Las Loras Geopark

Las Loras UNESCO Global Geopark is located in Spain, in the north of the Castilla and León Autonomous Community.Las Loras UNESCO Global Geopark covers 16 municipalities of the Burgos and Palencia regions. The area has an extremely low population of less than 15,000 inhabitants. The territory of the UNESCO Global Geopark is located in a prime position to improve the understanding of the stratigraphy and sedimentary evolution of the Mesozoic deposits in this sector of the Basque-Cantabrian basin. There is an almost complete record from the Late Triassic (ca. 215 million years ago) to Paleogene (ca. 60 million years ago) with exceptional outcrop conditions.

Arable and livestock farming are the main means of livelihood for these municipalities’ inhabitants, along with the biscuit industry in Aguilar de Campoo. The oil industry is also present in the territory with the only onshore oil field in the Iberian Peninsula located in Ayoluengo.

Currently the UNESCO Global Geopark has 12 geological areas with more than 90 geosites, 16 natural sites and 81 cultural sites

Las Loras UNESCO Global Geopark covers 16 municipalities of the Burgos and Palencia regions. The area has an extremely low population of less than 15,000 inhabitants. The territory of the UNESCO Global Geopark is located in a prime position to improve the understanding of the stratigraphy and sedimentary evolution of the Mesozoic deposits in this sector of the Basque-Cantabrian basin. There is an almost complete record from the Late Triassic (ca. 215 million years ago) to Paleogene (ca. 60 million years ago) with exceptional outcrop conditions. The territory has an important structural interest since it is possible to reconstruct in detail the fracturing (“rift”) and structures, which occurred during the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous and during the Alpine orogeny. Arable and livestock farming are the main means of livelihood for these municipalities’ inhabitants, along with the biscuit industry in Aguilar de Campoo. The oil industry is also present in the territory with the only onshore oil field in the Iberian Peninsula located in Ayoluengo.