Las Gredas de Bolnuevo, also called ''Ciudad Encantada'' (enchanted city), are heavily eroded

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

formations along the beach of Bolnuevo, Murcia,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. The sandstone shapes are sculpted by water and wind over thousands of years and are considered as a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...

of natural interest. The Ciudad Encantada is formed by

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

(gredas). The yellowish color is caused by the large amount of sand contained in the clay. Furthermore, the clay consists of microfossils that date from the Pliocene period, about 4.5 million years ago. The sandstone has undergone an

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is distin ...

process by the elements which resulted in mushroom and almost vertical shapes that seem to defy the laws of the

gravity In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...

References

External links

* Bolnuevo Rock formations of Spain Tourist attractions in the Region of Murcia Geology of Spain Sandstone Zanclean {{spain-geo-stub