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Ichnological Analysis of a Good of Cultural Interest: the Site of El Hoyo (El Castellar, Aragón, Spain)

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Abstract

The Spanish Province of Teruel (Aragón) has 13 dinosaur tracksites that have been declared Goods of Cultural Interest (Bienes de Interés Cultural, the highest level of legal protection afforded to Spanish heritage items). The site of El Hoyo in the village of El Castellar lies in the mountain ranges of El Maestrazgo and Sierra de Gúdar ‘Place of Community Interest’ (Lugar de Interés Comunitario), on land forming part of the Natura 2000 Network. It is the only such site in the Camarillas Sandstone Formation (Barremian), and is placed within the Peñagolosa sub-basin (part of the Maestrazgo Basin). Its scientific importance stems from the three theropod trackways it preserves, and from the presence of a macroinvertebrate ichnofabric almost exclusively composed of (abundant) traces of the ichnogenus Taenidium. The site appears to represent a transition zone between a terrestrial and aquatic (non-marine) environment on a floodplain adjacent to low energy rivers. The ichnological study of the site has considerably increased its scientific importance, and has become part of plans aimed at encouraging geotourism.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Departamento de Educación, Cultura y Deporte del Gobierno de Aragón, the Departamento de Innovación, Investigación y Universidad, the Fondo Social Europeo (Grupo de Investigación Consolidado FOCONTUR, Ref. E62), grant RNM-178 from the Junta de Andalucía, the Instituto Aragonés de Fomento, the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (Projects GL2013-41295-P and CGL2015-66835-P) and the Instituto de Estudios Turolenses (Diputación Provincial de Teruel).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis, Avda. de Sagunto s/n, 44002, Teruel, Spain

    Alberto Cobos, Luis Alcalá & Luis Mampel

  2. Departamento de Estratigrafía y Paleontología, Universidad de Granada, Avda. Fuentenueva s/n, 18002, Granada, Spain

    Francisco Javier Rodríguez-Tovar

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  1. Alberto Cobos
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  2. Luis Alcalá
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  3. Francisco Javier Rodríguez-Tovar
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  4. Luis Mampel
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Correspondence to Alberto Cobos.

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Cobos, A., Alcalá, L., Rodríguez-Tovar, F.J. et al. Ichnological Analysis of a Good of Cultural Interest: the Site of El Hoyo (El Castellar, Aragón, Spain). Geoheritage 10, 415–425 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12371-017-0245-0

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