Tuesday, 10th November 2009
One World
Protecting the natural heritage in the Maltese islands (01)
Il-Maqluba
Il-Maqluba is the best example of a deep, large-scale inland solution subsidence structure (doline) in the Maltese islands. It is the only natural sub-circular depression that is not filled with sediment, owing to the relatively recent collapse of the limestone surface which formed the roof of a fairly large cave. The doline serves as a natural soak-away reservoir, with a depth of approximately 15 metres, an area of approximately 6,000m² and a perimeter of 300 metres. The doline is superimposed onto the main tributary of Wied Babu, which it divides into two (Wied San Mattew and Wied Ħal-Lew), thus adding to its uniqueness.
Il-Maqluba supports a dense maquis community dominated by bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) and a native stand of mature specimens of Malta's national tree: the sandarac gum tree (Tetraclinis articulata). The area is also of significant scientific importance since it is the only known locality in the Maltese islands for an undescribed species of endemic millipede and the ant Strumigens lewisi, a species of biogeographical interest.
Malta's national bird, the blue rock thrush (Monticola solitarius) is also known to breed at Il-Maqluba.
The immediate surroundings of Il-Maqluba support a maquis dominated by carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua) and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) among several others.
Mepa scheduled Il-Maqluba as a Level 1 Area of Ecological Importance and a Level 1 Site of Scientific Importance as per Government Notice No. 1138/08 in the Government Gazette dated December 19, 2008.
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Comments
Thanks, Richard. That's very interesting. It seems that Il-Maqluba can serve as a miniature preserve of Maltese fauna and flora, which will remain protected from urban sprawl. When relatives took me there -- in 2003 -- I saw lots of people using long ropes trying to go down the edge, which I thought was a bit silly and dangerous ("ghala Maltija", so to speak).
I hope that science work is carried out on these features -- hopefully with adequate funding from the government -- and documenting in the science literature, and pass on this knowledge to Maltese children at school. I was educated on Malta until age 19, and I regret to say that I ended up emigrating soon after and without even knowing that il-Maqluba ever existed.
Maqluba is indeed a sink hole representing the collapse of the limestone surface which was the roof of a large cave. The collapse came in November 1343. Maqluba is not the only feature of this type of collapse. The difference of Maqluba is that it did not fill in to the surface with sediment. The inland sea at Dwejra Gozo is another of these features. Yet another collapse similar but filled with sediment can be found west of St Martins church at Bahrija and is though to have formed a long time before the Maqluba one.
I only visited this place once, and I was quite stunned by the sheer size and depth of il-Maqluba. I find it hard to accept that this was merely the roof of a very large cave, and which only recently collapsed. How recently? Could the feature have any connection with submarine volcano activity which is known to exist between Malta and Sicily?
For example, could il-Maqluba had served as some kind of outlet to excess volcano activity during, say, the Pleistocene epoch? That would essentially make il-Maqluba a small dead volcano. But I should also say that my knowledge in this field is dead zero. Another article with some referencing to journal papers, if any, would be interesting.