Geoturism Balearic Islands

Rock bridges, like those of Sa Foradada, are relatively recent and ephemeral geological formations. There are several examples in the Balearic Islands. 

The materials that form them tend to be carbonate medium-hard rocks which are meteorised by karstic processes induced by fractures and the action of the sea on the shoreline. In this case, they are fossiliferous limestones from the Lower Cretaceous period described in the previous stop.

All these materials make up a landscape of abrupt cliffs traversed by a main fault running parallel to the sea between the sector of the Punta de Sa Pedrera and the Racó de Sa Foradada. There are many smaller associated faults. 

This system of fractures favours the action of karstic processes in dissolving rocks and forming cavities. 

In the strait that joins the Foradada rock with the rest of the island, the main fault is associated with a cavity that initially must have been discreet but has gradually grown thanks to successive collapses. As a result of this, the cavity has succeeded in traversing the headland and forming a rock bridge.

In parallel with the enlargement of the cavity, materials from the collapses have accumulated, refilling its lower part. These materials are easy to distinguish for the large number of decontextualised blocks they display, reaching down to the sea. 

 Another interesting aspect of Sa Foradada is the presence of planar slides in the zone of the cavity.

 Planar slides occur in favour of a pre-existing surface. In this case it is the stratification surfaces themselves as they need to plunge down the slope to generate these types of slides.