Pulpí Geode
The geode has a funnel shape, with the narrowest part being L-shaped. It is notable on a worldwide scale for both its size and the transparency and perfection of the selenite (gypsum) crystals lining the interior, which reach up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in length, with 50 centimetres (20 in) being the average. The abandoned silver-lead mine is now a geoheritage site attracting geotourists. The geode was damaged by vandals at the end of 2021, but the damage was not as severe as first thought.
The latest scientific research, on the origin of the geode, was published on 23 March 2022; the research was led by Fernando Gázquez of the University of Almeria, with the conclusion that the gypsum crystals were formed between 164 ± 15 thousand and 60 thousand years ago, in the upper Pleistocene, from a freshwater aquifer (with very little evidence of brackish or sea water, as suggested previously).
References
- ^ Robin George Andrews (22 October 2019). "These human-size crystals formed in especially strange ways". National Geographic. Archived from the original on May 9, 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ Canals, A.; Van Driessche, A.E.S.; Palero, F.; García-Ruiz, J.M. (2019). "The origin of large gypsum crystals in the Geode of Pulpí (Almería, Spain)". Geology. 47 (12): 1161–1165. Bibcode:2019Geo....47.1161C. doi:10.1130/G46734.1. hdl:10481/58623. S2CID 204972371.
- ^ Linda Hall (20 February 2022). "Pulpi's geode damaged by unauthorised visit". Euro Weekly News. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ Linda Hall (24 February 2022). "Pulpi's Geoda hardly damaged despite uninvited guests". Euro Weekly News. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ Gázquez, Fernando; Monteserín, Ana; Obert, Christina; Münker, Carsten; Fernández-Cortés, Ángel; Calaforra, José María (2022). "The Absolute Age and Origin of the Giant Gypsum Geode of Pulpí (Almería, SE Spain)". Geosciences. 12 (4): 144. Bibcode:2022Geosc..12..144G. doi:10.3390/geosciences12040144. hdl:10835/13596.
External links
- The Pulpí gigantic geode (Almería, Spain): geology, metal pollution, microclimatology, and conservation
- Pilar de Jaravía; La geoda gigante de la Mina Rica (in Spanish)
- La Geoda de Pulpí website: https://www.geodapulpi.es/
37°22′55″N 1°42′07″W / 37.382°N 1.702°W