Birth of the Segura

It is a karst upwelling located at the entrance to a circular cavity several meters in diameter. This upwelling is associated with the Upper Cretaceous-age dolomite and limestone aquifer. It is located in the vicinity of the reverse fault contact between the Upper Cretaceous carbonates and the impermeable marls of the Middle Miocene. It is a cavity that could originally correspond to a small sinkhole, developed on sub-horizontal layers.

The source of the Río Segura is a penetrable siphon, with an explored length of 354 meters and a drop of 17 meters. The exploration of this cavity was carried out by cave divers from the Standard Group of Madrid, during the years 1979 and 1980, carrying out an important work of unclogging inside the siphon. (G.E. STANDARD, 1980) The upwelling is located at the bottom of a blind valley in the foothills of the Sierra de Segura near the town of Pontones. It is a flooded gallery in which three air bubbles are located about 100, 160 and 255 m from the mouth.

Source: Inventory of Georecourses of Andalusia. Ministry of Environment. Junta de Andalucía.