ARACENA

"Cerro del Castillo" GeoRoute"

Stories carved into the rocks of Cerro

Beyond the famous Gruta de las Maravillas, the hill that crowns it hides a fascinating history that is not immediately apparent. Along this geological trail, you will explore the the area around the castle and church, whilst you learn to read the traces of time in the rocks that shaped this unique landscape.

Walking amongst marble formations that were once seas, observing traces of a coal seam between continents, we’ll discover the origins of one of the world’s most spectacular caves. You’ll experience a real journey into the Earth’s interior… but in the open air.

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GEOLOGY:

  • We will walk amongst ancient marine sediments which formed part of the continental shelf of the Armorican plaque more than 500 ma ago
  • We will see for ourselves, the rocks that make up Cerro del Castillo and their palaeogeographical significance
  • We will appreciate deformation structures in the marble formations that tell us what the orogenic processes in the region were like more than 300 Ma ago
  • We will look at the exokarst the result of atmospheric weathering of carbonate rocks
  • We will recognise the mineralogical and structural features which led to the creation of the Gruta de las Maravillas
  • We will place everything we observe (rocks, deformation structures, the surrounding landscape, etc.) in context in order to understand the geological history in the region.

FEATURES:

Meeting Point: Puerta del Castillo bell tower (Aracena)

Distance: 1 km (there and back)

Max. altitude: 735 m / min: 715 m

Elevation gain: 20 m

Difficulty: Low

Weather: 2 or 3 hours

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WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO THIS GEOTRAIL?

Visit the EVENTS SECTION (Filter by Geotourism) on our main website (www.holisticanature.com) in case we’re organising a trip soon

UPCOMING EVENTS

Visit the SERVICE > GEOTOURISM on our main website (www.holisticanature.com) in case you’d like to book this activity for a specific date

SERVICES