Los Morrillos de los Cabos Rojos (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

for "the little

promontories A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the sof ...

of the red capes") or more commonly known as Los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo, is a

cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

and

tombolo A tombolo is a sandy or shingle isthmus. A tombolo, from the Italian ', meaning 'pillow' or 'cushion', and sometimes translated incorrectly as ''ayre'' (an ayre is a shingle beach of any kind), is a deposition landform by which an island become ...

landform located in southwestern

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

in the municipality of Cabo Rojo. Los Morrillos is an excellent example of a tombolo, or a tied island, with two sand pits. The cape resembles a letter Y with its two promontories or ''morrillos'' being connected through sand pits which enclose a saltwater lagoon. The landform was designated a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

in 1980 (as the Cabo Rojo National Natural Landmark), and the site includes

mangroves A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in several ...

, beaches, important bird nesting areas,

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

caves, cliffs and rock formations. The reddish-colored

cliffs give the name to the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

and municipality of Cabo Rojo. The Los Morrillos Lighthouse (or Cabo Rojo Lighthouse) is a prominent historic landmark located in the landform. The site is located in and administered by the

Boquerón State Forest Boquerón State Forest (Spanish: ''Bosque Estatal de Boquerón'') is one of the 20 forestry units that make up the public forest system of Puerto Rico. Despite its name, the Boquerón State Forest is not only located in Boquerón, Cabo Rojo but ...

and the

Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge (Spanish: ''Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre de Cabo Rojo'') is an 1,836-acre National Wildlife Refuge located in southwestern Puerto Rico, in the municipality of Cabo Rojo. The refuge is a habitat for numbe ...

Location and geology

This landform is located in the southwestern corner of the main island of

, shared by the ''barrios'' Boquerón and

Llanos Costa Llanos Costa is a barrio in the municipality of Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. Its population in 2010 was 3,571. History Puerto Rico was ceded by Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish–American War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898 and be ...

of the municipality of Cabo Rojo. The cape is south facing towards the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...

and creates two bays: the Salinas Bay to the west and the Sucia Bay to the east. The tombolo itself is connected to the mainland through a thin isthmus containing mangroves, reefs and salt flats. The geology of the landform consists mainly of

and

serpentine rock Serpentinite is a rock composed predominantly of one or more serpentine group minerals, the name originating from the similarity of the texture of the rock to that of the skin of a snake. Serpentinite has been called ''serpentine'' or ''serp ...

formations, some of which are considered amongst the oldest in Puerto Rico.

Notable features

Point Jagüey (Spanish: ''Punta Jagüey'') is the westernmost part of the landform and contains some of the most prominent cliffs. Jagüey Cave (Spanish: ''Cueva Jagüey''), a small cave is located nearby immediately south of the point. Another prominent feature is the Puente de Tierra (Spanish for "land bridge"), a limestone formation resembling a small thin bridge. Sucia Lagoon (Spanish: ''Laguna Sucia'') is located between the two ''morrillos'' and it contains mangrove forests and salt flats.

Gallery

File:Puente de Piedra, Cabo Rojo.jpg, Puente de Piedra ("stone bridge"). File:Acantilados en Area del Faro - Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico - panoramio (4).jpg, Cliff formations near the lighthouse. File:Cabo Rojo limestone cliffs.jpg, Limestone cliffs located next to the lighthouse. File:Playa Sucia- Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.jpg, View of Cabo Rojo from Los Morrillos. File:Faro de Los Morrillos, Cabo Rojo.jpg, View of the lighthouse with Laguna Sucia in the background. File:Cabo Rojo Lighthouse, PR-301, Boquerón, Cabo Rojo 00622, Puerto Rico - panoramio (1).jpg, Limestone cliff formations near Playa Sucia. File:Acantilados en Area del Faro - Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico - panoramio.jpg, Cave near Point Jaguey. File:Llanos Costa, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico - panoramio (8).jpg, Reddish-colored limestone cliffs. File:View from Cabo Rojo lighthouse, PR - panoramio (1).jpg, Limestone cliff formations near the lighthouse.

References

{{Reflist Landforms of Puerto Rico National Natural Landmarks in Puerto Rico Tourist attractions in Puerto Rico Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

Location and geology

Notable features

Gallery

See also

References