Rio Tinto Mine Landscape Near Nerva In Spain Royalty-Free Stock Photo

Rio Tinto mine contains the largest mass of cupriferous pyrite one of the minerals from which copper is extracted known to man, together with some gold, silver, sulphur and iron. The red soil that dominates the landscape is caused by the oxidation of metal-bearing rocks over many millions of years. The Rio Tinto river has a unique red and orange colour derived from its chemical makeup that is extremely acidic and with very high levels of iron and heavy metals. Its located in southwestern Spain. It rises in the Sierra Morena mountains of Andalusia and flows generally south-southwest, reaching the Gulf of Cádiz at Huelva.