Las Médulas is a historic mining site in the region of El Bierzo (León, Spain), which used to be the most important gold mine in the Roman Empire. The spectacular landscape resulted from the ruina montium, a Roman mining technique described by Pliny the Elder in 77 AD. The technique employed was a type of hydraulic mining which involved undermining a mountain with large quantities of water. The water was supplied by interbasin transfer. At least seven long aqueducts tapped the streams of the La Cabrera district (where the rainfall in the mountains is relatively high) at a range of altitudes. The same aqueducts were used to wash the extensive gold deposits (Wikipedia)
Photogrammetric survey: PNOA © IGN-Junta de Castilla y León. Photo by Rafael Ibáñez
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