Los Morrillos de los Cabos Rojos ( Spanish for "the little

promontories A promontory is a raised mass of landform, land that projects into a Upland and lowland, lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosion, e ...

of the red capes") or more commonly known as Los Morrillos de Cabo Rojo, is a

cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

and

tombolo A tombolo is a sandy or shingle isthmus. It is a deposition landform by which an island becomes attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land such as a spit or bar. Once attached, the island is then known as a tied island. The word ''t ...

landform located in southwestern

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

in the municipality of Cabo Rojo. Los Morrillos is an excellent example of a tombolo, or a

tied island A tied island or land-tied island is a landform consisting of an island that is connected to the mainland or another island only by a tombolo, which is a spit of beach materials connected to land at both ends. St Ninian's Isle in the Shetlan ...

, with two sand pits. The cape resembles a letter Y with its two promontories or ''morrillos'' being connected through sand pits which enclose a saltwater lagoon. The landform was designated a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best e ...

in 1980 (as the Cabo Rojo National Natural Landmark), and the site includes

mangroves A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen and remove sal ...

, beaches, important bird nesting areas,

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

caves, cliffs and rock formations. The reddish-colored

cliffs give the name to the

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

and municipality of Cabo Rojo. The Los Morrillos Lighthouse (or Cabo Rojo Lighthouse) is a prominent historic landmark located in the landform. The site is located in and administered by the Boquerón State Forest and the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge.

Location and geology

This landform is located in the southwestern corner of the main island of

, shared by the ''barrios'' Boquerón and Llanos Costa of the municipality of Cabo Rojo. The cape is south facing towards the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

and creates two bays: the Salinas Bay to the west and the Sucia Bay to the east. The tombolo itself is connected to the mainland through a thin isthmus containing mangroves, reefs and salt flats. The geology of the landform consists mainly of

and serpentine rock formations, some of which are considered amongst the oldest in Puerto Rico.

Notable features

Point Jagüey (Spanish: ''Punta Jagüey'') is the westernmost part of the landform and contains some of the most prominent cliffs. Jagüey Cave (Spanish: ''Cueva Jagüey''), a small cave is located nearby immediately south of the point. Another prominent feature is the Puente de Tierra (Spanish for "land bridge"), a limestone formation resembling a small thin bridge. Sucia Lagoon (Spanish: ''Laguna Sucia'') is located between the two ''morrillos'' and it contains mangrove forests and salt flats.

Gallery

File:Puente de Piedra, Cabo Rojo.jpg, Puente de Piedra ("stone bridge"). File:Acantilados en Area del Faro - Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico - panoramio (4).jpg, Cliff formations near the lighthouse. File:Cabo Rojo limestone cliffs.jpg, Limestone cliffs located next to the lighthouse. File:Playa Sucia- Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.jpg, View of Cabo Rojo from Los Morrillos. File:Faro de Los Morrillos, Cabo Rojo.jpg, View of the lighthouse with Laguna Sucia in the background. File:Cabo Rojo Lighthouse, PR-301, Boquerón, Cabo Rojo 00622, Puerto Rico - panoramio (1).jpg, Limestone cliff formations near Playa Sucia. File:Acantilados en Area del Faro - Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico - panoramio.jpg, Cave near Point Jaguey. File:Llanos Costa, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico - panoramio (8).jpg, Reddish-colored limestone cliffs. File:View from Cabo Rojo lighthouse, PR - panoramio (1).jpg, Limestone cliff formations near the lighthouse.

References

{{Reflist Landforms of Puerto Rico National Natural Landmarks in Puerto Rico Tourist attractions in Puerto Rico Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico

Location and geology

Notable features

Gallery

See also

References