folded eclogites in the Sierra de Escambray
...with crenulation cleavage...
Which makes a geologist immediatly urge to take pictures of lense caps...
...and hammers
$ Apart from geology...
Me spoiling the view
...or holding the scale bar. Really helpful
Manuel, trying to catch a train...
Streets of Santa Clara
slight logistical problem...lighter empty :p
Ana Ibis (from Pinar del Rio University, Cuba) undergoing some hydrological hazzard...
Small girl, big bike...
Jungle in the Sierra de Escambray
Artificial lake in the Sierra de Escambray
More forest...
Love in horse-and-wagon :)
Antonio enjoying tropical rains
nice river, nice landscape
Northern normal faulted margin of the Sierra de Escambray (ok, some geology then)
No you don't!
Farm house
Streets of Remedios
Some more...
Nature...
Cuban vultures :)
Vultures drying their wings
Woodpecker
Mating lizzards
The loser :)
. ...what can I say, it looks nice doesn't it?
Some more flowers, no clue what their name is
Hummingbird
Pigs :p and playing kids
and geologists, playing near the river
...no nature, but nice picture anyway.
That's all, see you next time!!
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Cuba
2008
