Natural pavements of lacustrine limestone

The lacustrine limestones occur in extensive layers of light-coloured hard rock into the geological formation Artés that is mostly made of reddish, easier to wash out shales and sandstones. If the terrain and the strata share the same slope and the top layer is a lacustrine limestone, the roof of this hard stratum may turn to be the natural pavement of a path.

This situation beautifully occurs in the area that goes up from Viladelleva towards the range of Portell del Llop, on the boundaries between Callús and Súria municipalities. Notice that despite the path goes up, the lacustrine limestone stratum stays on the surface because it tilts southward, exactly same slope, after being located on the southern flank of the Súria anticline or Mig-Món fault.

[photos Montserrat Porta and Jordi Badia]