Page 19 - AHATA

A14 LOCAL
Tuesday 26 March 2019

Geo insular patrimony

Episode XI: Each week we share the most interesting and revealing articles regarding

The Limestone landscape Aruba, a destination to be explored,we can find,and so doing uncover
amazing and informative stories along the way.

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed primarily of calcium carbonate (CaCO3)
in the form of the mineral calcite. It most commonly forms in clear, warm, shallow
marine waters. It is usually an organic sedimentary rock that forms from the accumu-
lation of shell, coral, algal, and fecal debris. It can also be a chemical sedimentary
rock formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate from lake or ocean water.

Pic 2. Limestone cave at Canashito

“habri” open space. No limestone formation. This is
limestone tools have been basic for our understand-
found in association with ing of the soil that we find
prehistoric groups. The soft- today on top of the main
ness of the rock is clearly a geologic formations. This
limiting factor. A variety of soil consists partly of these
limestone called crystalline rocks and is a product
limestone has been used of erosion. By erosion we
to make human figurines. mean all the processes that
Furthermore, all these cat- loosen up rock and existent
egories of rocks can also soil and carry these down-
be divided into crystalline hill into the landscape. Be-
rocks (ALF and batholith) sides sand and clay which
which are impermeable, are erosion products of
and limestone, which has rocks, the soil also contains
Pic. 1. Limestone rock used for fencing, tainted with clay sediment the natural components of humus. This latter is the de-
the more recent Landsca cay material of organic
The areas consisting of Limestone is what today surrounds The prehistoric groups pe. matter (remains of dead
the Aruba lava formation and the areas which includes used several of the caves In the previous chapter, we plants, animals, etc.) So,
the QD conglomerations. Limestone terraces can be best for their pictographs. At suggested that originally the soil is the surface accu-
observed at the north and east coast of the Island. How- Fontein, Quadirikiri and there were three main cat- mulation of sand, clay and
ever limestone occurs also inland at Isla, Hudishibana, Canashito drawings were egories of rock, the group humus, no crystalline struc-
French Man Pass and Canashito for example. These ter- made inside the limestone from the Aruba Lava for- ture, and is permeable.
races are mostly areas with little vegetation and soil. The caves. At Rooi Thomas and mation (mainly diabase),
limestone areas inland are an exception because these Rincon, the drawings were the group from the batho- Continued on Page 15
areas are usually bordered by a QD landscape. The made in big limestone lith (quartz diorite) and the
combination of limestone and quartz diorite also result’s
in permanent freshwater sources like the one at Fontein
and the one east of Malmok. Rainwater is “caught” by
limestone and released at the border where the lime-
stone meets the quartz diorite.

The most important geological feature of the limestone
landscape are the caves. They were formed by dissolu-
tion of limestone by groundwater and were exposed due
to changes in sea level and upwards tectonic move-
ments of the earth. For obvious reason all pre-ceramic
sites except a minor one are situated in the limestone
areas. At Canashito a group of five individuals belong-
ing to this group were buried in a “habri” open space of
a big limestone outcrop. Most pre-ceramic individuals in
the ca. 70-persons-cemetery at Malmok were buried un-
der large pieces of limestone. The ceramic sites found on
limestone show no signs of long-term habitations as these
areas have no suitable agricultural soils (unless they oc-
cur in association with a QD landscape). The hydrological
conditions are favorable due to some freshwater sources
in these areas. One ceramic burial site, Budui, is found
in a limestone cave. It is one of the four historic activities
that have been recorded in the other caves.
Pic. 3. Canashito limestone cliff