Crater El Hoyazo

Níjar, Almería, Andalusia, Spain

The Hoyazo crater is the remnants of an underwater volcanic crater in the Cabo de Gata natural park in Almería, Spain.

It hosts a variety of interesting minerals including Cristobalite, Cordierite, Biotite, Plagioclase and Quartz – but the best known are the Almandine Garnets from the site, which are unbelievably plentiful in the ‘Rambla de las Granatillas’, or ‘Ravine of the Garnets’.

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In the 19th and 20th centuries the Garnet deposits from the site were commercially mined for abrasives, producing up to 6 tons of sand sized Garnet per day. A more recent attempt to commercialise this deposit for abrasives was made in 1996.

I’ve seen a few names for this site and must apologise as I don’t speak Spanish well enough to know if I’m getting these wrong.

  • Rambla de las Granatillas
  • El Joyazo
  • El Hollazo

 

I do not know if collecting is allowed from this site; this website mentions some of the area being protected, and any trips planning to collect should confirm this with the local authority.

 

Further reading about this locale:

 

 

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