Geological wonders at Cap de Creus

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.

Schist and pegmatite
Dark-colored schist and light-colored pegmatite.

Schist and pegmatite at Cap de Creus
Schist and pegmatite.

Cap de Creus
Here you can see how crazily is pegmatite mixed with schist.

Pegmatite mountain
My fellow geology students climbing on a pegmatite.

Schorl pegmatite and schist
It may be hard to believe but this black stuff in the middle (about 1 meter in length) is tourmaline.

Tourmaline in pegmatite at Cap de Creus
Tourmaline in pegmatite.

Tourmaline crystals in pegmatite at Cap de Creus
Small tourmaline crystals (here they seemed to be small). My boot for scale.

Tafoni weathering
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
Tafoni in schist.

Blue microcline in pegmatite
Blue microcline (probably) in pegmatite.

The Med at Cap de Creus
The Mediterranean…

The Mediterranean at Cap de Creus
…was warm and inviting. We did several swimming breaks this day.

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