Reflecting on one of the world s strangest rivers Mar 5, 2021

Reflecting on one of the world s strangest rivers

If you like your landscapes on the surreal side, then this weird and wonderful river in the Andalusia region of southwestern Spain should be to your liking. The Rio Tinto (Red River) gets its name from the reddish hue of its water, caused by high levels of iron and sulfur, which make it very acidic. This unusual chemical makeup may or may not be a result of the area"s long history of mining, which dates back at least 5,000 years. Ancient residents like the Tartessians and Romans dug here for copper, silver, and gold, as well as the mineral pyrite, commonly referred to as "fool"s gold." Legend has it that the Rio Tinto was the site of the fabled mines of King Solomon.

© David Santiago Garcia/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Mar 5, 2018Seattle Central Library, Seattle, Washington
Mar 5, 2019Stompin’ with the Big Chief
Mar 5, 2020The desert blooms
Mar 5, 2022Mont-Saint-Michel
Mar 5, 2023Cherry blossom season in Tokyo
Mar 5, 2024Bangkok, Thailand
Mar 5, 2025Khao Sok National Park in Thailand

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Mar 28, 2020The meeting point of the winds
Jun 13, 2023Okefenokee Swamp
Jan 24, 2021These patterns tell a story
Mar 2, 2021Fall for Chile
Oct 2, 2018North Cascades National Park at 50
Jun 22, 2018Celebrating Take Your Dog to Work Day
Dec 5, 2020A cozy winter village
Apr 3, 2025National Find a Rainbow Day
Nov 10, 202547 years of Badlands National Park
Apr 16, 2022National Park Week begins
Apr 15, 2023World Art Day
Dec 21, 2023Winter solstice
Oct 14, 2025Village of Oia in Santorini, Greece
Jul 21, 2018And you thought moths were boring
Feb 18, 2022Great Backyard Bird Count
Jun 12, 2020Big sky at Big Bend
Sep 23, 2020A tree of many memories
Aug 17, 2018Illuminations on the Gulf of Poets
Apr 4, 2019Taking the forest to the cloud
Jan 24, 2020Sunlight sets Iceland s Eyjafjallajökull aglow
Jul 6, 2020Welcome to the Ring of Fire
Feb 8, 2019A winter light show
Sep 22, 2019Barcelona bids farewell to summer
Mar 29, 2018It’s Opening Day for Major League Baseball
May 9, 2018Longtailed widowbird at Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa
May 12, 2019The parenting of a piping plover
Apr 14, 2021Nothing plain about it
Jul 13, 2019Batten down the hatches
Jan 2, 2025Ardez, Graubunden, Switzerland
Dec 9, 2024Llama Day