The Geological Origin of the Sacromonte

The hills of the Sacromonte are sedimentary deposits consisting of clay, round boulders and pebbles which vary in size from a few centimetres to one or two metres. They were originally created approximately eight million years ago in the miocene period as a consequence of large streams of water which dragged the rocks from the Sierra Nevada mountain range until they eventually came to rest on the plains of the Vega. The walls of the caves in the Sacromonte are the end product of the displaced mud and rocks which have fossilised over the passage of time.

The text for this web page was kindly provided by:

Professor Antonio Ruiz Bustos
Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra
CSIC-UGR Fuentenueva sn
18002 Granada España

 

This web site contains the following pages:-

The dancer María "La Canastera"
The caves of the Sacromonte Granada
Famous visitors
The cave as a dwelling
Geological origin of the caves
See map
Return to Granadainfo

Homepage