Soil erosion triggered by the archeological excavation and conservation of trenches. The case of “Cerro de las Trincheras” in Bailén (Jaén, Spain): An open discussion

Jesús Rodrigo Comino; Juan Jesús Padilla Fernández; Artemi Cerdà

doi:10.18172/cig.5746

Authors

Jesús Rodrigo Comino Universidad de Granada
Juan Jesús Padilla Fernández Universidad de Salamanca
Artemi Cerdà Universitat de València

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18172/cig.5746

Keywords:

trenches, soil conservation, land management, archeology, gullies, erosion

Abstract

Gully erosion is a landform developed due to accelerated soil erosion rates. Gullies can be identified by human impacts on geomorphological processes, as well as hydrological and erosional systems. In Spain, the trenches or "trincheras" from the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) are considered of archaeological interest for several reasons. At Cerro de las Trincheras in Bailén (Jaén, Spain), a trench was built during the Spanish Civil War. In 2020, an archaeological excavation took place to restore the ruins, triggering the development of gullies and rills and a decrease in vegetation quality. We present a first approximation of the variations in vegetation cover and the decrease in quality (using NDVI, the normalized difference vegetation index) due to the trench acting as a gully (1956, 2005-2020) and the increase in rills and gullies after the excavation. We strongly advocate for future archaeological excavations to include a protocol (soil mapping, vegetation survey, and hydrological connectivity index) to reduce soil degradation and prevent damage to vegetation and associated ecosystems, thereby curbing the increase in soil erosion rates.

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Author Biographies

Jesús Rodrigo Comino, Universidad de Granada

Licenciado en Geografía por la Universidad de Málaga en el curso 2011-2012. Realizó el Trabajo Fin de Carrera (tesina) bajo la dirección del Dr. Senciales titulado: “Los suelos de la provincia de Málaga: Revisión en función de los criterios de la clasificación de FAO-WRB (2006)”. También con él, ha publicado una serie de artículos relacionados con cuestiones geomorfológicas en los Montes de Málaga o las plataformas travertínicas. Ha participado en actividades de Didáctica de la Geografía con jóvenes preuniversitarios, publicando resultados de esta actividad en revistas de la Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles junto con el Dr. Delgado Peña. Está preparando la tesis doctoral sobre procesos geomorfológicos en viñedos (Valle del Mosela y Axarquía),en colaboración con la Universidad de Trier (Alemania) con los profesores Johannes Ries y Manuel Seeger y con el Departamento de Geografía de la Universidad de Málaga con los profesores José Damián Ruiz Sinoga y José María Senciales.

Juan Jesús Padilla Fernández, Universidad de Salamanca

Grupo de Investigación Reconocido Estudios de Prehistoria en la Península Ibérica (GIR PrehUSAL), Dpto. de Prehistoria, Historia Antigua y Arqueología. Universidad de Salamanca, Spain.

Artemi Cerdà, Universitat de València

Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Department de Geografia, Universitat de València, Blasco Ibàñez, 28, 46010, Valencia, Spain

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