Places of Geological Interest of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve

Mapping the Sites of Geological Interest (LIG) of the Urdaibai Biosphere Reserve, at a scale of 1:5,000 (year 2011). In this inventory we have contemplated only the real estate elements, that is, only those that can be visited in the area of the Urdaibai Reserve. The first criterion when selecting the points has been strictly geological in most cases although they also have or have had other types of interest such as cultural, industrial past, etc. Some elements have also been included whose main interest is industrial or economic due to the importance they have in the area, and because they are geological resources or types of exploitation based on the environment. In most of them it has been considered an area large enough that many more points or elements of interest can be identified if we decrease the scale of work. These elements have been grouped into the same LIG and the most representative ones are shown in the part of the photographs with their brief description.In some LLGs what is seen is a geological process, such as in Elantxobe hillside deposits. In this case it is not appropriate to assess the vulnerability in the established terms since it is not an element to be protected. In some LLGs analysed it is difficult to classify whether it is a process or an element, especially when the element can vary on a vital time scale or even annual or seasonal. Such is the case with many LLGs related to the current coastal dynamics, where the element analysed (e.g. a beach or a sand bar) is constantly changing. In general, all the selected elements that are related to the coastal dynamics, very present in this inventory, show an active process.Finally, the cult significance