Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa Natural Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa Natural Park |
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| Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa | |
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IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
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An aerial view of Santa Margarida.
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| Location | Garrotxa, Catalonia, Spain |
| Area | 15,309 hectares (153.09 km2) |
| Established | 1982 |
| Governing body | Departament de Medi Ambient i Habitatge |
The Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa Natural Park is a special natural area in Catalonia, northeastern Spain. It's famous for its many volcanoes! The park's name in Catalan is Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa.
This park is home to about forty volcanoes. Don't worry, they are not active anymore! The last time a volcano here erupted was about 11,000 years ago. That volcano was called Croscat. Even though the volcanoes are sleeping, the area still has small earthquakes. A big earthquake happened in 1428, causing damage in Barcelona, which is about 90 kilometers (56 miles) away.
Exploring the Park: Size and Towns
The park covers a huge area of about 12,093 hectares (that's over 120 square kilometers or 46 square miles!). It includes parts of eleven different towns in the Garrotxa region.
Some towns like Olot, Santa Pau, Sant Joan les Fonts, and Castellfollit de la Roca are completely surrounded by the park. More than 40,000 people live in and around this natural park.
The park's managers work to help the local economy grow. They also make sure to protect the environment. This means stopping things like too much building, digging up rocks, or illegal trash dumping. About 980 hectares (2,422 acres) of the park are special "nature reserves." These areas have the best-preserved volcanoes and are fully protected.
How the Volcanoes Formed
The volcanoes in Garrotxa are called a "monogenetic volcanic field." This means each volcano erupted only once.
Volcanic activity in this part of Catalonia started about 10 million years ago. The Garrotxa field is the newest part of this activity. It became active about 700,000 years ago.
See also
- List of volcanoes in Spain
In Spanish: Parque natural de la Zona Volcánica de la Garrocha para niños
