INTERVIEW TO GONÇAL RIBAS

Natàlia and I have done an interview in to Gonçal Ribas  who works into the IGC CST Pirineus ( Institut Geològic de Catalunya, Centre de support territorial Pirineus).

What does the CST do?

In this centre we do activities of divulgation for students, enterprise technician, geologists and engineers too. For example in the build of a bridge we can proportionate them information about the sediment. This is more related with the social part.

As activities of research and development, geologic cartography, geothematic cartography, the sun science, geologic engineer, geophysics, hydrogeology, geologic patrimony, land slaves prevention, geologic risks, seismology and control and measure of nets, those are all of the activities that we work.

Which are your objectives?

It is necessary to mark the support with the lands slaves prevention, whereas others geological risks of the own zones of the mountain. It’s foresees to do research projects and development and to establish pilot areas, in collaboration with universities, research centres and another private and public institutions.

The Pyrenees CST wants to be a reference centre and a support for professionals, for university centres or for educative which need to dispose about resources and installations suitable for their formation tasks and the study of the zone.

Why the CST was build here?

As a consequence of the process of collision between Iberian plate and the European’s one the Pyrenean area has made folds and mantles which deformed materials from the area.

The central part of the mountain range is build with former Palaeozoic rocks. The topography of the Prepyrenean is more vigorous, made up basically for Mesozoic and Palaeogene rocks which are younger than the ones before.

The rocks which form the superior south-Pyrenean mantle are the old mud, sand and loose stone that were deposit on sediment basins, where almost all of them were under sea level. These rocks not only preserve animal and plant remains which lived in those past environments, besides they preserve the original sediment form.

As a result of everything Pyrenees have a dimension and suitable conditions for the study and the comprehension of lots of geologic structures which are similar to other ones in different parts of the world, especially the ones in Texas.

We could say Conca de Tremp is like a book, where there are all the rocks of million years ago in a relative low layer deep.

Was there any other option in Catalunya to build this centre?

We would say yes, in 2009 when it studied the possibility to build a centre like this. There were other places but the advantages that this zone has, done easily the edification of the centre in Tremp.

Currently, how many geologists work here?

We are 6 superior technicians.

What kind of instruments do you use? 

When we go to de field to do cartography we take
magnifying glass, a little stereoscope to see the threedimensional air photos, compass, hammer, tape measure, Jacobs rod ( to mesure the long parts of the rocks), GPS, etc. There are others disciplines which we also work and which require field utensils more sophisticated like the case of the geophysics or geotechnical works.

But, concerning about inside of the IGC CST Pirineus, now we have a machine which have been financed for Repsol, that we have collaboration agreement which is called Multi Sensor Core Logger (The MSCL are a kind of machines used to do laboratory trials where it can hitch different types of sensors as a result of get different physic properties of the materials. The fields of his application concern the Engineering, Geotechnical, Geology, geology risks, Hydrogeology, seismology, environment, etc...)

Concerning about the seismology, is the basin of Tremp a place where there are many earthquakes?

Here, it’s a zone which there is constants microseisms because the Pyrenees is the results of the continental drift of the Iberian plate least the Mesozoic era and his final collision with the European plate least the Cenozoic era, but they don’t exceed the degree 2, therefore we can’t perceive them. Sometimes, as the Sort’s seism with degree 3 in which there are a minor movement of tables, glass... We answered some calls.

What are the “Emmagatzematge geologic de CO2”? Has got any risks?

The geological stock up is a measure useful to reduce the CO2 of the atmosphere. However it’s in development, some countries like Norway has already developed this system. It consists about the injection of CO2 into some rocks which has specific properties that doesn’t let the CO2 escapes. In this studies the collaboration of chemists, physics, biologists, geologists, etc, is fundamental.

Risk? Yes, always that the nature is modify there is a risk but there are also a cautious studies about the results and this depends of the pressure, the amount, etc. The result of this injection is microseisms.

In the other hand, it exists the ethic part. These studies and measures has a huge economic and energetic cost. It could set out the investment of these costs into the reduction and consciousness-raising about the CO2 emissions.

Why did you choose the profession of geologist?

As a matter of fact geology was my second option, I don’t enter into the career that I would like but I think that If you put some other as a second option is because both are related and because both likes you too. I chose it because I love the nature and work for the preservation of her.

Do you like to work here?

I was born here, I love my land and yes, I love this work. 

Natàlia Boneta and Maribel Gasa