*** Welcome to piglix ***

Río Tinto

Río Tinto
River
Rio tinto river CarolStoker NASA Ames Research Center.jpg
Rio Tinto
Country Spain
Region Andalusia
Source Sierra Morena
Mouth
 - location Gulf of Cádiz
 - coordinates 37°12′36″N 6°56′17″W / 37.21°N 6.938°W / 37.21; -6.938Coordinates: 37°12′36″N 6°56′17″W / 37.21°N 6.938°W / 37.21; -6.938
Length 100 km (62 mi)
Rio Tinto (river) is located in Andalusia
Rio Tinto (river)
Location of the mouth within Andalusia

The Río Tinto (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈri.o ˈtinto], river) is a river in southwestern Spain that rises in the Sierra Morena mountains of Andalusia. It flows generally south-southwest, reaching the Gulf of Cádiz at Huelva. The Rio Tinto River has a unique red and orange colour. The colour is derived from the chemical makeup of the river. The river is extremely acidic and contains very high levels of iron. The combination of the acid water, heavy metals and high levels of iron give the river its unique colour. The River maintains its colour for an approximate length of 50 kilometres. After the 50 kilometre mark, the chemistry that makes the Rio Tinto river so unique appears to slowly decline, as with the odd colouring. The location where the chemistry of the river is altered is near a town called Niebla. The rivers chemistry begins to significantly change following the town of Niebla owing to the fact that the Rio Tinto blends itself with other streams that are connected to the Atlantic Ocean. The length of the river is around 100 kilometres long and is located within the Iberian Pyrite Belt. This area has large amounts of ore and sulfide deposits. This specific region in Spain has seen many years of mining. The mining projects focus primarily on the river but ore deposits have also been found 20 kilometres from the shoreline. Rio Tinto has been the root of approximately 5000 years of ore extraction. Due to all of the mining activity in the area, the topography has been vastly modified.

Since ancient times, a site along the river has been mined for copper, silver, gold, and other minerals. In approximately 3000 BC, Iberians and Tartessians began mining the site, followed by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths, and Moors. After a period of abandonment, the mines were rediscovered in 1556 and the Spanish government began operating them once again in 1724. As a possible result of the mining, the Río Tinto is notable for being very acidic (pH 2) and its deep reddish hue is due to iron dissolved in the water. Acid mine drainage from the mines leads to severe environmental problems due to the heavy metal concentrations in the river. In 1873, the Rio Tinto Company was formed to operate the mines; by the end of the 20th century it had become one of the world's largest multinational mining companies, although it no longer controls the Río Tinto mines; these are now owned by EMED Mining.


...
Wikipedia

...