Anthropogenic activities in urban, agrarian, or industrial areas are the main cause of heavy metals in sediments worldwide. Since the 1960s, there have been submarine discharges through outfalls of poorly treated or untreated wastewater on the south coast of Mallorca island (Mediterranean Sea). In this study, the pollution of marine sediments is analyzed at a great number of points on the south of the seacoast. Heavy metal concentrations of As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Se, V, and Zn, total inorganic carbon (TIC), sulfur, mineralogy, and grain size were analyzed. The objective is to evaluate the concentrations of toxic substances and their spatial distribution and ranges that can negatively affect marine ecosystems and human health. In addition, the results obtained have been compared with standardized indices for marine sediments, and a regional index has been developed with the background values of heavy metals obtained in the sediments of the study area. To obtain consistent conclusions, concentrations of heavy metals were classified with the Igeo Index. The concentrations of heavy metals obtained show that a great number of samples exceeded the limits considered for uncontaminated sediments according to the index applied. Elements such as Hg, Ba, Pb, and Cu showed high concentrations close to the outfalls and lower concentrations in zones far from these points. To support the assessment, chemical processes such as dissolution or chemical precipitation have been studied. The results also show that marine sediments can be a good trap for chemical elements and a good proxy to analyze the impact of anthropogenic activities in areas heavily pressured by humans, and the risk to the environment and human health.

Paleocollapse structures and collapse breccias are one of the major features for paleokarst analysis and paleoclimate record. These are affecting the Llucmajor and Santanyí carbonate platforms. These platforms, of southern and eastern Mallorca respectively, are a good example of progradation reef platform in the western Mediterranean. The Santanyí platform is constituted of two sedimentary units, both affected by paleocollapse structures: (1) The Reef Complex attributed to the upper Tortonian-lower Messinian; (2) Santanyí Limestone attributed to the Messinian. There are abundant paleocollapse outcropping in the Reef Complex and Santanyí Limestone units. These structures have been produced by roof collapse of caverns developed in the underlying reefal complex. According to the genetic model, the origin of same paleocollapse structures may be related to early diagenetic processes controlled by high-frequency sea-level fluctuations. During the lowstands of sea level, fresh water flow or mixing zone might have created a cave system near the water table by dissolution of aragonite in the reef front facies and coral patches existing in the lagoonal beds. During subsequent rise and highstands of sea level, inner-shelf beds overlaid the previously karstified reef-core and outer-lagoonal beds. Increase of loading by subsequent accretion of the shallow-water carbonate might have produced paleocollapse structures by gravitational collapse of cave roof. Morphometric and structural classification of paleocollapse is based on geometric and structural criteria according to the type of deformed strata and strata dip. Paleocollapse structures can be classified according to geometric section, size of the paleocave and lithification degree of the host rock when collapsed. Breccias are classified as crackle, mosaic and chaotic types. In same paleocollapse the type of breccias present a vertical and lateral gradation, from crackle in the upper part, to chaotic in the lower part of the paleocollapse. Chaotic breccias grade from matrix-free, clasts-supported breccias to matrix-supported breccias. Relationship with high frequency of sea-level fluctuation, facies architecture, classification features and products permit to enhance a general paleoclimatic framework

ResumenEl estudio de sedimentos detríticos y de precipitación química en cavidades es una herramienta muy útil como base del registro de cambios climáticos pasados y, por tanto, para la reconstrucción e interpretación paleoclimática de una región debido al carácter altamente conservativo de estos. En Sima Engañá (Sierra de las Nieves, SE de la Península Ibérica) se ha llevado a cabo el análisis de la secuencia estratigráfica de un conjunto alternante de sedimentos detríticos y espeleotemas conservados en su interior. La datación de las diferentes familias de espeleotemas mediante series de Uranio ( 230 Th/ 234 U), una capa de carbón a techo de la secuencia mediante δ 14 C junto con la caracterización de los sedimentos detríticos a partir de la difracción de Rayos X y estudios granulométricos, ha permitido identificar la ciclicidad paleoclimática en los últimos 465.000 años. Las diferentes fases sedimentarias responden a la alternancia de pulsos más o menos energéticos de las aguas endokársticas. La deposición de fracciones detríticas está ligada a flujos energéticos que transportaban sedimentos fundamentalmente alóctonos. El desarrollo de espeleotemas se asocia a momentos de baja energía con pulsos de agua laminar que generaron coladas y goteos que dieron lugar a estalagmitas. El análisis de los * Correo electrónico autor principal:

The alteration of marine sediments plays a key role in the global health of the seas as consequence of anthropogenic pollution in highly populated coastal areas. This research analyses the concentration and distribution of heavy metals in coastal and marine sediments of the Mediterranean Sea. Research has highlighted that Hg, Ni and Cu are present in very high concentrations in sediments, while Cr, Zn, Cd, Ba and V have slightly more moderate values. Sediment quality guidelines and the pollution indexes (Igeo and Geochemical Signal Type-GST) have been used to evaluate the trace element results, revealing a general trend of decreasing concentrations from the littoral coast to the open sea. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicates that the chemistry of metals in sediments is mainly regulated by the sequence Cu, Pb, Zn, Ba, and Cr. This study suggests that heavy metals distribution patterns are related to strong pressured tourist areas and management strategies are needed to ensure the health of the Mediterranean Sea.

the study of the spatial distribution of dolines in karst terrains can provide valuable information about the geomorphology and hydrogeology of karstic massifs, in addition to possible tectonic controls. this paper has analyzed the size distribution of dolines in the karstic massif of the sierra de las nieves in the province