The Piedra () is a river in the

Iberian System Iberian refers to Iberia. Most commonly Iberian refers to: *Someone or something originating in the Iberian Peninsula, namely from Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Andorra. The term ''Iberian'' is also used to refer to anything pertaining to the fo ...

area,

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. It is a tributary of the river Jalón. The waters have a high concentration of

calcium carbonate Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a common substance found in Rock (geology), rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite, most notably in chalk and limestone, eggshells, gastropod shells, shellfish skel ...

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 An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

European freshwater crayfish in the river and its tributaries has practically disappeared owing to the introduction of the

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

signal crayfish The signal crayfish (''Pacifastacus leniusculus'') is a species of crayfish indigenous to North America. Introduced to Europe in the 1960s to supplement the North European ''Astacus astacus'' fisheries, which were being damaged by crayfish plague ...

(''Pacifastacus leniusculus'').

Geography

It rises near

Campillo de Dueñas Campillo de Dueñas is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha, Spain, near the source of the river Piedra. According to the 2004 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of sys ...

, in the

province of Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a province of Spain, belonging to the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. As of 2019 it had a population of 258,890 people. The population of the province has grown in the last 10 years. It is located in the centre ...

, Castile-La Mancha. The Piedra has an irregular flow, due to the long sunny season of the summer months, with often heavy rainfall in the spring and autumn. The mean discharge at

Monasterio de Piedra Monasterio de Piedra (Stone Monastery) is a monastery, hotel and park complex in the Sistema Ibérico, Iberian System mountain ranges, near Nuévalos, province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. The monastery was founded in 1194 by Alfonso II of Ar ...

is . The river is often said to rise at Cimballa, in the

province of Zaragoza Zaragoza (), also called Saragossa in English,''Encyclopædia Britannica''Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)/ref> is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon. Its capital is the city of Zaragoza, whic ...

, 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

where the calcareous water has formed a

Karst topography Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

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 Nuévalos is a municipality located in the Zaragoza (province), province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain), INE), the municipality has a population of 384 inhabitants. This small ...

. 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 Ateca is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. At the time of the 2015 census ( INE), the municipality had a population of 1,969. The River Jalón is joined by the River Piedra and the River Manubles at Ateca. The ...

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.

References

External links

*{{commons category inline, Piedra River Rivers of Spain Rivers of Castilla–La Mancha Rivers of Aragon Ebro basin Province of Zaragoza Province of Guadalajara

Geography

Pisciculture

See also

References

External links