LAS SALINAS, Manantial de

INFORMACIÓN APORTADA POR EL GEOPARQUE DE LAS SIERRAS SUBBÉTICAS:

San Juan de Dios salterns

The presence of a traditional saltern in the middle of olive groves, dozens of kilometres away from the sea, might seem unusual. Where does this salt come from?
The answer lies in the ancient sea that gave rise to the terrain of this region: the Tethys. Over 200 million years ago, during the Triassic geological period, Sierra Morena was located on the coast, facing a vast plain. The prevailing high temperatures and arid conditions favoured the deposition of large quantities of salt in lagoons and marine pools.

Later, other sediments gradually covered those salts. Much later, around 15 million years ago, the collision between Africa and Europe caused the folding of the sea sediments, forming what is now the Betic Mountain Range.

That ancient salt, now buried underground, resurfaces thanks to rainwater, which infiltrates the ground and brings it back to the surface, as if freshly delivered from the past.

From the saltern stream, the water is transported to this site through pipes for evaporation and salt concentration. Salt is harvested in summer, while brine—saltwater—is collected throughout the year. It is used for food, traditional meat curing, the pharmaceutical industry, and road maintenance during the winter.