The red clay formations called Las Médulas owe their angular character not to the shaping hands of nature but to those of gold miners—and not grizzled "49ers in grubby flannel and overalls, but 1st-century excavators clad in tattered tunics. When gold seams were discovered here in what"s now northern Spain, the Romans who controlled the region created a clever system of tunnels and canals under the hills, through which they channeled water from nearby streams to build pressure that cracked away huge chunks of clay.
There was gold in them there hills…
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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The Children’s Cultural Festival in Reykjavik begins today
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Seonam Temple, South Korea
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Christmas comes to New York City
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Anniversary of the British Museum
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Alaska Bald Eagle Festival
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Tegallalang terrace farms in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
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Big dreams require a big sleigh
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Harvest season begins
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A rock in a wild place
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Welcome to the Ring of Fire
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International Day of the Worlds Indigenous Peoples
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Flag Day
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An improbable tribute for Towel Day
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Río Arazas in Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, Spain
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Have fun storming the castle
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A polar bear near Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
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Illuminated Uluru
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Flamenco dancers
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It s time to fall back
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Vacuum Chamber 5 at Glenn Research Center
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It’s not a pinecone, it’s a pangolin
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From pirate port to nature preserve
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A bison preserve
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Feeling crabby?
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Sea Otter Awareness Week
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Overlooking the Douro
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Porto Flavia, Sardinia, Italy
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Asteroid Day
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Star Wars Day
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Spectacular views below!
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

