Las Médulas

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/las-mdulas

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is Las Médulas known for?Largest open-pit gold mine in the Roman Empire; UNESCO World Heritage Site
2. Who discovered Las Médulas?Extensive Roman-era works confirmed by LIDAR surveys in 2014
3. What is the location?Comarca of El Bierzo, province of León, Castile and León, Spain
4. What is the scientific name?N/A (This is a landscape, not a biological organism)
5. What is Las Médulas and why is it special?Las Médulas is a big gold mine in Spain that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is famous for its bright orange mountains and deep gullies made by the Romans.
6. How did the Romans get gold from Las Médulas?The Romans used a technique called "ruina montium." They dug tunnels into mountains, poured water from aqueducts to break the rock, and then washed the gold out.

Anthropogenic Landscape: A landscape significantly modified by human activity over time.
Hydraulic Mining: A method of mining that uses high-pressure water jets to dislodge rock and soil, often used for placer deposits.
Aqueduct: An artificial channel or conduit constructed to convey water, often over long distances and across varied terrain.
LIDAR: Light Detection and Ranging; a remote sensing technology using pulsed laser light to measure distances and create detailed 3D maps of terrain.