Sierra de las Nieves
Encyclopedia
Natural park (Spain)
In Spain, a natural park is a natural space protected for its biology, geology, or landscape, with ecological, aesthetic, educational, or scientific value whose preservation merits preferential attention on the part of public administration. The regulation of the activities that may occur there...
is located in the hills behind Marbella
Marbella
Marbella is a town in Andalusia, Spain. It is situated on the Mediterranean Sea, in the province of Málaga, beneath the La Concha mountain. In 2000 the city had 98,823 inhabitants, in 2004, 116,234, in 2010 approximately 135,000....
and to the east of the road to Ronda
Ronda
Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about West from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.-History:...
from the Costa del Sol
Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol is a region in the south of Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the Mediterranean coastline of the Málaga province. The Costa del Sol is situated between two lesser known costas: Costa de la Luz and Costa Tropical...
in Andalucia in Southern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
The park centres on La Torrecilla
La Torrecilla
La Torrecilla is a mountain with a height of 1,919 metres which lies south east of Ronda in the Sierra de las Nieves nature park in Andalucia, southern Spain....
(1919 m) and covers an area of 202 km². This mountainous area has seen little human influence or activity (cultivation) even historically and has a rich variety of flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
. As the name suggests, it can be snow-covered in the winter.
The area was studied in the 19th century by Swiss botanist Pierre Edmond Boissier
Pierre Edmond Boissier
Pierre Edmond Boissier was a Swiss botanist, explorer and mathematician.He was the son of Jacques Boissier and Lucile Butini , daughter of Pierre Butini a well-known physician and naturalist from Geneva...
and in 1933 by Luis Ceballos. In 1970 the park was declared a National Hunting Reserve and in 1995 a Biosphere Reserve
Biosphere reserve
The Man and the Biosphere Programme of UNESCO was established in 1971 to promote interdisciplinary approaches to management, research and education in ecosystem conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.-Development:...
by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.
Caves
There are a considerable number of large caves in the park, several taking the traditional form of horizontal caverns. Three are of particular interest, namely:- Hoyos del Pilar
- Hoyos de Lifa
- Cuevas del Moro
The area is perhaps more famous for its potholes, or simas in Spanish. One of these, GESM, is one of the deepest in Europe. GESM stands for Grupo de Exploraciones Subterráneas de Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
and was clearly named after the group that mounted an exploration in September 1978. It has still not been fully explored.
The entrance to the pothole is located at 1.670 m and it descends 1.098 m with a few large drops. The Gran Pozo drops 115 m and the Pozo Paco de la Torre has a vertical fall of 194 m. At a depth of 900 m there are some interesting rock formations in the Sala de Maravillas, and Lake Ere is located almost at the bottom.
Sima de la Tinaja is located in the area of the Tajo de la Caina at an altitude of 760 m. It is 54 m deep. It can be reached from Tolox
Tolox
Tolox is a village and municipality in the province of Málaga, Andalusia, southern Spain. The municipality has a population of 2,317 . It is situated in the centre of the Sierra de las Nieves Nature Park, at the foot of Sierra Blanca and Sierra Parda. In addition to La Torrecilla Peak , there...
. Many prehistoric artefacts have been recovered from this cave and many are to be found in the Málaga
Málaga
Málaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
Museum.
Some of the other potholes are mentioned here. The list is by no means exclusive and many are surely yet to be discovered.
- Sima Honda is located at an altitude of 1.640 m and drops to a depth of 133 m and is formed from two vertical wells of 52 m and 80 m.
- Sima de Horcajuelos is located at an altitude of 1.600 m, dropping only 22 m.
- Sima Bambi is near GESM and drops 7 m.
- Sima de las Grajas is located 500 m from the Quejigales recreation area and is 10 m deep.
- Sima de la Espalda is located near Hoyos de Pilar at 1.750 m altitude and drops 38 m.
- Sima Erotica, located near Hoyo de las Pilones, is 103 m deep with various drops, one of which is 53 m.
- Complejo Raya Heleda located near Hoyos de Pilar is 57 m deep.
- Sima de las Palomas located near Hoyos de Pilar is 56 m deep.