Ciudad Encantada, The Enchanted City of Spain
Published by Strange rock formations in the mountains near the city of Cuenca in Spain resemble the ruins of an enchanted city.
Bridges, theaters, prisons, and convents are not unusual structures. What makes them unique in Ciudad Encantada (“Enchanted City”) is that these fancifully named “buildings” were not fashioned by man but were sculpted from rocks by the forces of nature.
El Teatro (“The Theater”) Image source
Cara (“Face”) Image source
La Foca (“The seal”) Image source
The ruined “city of rocks” stands on a plateau of about 500 acres (200 hectares) not far from of the city of Cuenca, in Castile La Mancha, Spain. This area is an excellent example of karst relief. Water saturated with carbon dioxide gas and organic acids has permeated and dissolved portions of the plateau, which is composed of limestone embedded with dolomite.
Amantes (“Lovers”) Image source
Lucha Elefante y Crocodilo (“Battle of the Elephant and Crocodile”) Image source
Though they are similar in composition, limestone erodes faster than magnesium-rich dolomite. As a result, the plateau is wearing away unevenly. The strangely sculpted rock shapes made up of more resistant rock project above their surroundings, seeming to form the skyline of the city.
More Nature’s Wonders Series:
- Beautiful Bays
- Breathtaking Canyons
- Fabulous Fjords
- Sublime Glaciers
- Great Mountain Ranges 1
- Great Mountain Ranges 2
- Great Mountain Ranges 3
- Gorgeous Gorges 1
- Gorgeous Gorges 2
- Impressive Natural Rock Formations 1
- Impressive Natural Rock Formations 2
- Famous Rock-Formations
- Lovely Lakes 1
- Lovely Lakes 2
- Lovely Lakes 3
- Magnificent Caves 1
- Magnificent Caves 2
- Majestic Volcanoes 1
- Majestic Volcanoes 2
- Majestic Volcanoes 3
- Wondrous Waterfalls 1
- Wondrous Waterfalls 2
- Wondrous Waterfalls 3
Parks with Spectacular Rock Formations:
Liked it
On September 28, 2011 at 7:47 am
Most mysterious
On September 28, 2011 at 8:24 am
Wow!! A great share
On September 28, 2011 at 9:08 am
Wonderful place.
On September 28, 2011 at 10:06 am
awesome place
On September 28, 2011 at 10:06 am
Realistic and nature lover.
On September 28, 2011 at 1:00 pm
fantastic
On September 28, 2011 at 3:06 pm
city of rocks looks very cool
On September 30, 2011 at 11:24 am
True natural art!
On October 1, 2011 at 1:08 am
cool photos eds and good description.