The Geological Quadrangle of UB brings citizens closer to geology and Earth sciences
To bring society closer to geology and to promote science dissemination are the main objectives of the Geological Quadrangle of UB. This new place, located at the Faculty of Geology of the University of Barcelona (UB), was opened today, 24 October, at midday, on an event chaired by the rector, Dr Dídac Ramírez. The personalities who participated in the opening were: Luis Herrero, deputy general director of Bank Santander and its territorial director in Catalonia; Dr Lluís Cabrera, dean of the Faculty of Geology; Joan Roca, director of the two campuses of international excellence of the UB. The opening was also attended by the team led by Dr Miquel Àngel Cuevas, Emeritus Professor from the Department of Crystallography, Mineralogy and Mineral Deposits; Pere Busquets, professor in the Department of Stratigraphy, Paleontology and Marine Geosciences; Antonio Domínguez, retired upper secondary education teacher; Jordi Vives, industrial engineer and museum technician; the architects Roberto Ferreira and Eliana Crubellati, and Josep Garcia and Lídia Gàllego, manager and adviser, respectively, of Les Corts District at the Barcelona City Council.
To bring society closer to geology and to promote science dissemination are the main objectives of the Geological Quadrangle of UB. This new place, located at the Faculty of Geology of the University of Barcelona (UB), was opened today, 24 October, at midday, on an event chaired by the rector, Dr Dídac Ramírez. The personalities who participated in the opening were: Luis Herrero, deputy general director of Bank Santander and its territorial director in Catalonia; Dr Lluís Cabrera, dean of the Faculty of Geology; Joan Roca, director of the two campuses of international excellence of the UB. The opening was also attended by the team led by Dr Miquel Àngel Cuevas, Emeritus Professor from the Department of Crystallography, Mineralogy and Mineral Deposits; Pere Busquets, professor in the Department of Stratigraphy, Paleontology and Marine Geosciences; Antonio Domínguez, retired upper secondary education teacher; Jordi Vives, industrial engineer and museum technician; the architects Roberto Ferreira and Eliana Crubellati, and Josep Garcia and Lídia Gàllego, manager and adviser, respectively, of Les Corts District at the Barcelona City Council.
New teaching and science dissemination tool
The Geological Quadrangle of the Faculty of Geology, funded by the Bank Santander through Santander Universities Spain, is a new teaching and science dissemination tool opened to students at any educational level and citizens in general. Based on a geological time and place scale, the Geological Quadrangle describes concepts by means of a series of geological materials which have been particularly designed to explain and disseminate geological knowledge.
The Geological Quadrangle shows rocks and paving slabs originated from different processes (volcanism, sedimentation, metamorphism, etc.) that introduce visitors to geology. The low part of the Quadrangle exhibits the geological formations of the Iberian Peninsula and the upper part show Mesozoic and Cenozoic materials. Rocks and paving slabs are ordered chronologically, from the most ancient to the most modern, except for granite. Although historical representation is not continuous, discontinuities are well represented.
Moreover, the Geological Quadrangle of UB exhibits granitic slabs from the Catalan Coastal Range, schist blocks from quarries in the Alt Empordà (Girona), shale from the Iberian Massif, red sandstone commonly used in Gothic European buildings and nummulitic limestone.
A geological garden on the university campus
The Geological Quadrangle of UB is one of the first elements of the future Geological Garden, a cultural and museum installation affiliated with the campus of international excellence Barcelona Knowledge Campus (BKC). The Geological Garden, placed in the urban area that surrounds the Faculty of Geology of UB, will be centred on Geology and Earth Sciences. Its main objective is to promote culture and knowledge on the Science Barcelona Knowledge Gateway Campus as a way to foster the public use of urban areas.
The Bank Santander, by means of the Santander Universities Division, has supported the University of Barcelona in the development of several initiatives and educational programmes since 1997. The company collaborates with more than 1,100 international universities and research centres. It has allocated more than one billion euros to research since 1996.