The Route of Volcans Geoturístico itinerary by the formation volcanic of the Natural Park of Cabo de Gata – Níjar (Almeria).the most important volcanic bulk of the Iberian Peninsula is the Mountain range of the Cabo de Gata. Given the antiquity of the bulk (13-8 million years), until us volcanos have not arrived themselves, but their rest eroded by the rivers, the wind and the sea. In any case, the landscape that today we can contemplate to conserve an enormous variety of rocks, own structures of the vulcanism and capricious forms due to the erosion.

The Route of Volcans

The
Route of Volcanos
Geoturístico itinerary by the formation volcanic
of the Natural Park of Cabo de Gata – Níjar (Almeria)

the
more important volcanic bulk of the Iberian Peninsula is the Mountain
range of the Cabo de Gata. Given the antiquity of the bulk (13-8 million
years), until us volcanos have not arrived themselves, but their rest
eroded by the rivers, the wind and the sea. In any case, the landscape
that today we can contemplate to conserve an enormous variety of rocks,
own structures of the vulcanism and capricious forms due to the erosion.

We
will begin our itinerary from outside the Mountain range, in the famous
Hoyazo de Níjar. We can arrive there by a track that leaves the
Almeria-Murcia railcar, just where it takes the variant that takes to
the population of Níjar. In spite of its crater form, the Hoyazo
is not volcán but the rest of a submarine volcanic building that
eroded and on that coralline reefs grew. When it emerged from the Mediterranean,
the fluvial erosion did the rest, forming a peculiar circular valley on
which the fossil reefs rise. Their volcanic rocks are the dacitas of gray
color, splashed here and there by a beautiful red and cleared mineral:
the garnets that gave fame to the place. The sands of the boulevards are
full of them, sometimes accumulated in pleasures of crimson color.

we
went now to San Jose, in the Natural Park of the Cabo de Gata we will
follow our route by the coastal strip that goes from the beach of the
Genoveses to the tower of White Vela. They are 6 or 7 kilometers of
stroll on foot by the coves, dunes, beaches and cliffs, that can we
took equal number of hours. Track exists one that takes from San jOse
White Vela, perfectly practicable in bicycle or automobile. Nevertheless,
the track is closed by an iron door in its South end and sometimes also
in the part of San jOse. There are numerous parkings in the most important
beaches and from them we can arrive by ways at the main places of interest
of our itinerary. However, we recommended vividly that this one takes
control on foot and of the tranquillity that deserves.

Partiremos
of the wonderful beach of the Genoveses. The dark tone of
the Morrón must to andesite, a volcanic rock very
common in our zone and main volcanic mountain ranges of
the world, like the $andes, from where it receives his name.
If we followed by the sidewalk of the cliff, we arrived
at the end of promontono and we were with soft white walls;
they are ash-gray and tufas of some submarine volcano projected
by its explosions.

We
return back towards territories of work with abundant tracks and
took a way that leaves them and raises contiguous hills the Morrón,
leaving soon fascinating coves without name. There we found great
amount of rocks in form of long columns, sometimes with aspect
of organ pipes. They are strained of andesitica lava that fractured
of that way when cooling off rápidamente.

In the South cliff of the main cove we can appreciate a series
of volcanic layers that tell the small history us of the volcanic
activity of the area. Of down above we see: ashes hardened with
some andesitico block, soon agglomerate of the same rock and above
absolutely the andesiticas taps with its tipicas columns of enfriamiento.

This
demonstrates to us in the end that the old volcano began to erupcionar
very violently, with many gases that produced enormous and continuous
explosions, but that soon went away calming and left lava with
relative tranquillity.

Seguiremos our itinerary already by the line of beach, although
sometimes is necessary to border some cliff next to mar. Pasaremos
to the two following coves, of great beauty, where we appreciated
the agglomerate andesiticos again. And further on we found spectacular
lava columns, in all the directions and directions, of all the
sizes and shades. Possibly it is here where the formation columnares
is in all their splendor.

By
a way that climbs up the stop of the cliff, we walked and we enjoyed
the views that offers the Mediterranean, until arriving at the
beach of the Barronal. At the end of this one is gigantic vertical
volcanic Filo’n, where the magma solidified in an enormous crack
within the volcano, without getting to spill itself to the outside.
To the other side the bases of the cooling columns arise, giving
him aspect of ciclópea wall.

Seguimos by this new cove and its aim we return to take an ascending
way that happens next to the beautiful and fragile rampante dune
of Mónsul and lowered to the beach of this name. Here the
sea has eroded cliffs of agglomerate andesiticos and it has turned
them almost a work of Antoni Gaudí. The stroll by these
underminings and cornices, until arriving almost from unexpected
at the cove of the Average Moon, fascinates to us and it astonishes
to us, making us reflect on the enormous amount of explosions
and avalanches that would take place in the eruptions of million
ago years.

From this wide beach, we will pass by fantastic places to arriving
at an end in form of back from whale, gorgeous to the dusk: the
Round End. On a base of ashes and white tufas one thick andesitica
lava tap flowed, that cooled off quickly originating the columns
of greater height of the zone.

Little
further on, another promontory closes the step definitively to
us and no longer it is possible to continue walking the border
of the sea. One is powerful Filo’n of dacitas, the same rocks
of the Hoyazo, but of reddish color due to meteorización
due to the water and the air. We will have to return back, almost
until the cove of the Average Moon by the track that raises White
Vela, steep andesite hills show to holes and covachas to us excavated
by the erosion: they are taffoni, typical of the heavy volcanic
rocks, that are disgregan with relative facility.

In White Vela finishes our route. From we contemplated to a volcanic
landscape riquísimo in forms there that speak of la eternal
fight to us between the internal Earth energy, that create the
relief, and the solar energy that, moving the air and the water,
destroys it.