Calar Alto, Spain Camera

Category: Panoramic

The Calar Alto Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in Almería province in Spain on Calar Alto, a 2,168 meter high mountain.

The mountain is near the city of Almaria on the Spanish coast. The city was founded by caliph Abd ar-Rahman III of Cordoba, in 955, as a principal harbour in his extensive domain to strengthen his Mediterranean defenses. Its Moorish castle, Alcazaba, is the second largest among the Muslim fortresses of Andalusia after the Alhambra.

One of Almería’s most famous natural spots is the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park. This park is of volcanic origin, and is the largest, most ecologically significant marine-terrestrial space in the Mediterranean. It is one of Spain’s natural jewels.

In 2000, a team of geologists found a cave filled with giant gypsum crystals in an abandoned silver mine near Almería. The cavity, which measures 1.8×1.7 meters, would be the largest geode ever found. The cave was formed during the Messinian salinity crisis 6 million years ago, when the Mediterranean sea evaporated and left thick layers of salt sediments.