2023 rio tinto

Visiting the Rio Tinto in southern Spain is like landing on Mars without a rocket and a space suit. The100 km long river is extremely acidic (pH2) and has a unique red and orange color. For a long time it was thought that the river's many colors, shapes and unique features were caused by intensive mining, but now it is known that these processes are essentially natural and have been going on long before human presence. Nasa conducts research at the Rio Tinto site, as it is ideal for astrobiology research in an extreme acid environment that is a possible analog for the martian subsurface. Photographing the Rio Tinto was a long cherished wish that came true at the beginning of May 2023. I enjoyed very much seeing it all with my own eyes and used both my drone and ordinary camera’s to depict the weird beauty of the river and its surroundings.