River of stone blocks in Orea

Description: The Orea stone river consists of an accumulation of stone blocks that occurs in some small valleys of the Sierra del Tremedal related to periglacial-type climatic conditions.

These are accumulations of quartzite blocks of decimeter size, angular and unworked with a maximum thickness of about four meters and a length that varies from hundreds of meters to a kilometer, which cover some small valleys at the foot of the quartzite escarpments of this area of the Sierra del Tremedal. It is one of the most recent geological formations that we can observe in our region.

Its origin places us in a colder and more humid climate than the current one, in which the adjacent quartzite cliffs fragment due to the cyclical freezing of water that fills their cracks until they break off and roll towards the bottom.
of the valley, once there the continuous expansion and contraction of the substrate on which they rest due to the daily freeze-thaw cycles, together with the force of gravity, cause a movement in the blocks that results in the accumulation that observe.

How to get there: one of the best examples is located at Stop No. 1 of georoute No. 9 of the Alto Tajo Natural Park. It is located ascending the forest track that goes out to the right next to the last house in Orea, direction
Orihuela.

Observations: This enclave is a protected area of the Alto Tajo Natural Park, consult the Sequero de Orea Interpretation Center for the passability conditions of the access track.