Topical
Geological mapping in Spain: cost benefit analysis by Roberto Rodriguez Fernรกndez1
T
he first series of the Geological Map of Spain at a scale of 1:50,000, was developed by the Spanish Geological Survey (IGME) from 1927 onwards. When the last sheet of this first series was printed in 1971, 40% of the 1,180 sheets had been completed. The second series of the Geological Map of Spain at a scale of 1:50,000, is the MAGNA Plan. This new plan of systematic geological mapping was drawn up between 1968 and 1970. The aim was to give the country a geological infrastructure that was homogeneous in quality, worked out with the most up-to-date methods, and published in a format and with norms that were homogeneous. In the evaluation and budgeting of the MAGNA, homogeneous criteria were used, including factors such as geological difficulty, accessibility and climate. Each sheet of the MAGNA has three distinct documents: the Geological Map (Fig. 1), the Geomorphological Map (Fig. 2) and the explanatory Report, along with Complementary Documents, which consists of a map of sampling locations, detailed stratigraphic columns, thin sections, hand specimens, and fossil samples, with files for every study, photograph album, complementary reports and chemical analyses. During the 32 years that the MAGNA Plan took to be completed, about 638 geologists and mining engineers, and over 400 specialists belonging to more than 20 engineering firms, 11 Schools of Geology or Mining Engineering, and two regional geological services, as well as the staff of the Institute itself, took part in its development. It should be noted that each geological sheet of average difficulty requires the fulltime dedication of 1.8 geologists per year. This figure includes laboratory and field work and back-up from experts in the various geological disciplines. All this input implies a cost per sheet of around 100,000 euros, making the total investment in the Plan 121.27 million euros (Figs 3&4). The social and economic evaluation of the MAGNA Plan, adopted a very similar Assistant Director of Geoscience Infrastructure IGME 1
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Figure 1. Example of a MAGNA geological sheet, with the various items that it contains
Figure 2. Example of a MAGNA geomorphological sheet, with the various items that it contains
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