Telesforo Bravo Expsito

The Man,Who Listened To Stones

Telesforo Bravo Expsito
was a prestigious scientist,hidrologist,
vulcanologist,geologist, naturalist and
biologist, who was born in Puerto de La
Cruz, Tenerife, on January 5, 1913 and
died in the same place on January 7,
2002.He worked as a professor at The
University of La Laguna.
He had researched animals inhabiting
intertidal pools since he was a child
before he studied ground urchings,the
different microclimates of the island,
volcanoes, etc
He appreciated the evolution of sea birds
and their nests.

We attended to Jaime Coello Bravo's lecture about his

granfather Telesforo Bravo Expsito's Hydrological Works
at Viera & Clavijo Highschool

We also Watch an Interesting Documental about his Research

in CajaCanarias

His Hydrological investigations: Gravitational Landslides

He noted that there was a

material similar to clay, which
he called flangomerado and is
popularly known as mortaln in
the galleries of Tenerife,in
1962 .

Telesforo Bravo Expsito's Research

150,000 years ago,Tenerife
had a building with a large
central dome that collapsed
to form the valleys of La
Orotava and Gmar Icod-La
Guancha similar to Hawai
British oceanographers found
out seabed material
(flangomerado) that
Telesforo had already
discovered in Tenerife,in
1995.

He worked in Galleries,Aquifers and Wells

His Hydrological Research of La Atalaya Water Gallery,

in La Matanza of Acentejo

Visiting La Atalaya Water Gallery

"La Atalaya" is the water gallery located in La
Matanza de Acentejo.It is 4.5 kilometers, 4.500
meters. Its entrance is 900m of the surface. It
is located in the bowels of a Volcano.
The water flowing through the side channel of
the gallery at the height of the dam,which is
located about 4.300 meters from the entrance to
the gallery of " La Atalaya".
The water is clean and clear with little salt
content and comes from the recharge zone in the
upper the forest a few thousand meters higher
after crossing the entire volcanic complex.

TELESFORO'S HYDROLOGICAL RESEARCH

Telesforo Bravo Expsito

studied the most
important aquifers of
Canary Islands, those
linked to the
geomorphology of the
National Park of La
Caldera,specially the
Aquifer "Coebra",in La
Palma
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Groundwater and Infiltration: Water

Storage in Volcanic Soils

Water storage in the basement starts on the surface of volcanic

soils when conditions are suitable for an infiltration, which can vary
in its effectiveness, from a zero value, when it is waterproof until
it reaches 80% of precipitation, by example, when the soil is
"gravel" or recent volcanic sand, because it is pure fragmented
"glass", where the particles of water does not soak and this water
is drained easily if they are not mixed with dust.

Groundwater and Infiltration in

Badlands

Surface water infiltration is effective in "Badlands" (few eroded

volcanic rocks in an arid field). If the rocks are very porous,
absorbed water volume is very large (rain or snow melt), it takes
several days, drop by drop, filtering it into the ground as the
Badlands of Las Caadas del Teide.

The Groundwater and Infiltration of

Grass and Shrubs in Midlands

Infiltrations are effective in the fields of grass and shrubs in

Midlands,because their roots open the floor and as plant where
they are born, die, have devices in the trunk to "drain" the air and
allow water penetration.

The Infiltration of Rainwater under

Waterproof and Semi-waterproof Soil
Water,by its weight or gravity, goes
vertically into surface layers, perhaps a
meter in the first 24 hours, depending
on the cracking of rocks or porosity of
the material, if the surface layer has
received more than 10 mm a day (unless
it evaporates).

The Infiltration of Rainwater under

Waterproof and Semi-waterproof Soil
As the infiltrated water depth, soil is more
compact and speed "fall" is slowed and may
vary from 50 centimeters to a few
millimeters per day.
If there is a semi-waterproof or waterproof
layer on the way down, it is stored in a
partial aquifer and as waterproof soil ins't
very extensive eventually,it spills by its
limits and goes down

Water Runoff
At a vertical depth between 300 and 350
meters (loading or overburden), the water
runs down joints surfaces (fractures
massive rock layers) into very thin sheets
or slag moves toward more free trade
zones where research galleries are leaks
" goteros "or small springs.

Groundwater and Infiltration:

Aquifers in Tenerife
There are multiple aquifers up to 1,250 meters
with a lot of water and up springs in galleries
just 250 meters.Some aquifers are called "hung
aquifers" like the one in Laguna Vega with an
aquifer up to 25 meters deep and under the
gallery "Salto del Viejo"

Chanelling Drilling and Galleries

l

Water channels and galleries have been drilled since the nineteenth
century,especially in the area of Anaga and the Orotava Valley to
supply water to the population of Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz cities
and irrigate crops.
There were 300 galleries in the island,in XX century.About 1,450
were drilled in the 80s. 400 wells were exploded much later than the
galleries. The main extractions are Barranco de Vergara Gallery, in
La Guancha Village, with 310.7 hm flow and a well called Barrillo of
Lieutenant,in La Laguna,with 70.67 million m3.
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Rainfall Storage in Canary Islands: Wells,

Reservoirs, Ponds

Rainwater Storage in Canary Islands

l

The most used rainwater storage method are ponds,wells and

pools.This method consists of waterproofing substrate with a
concrete base for storing rainwater.

Non Natural Production Methods and Water Treatment

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Non-natural production methods

and water treatment: sea water,
extraction from wells with higher
levels of salt.
l
There are three sea water
desalination plants in Tenerife: the
first in Santa Cruz de Tenerife,
the second in Granadilla and the
third one in Playa Las Amricas
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Besides, 16 water treatment plants

of brackish water and nitrate have
increased in the island.However,
water wells has been reduced to
six, some of them are still in Gua
Isora.

Looking for New Aquifers, Wells

Due to his hydrogeological
Knowledge, Telesforo also helped
American engineers to obtain
sources of water throughout Iran
for US Army thirty bases.

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If there was scarcity of water in

the island, his research would be
taken into account to look for more
aquifers

http://fundaciontelesforobravo.com/

BY GROUP 5

Luca Becerra Prez- Spain

Silvia Mndez Prez- Spain
Delia Anadaira Afonso Ramos - Spain
Yasar - Germany
gor Adamowski Poland
Jakub Garlin Poland
Szymon Szuba Poland
Jakub Szuba - Poland