kids encyclopedia robot

Piedra (Spain) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Piedra
Monasterio de Piedra 1.jpg
The Piedra flowing through the Monasterio de Piedra area
Cuenca del rio Riedra.jpg
The watershed of the Piedra within the Ebro basin.
Country Spain
Region Castile-La Mancha, Aragón
District province of Guadalajara,
province of Zaragoza
City Campillo de Dueñas, Cimballa,
Nuévalos, Carenas, Castejón de las Armas
Physical characteristics
Main source Campillo de Dueñas
province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain
1,195 m (3,921 ft)
40°49′59″N 1°39′18″W / 40.833°N 1.655°W / 40.833; -1.655
River mouth Castejón de las Armas
province of Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain
590 m (1,940 ft)
41°19′08″N 1°48′36″W / 41.319°N 1.810°W / 41.319; -1.810
Length 76 km (47 mi)
Basin features
Progression JalónEbroMediterranean Sea
Tributaries
  • Left:
    Mesa River
  • Right:
    Ortiz, Munebraga
River system Ebro

The Piedra (Spanish: Río Piedra) is a river in the Iberian System area, Spain. It is a tributary of the river Jalón. The waters have a high concentration of calcium carbonate which is deposited on plant life near the source, giving the river its name Río Piedra, which means 'stone river' in English.

The population of the endangered European freshwater crayfish in the river and its tributaries has practically disappeared owing to the introduction of the North American signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus).

Geography

It rises near Campillo de Dueñas, in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha. The Piedra has an irregular flow, due to the long dry season of the summer months, with often heavy rainfall in the spring and autumn. The mean discharge at Monasterio de Piedra is 1.22 cubic metres per second (43 cu ft/s).

The river is often said to rise at Cimballa, in the province of Zaragoza, but it actually rises near Campillo de Dueñas, although the upper reaches are often dry in the summer months. Springs at Campillo amplify the flow, so that it always has water below this point.

From Cimballa, the Piedra flows down to the water gardens of the Monasterio de Piedra where the calcareous water has formed a Karst topography of waterfalls and rocky pools. The place is popular with visitors, for it is a kind of oasis in the surrounding arid and harsh mountainous landscape. After leaving the Monasterio the river descends to La Tranquera Dam at Nuévalos. The rivers Mesa, Ortiz and Munebraga also feed the reservoir and may be considered tributaries of the Piedra. From La Tranquera, the river flows past Carenas and joins the Jalón near Castejón de las Armas and Ateca.

Pisciculture

In 1988, the Government of Aragón established a fish reserve at Monasterio in order to provide fish for replenishing the stocks of Aragón's rivers.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Río Piedra para niños

kids search engine
Piedra (Spain) Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.