Karst en Yesos de Sorbas

The "Karst en Yesos de Sorbas" is located in the east of Andalusia, in the eastern corridor subdesert Sorbas-Tabernas, the most arid area of Europe. In an apparently barren and arid landscape lies one of the most breathtaking beauty of Andalusia. It is an underground world wrought by the action of rainwater thousand on a powerful rock gypsum.
More than 1,000 caves, most of them interconnected, a spectacular and diverse world of crystal formations: stalactites, stalagmites, columns and corals, their enormous educational value and scientific interest and great speleological have become one of the most gypsum karst important world, one of the jewels of the geological world.
Karst geological history dating back six million years ago. Then invaded the Mediterranean Sea basin, Sorbas. At a later period, the sea becomes less deep, being subjected to a strong process of evaporation which determines the precipitation of gypsum a package of over 100 meters thick. When the sea withdrew, finally, casts and other surface sediments were exposed to the slow but relentless action of rainwater, resulting in the karstic landscape of unusual beauty.
Rainwater can dissolve slowly rock cast generating abundant closed depressions on the surface. They are the windows of the karst, the sinkholes and potholes, which connect the arid surface of the complex network of underground galleries. Water that penetrates through these windows, is continuing its erosion and moderating, defining the largest underground system of Spain and the second explored the world in gypsum: the system of the Cueva del Agua, with almost 8500 meters long.
In the arid karst surface plant communities have had to adapt to harsh environmental conditions and have developed ingenious strategies to find and retain water. Cast live on the unique and endemic plants of this area as the "Narciso de Sorbas", the "matamarilla" or "espuelilla de Sorbas", next to one of the most emblematic species of the southeastern mainland: "Tortuga mora".  Furthermore Cantilo rocky slopes and very characteristic of this territory have become the perfect habitat for eagles, owls and goshawks perdicera voids and large blocks of gypsum are home to foxes, badgers, weasels and genets.
Karst works as a great sponge which gathers and stores all the rainwater and then goes to the outside through springs, the springs are. Is the most abundant of "Los Molinos", who was born in the canyon of river "Agua". The presence of water in this arid environment produces an effect that creates a wetland oasis of great ecological importance. Adelfas, carriceras, and others create gallery that provide shelter to a large colony of seabirds: carriceros, nightingales, etc. ..  The water was also used by man, with a rural technology now abandoned (hydraulic mills), foster the production of flour and oil from dry cereal and surrounding olive groves, leading to the population and orchards of "Molinos del Río Aguas".
Within the site and its surroundings in different cortija as "El Tesoro", "Marchalico Viñicas" now completely abandoned, and "Los Molinos del Rio Aguas" in the recovery process.
All of these silent witnesses of a subsistence culture, now extinct, as such other territories Desertified in the province of Almeria, led to an exceptional human migration throughout the past century.
The town of Sorbas is situated two kilometers from the site and presents a typical urban Arabic, with a network of slopes and alleys. Craft traditions, celebrations of ethnic architecture and a rich and varied local cuisine will undoubtedly benefit the visitor.

Technical Data:

Extension: 2375 Ha
Declaration Date: July 28 1989
Province: Almería
Municipality: Sorbas

Source: Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía.