Cap de Creus is a small peninsula in NE Spain north of Barcelona. It is a geological wonderland — a metamorphic terrane that is penetrated by pegmatitic magma which contains huge tourmaline crystals and blue K-feldspar. Right now we see there a jigsaw of different lithologies with interesting honeycomb or tafoni weathering patterns. I thought to post these pictures in several different posts but maybe it is better if they are in one place for you to enjoy.
Dark-colored schist and light-colored pegmatite.
Schist and pegmatite.
Here you can see how crazily is pegmatite mixed with schist.
My fellow geology students climbing on a pegmatite.
It may be hard to believe but this black stuff in the middle (about 1 meter in length) is tourmaline.
Tourmaline in pegmatite.
Small tourmaline crystals (here they seemed to be small). My boot for scale.
Tafoni or honeycomb weathering benefits from the proximity of The Mediterranean that constantly provides salty water that helps to create this type of weathering pattern.
Tafoni in schist.
Blue microcline (probably) in pegmatite.
The Mediterranean…
…was warm and inviting. We did several swimming breaks this day.
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