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Río Tinto (Red River) nature reserve
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Río Tinto (Red River) nature reserve
Nature in Huelva is so unique in the world that even the NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the U.S.A.) has taken an interest in it. Specifically,
in the River Tinto, a fascinating red river listed as a Protected Landscape –both the watercourse and its environment. The river rises in the Sierra de Padre Caro and
flows into the ocean at La Punta del Sebo, on the
Huelva
Estuary, along with the River Odiel. Within its floodplain is the largest open-cast mine workings in Europe,
and one of the biggest in the world (Corta Atalaya).
Its colour is due to the iron sulphate in its waters, whose pH is acid, and in which micro-organisms that feed on
minerals have developed. This is what motivated the U.S. scientists to choose this place to study life forms and environmental conditions that would reproduce those of
Mars.
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