toxic beauty

On some occasions, nature surprises us by creating geological forms of great beauty in the most unexpected environments. What does not usually happen is that the polluted environment of a toxic waste pond generates natural art through the precipitation of minerals.

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Today, Gossan is the largest toxic sludge pond in Europe, with a capacity of 22 cubic hectometres, equivalent to 8,800 Olympic swimming pools. Its solid waste contains traces of copper, iron, zinc, arsenic and cyanide, among others.

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The intentional drop in the water level of the reservoir has allowed us to access some wonderful geoforms that until now had remained submerged except in dry periods. However, these forms are short-lived, since sulfates such as gypsum are highly soluble and dissolve easily in rainwater and can be completely destroyed.