Calatrava-Ciudad Real Volcanoes Geopark

Almadén is one of the 40 municipalities participating in the Calatrava-Ciudad Real Volcanoes Geopark Project.

Geoparque Volcanes de Calatrava

The Calatrava-Ciudad Real Volcanoes Geopark Project tells a long and complex geological story, where its materials narrate the tale of a 600-million-year geological process.

This story begins specifically in Almadén, in the apogee of the Palaeozoic volcanic activity that occurred during the Silurian, in the Almadén area, where metal-rich volcanic rocks were released from the earth’s mantle, turning this area into the main source of mercury worldwide. These volcanic rocks contain an unequalled concentration of this metal, which is extremely rare in the earth’s crust. This happened between 450 and 420 million years ago.

Geositios

In the municipality of Almadén, there are seven Geosites. A Geosite, also known as a Site of Geological Interest, is an area that is part of the geological heritage of a natural region because it exhibits, continuously in space, one or more characteristics that are significant to the region's geological history. This "geological importance" typically refers to a particularly beautiful part of nature.

Routes through the region of Almadén