Los Molinos spring and the Río de Aguas
The spring of Los Molinos del Río Aguas is the largest spring in the district, with a flow of around 70 litres per second; this is a lot considering that rainfall in Sorbas is only a little higher than in a desert. So the flow cannot be directly explained by the annual rainfall over the gypsum outcrop. Los Molinos spring accounts for the drainage of the entire depression –more than 200 km2– from Venta de Los Yesos to Los Molinos.
Another extraordinary feature of Los Molinos spring is that it does not suffer large variations in flow, which is almost constant over time. This is due to the fact that the gypsum is overlain by other, so-called semi-pervious strata. These mean that the infiltrated water passes only very slowly –like a constantly dripping tap– towards the spring at Los Molinos. In this way, part of the water that emerges from the Los Molinos spring may have been circulating underground for many years before it finally arrives at its natural exit point (Figure 8).
Los Molinos spring and the Río de Aguas
Epikarstic spring of the Cueva del Tesoro
Figure 8