Spain holds the only city on earth that is located between two tectonic plates
The plates are of importance for understanding how our planet can change and how continents can form
There is one city in Andalucía that is the only one in the entire world which sits on the edge of two tectonic plates. The edge of tectonic plates are places where a great deal of activity occurs in the earth, and because of this reason is it is highly unusual for cities to sit upon them.
Understanding plate tectonics helps us to know about global geology and the formation of oceans and continents. At the edge of each fragment of the tectonic plates, intense activity is concentrated and this is what causes natural disasters such as earthquakes.
Tectonic plates can be different sizes and are made up of continental or oceanic material. The plates move slowly over time due to the thermal energy of the Earth’s interior, which generates convection currents in the mantle.
The relief the earth seeks from the convection currents is seen in mountains, islands and Ocean trenches that form as a result of the tectonic activities. The tectonic plates can interact at their boundaries and collide naturally, due to the movements driven by the Earth’s internal geological forces.
That’s why it can be dangerous for a city to be on or near tectonic plate boundaries, where the majority of the action occurs. That is why of all the world there is only one city that is located between two tectonic plates and that city is in Spain.
Almería is that very city. The city in the south of Spain on the coast sits between the tectonic plates of Eurasia and Africa, which gives it its geological uniqueness. Almería is located near the contact zone between both plates, and the interaction between these plates generates tectonic activity in the region, making Almería and other areas in southeastern Spain prone to earthquakes.
The city possesses geological formations that reflect this tectonic activity, such as local faults and mountainous reliefs. Furthermore, Almería can also be considered a transcontinental city, being the only Spanish city in this case.
Within the city limits is the Alborán Island, an archipelago of about seven square kilometres, which has only eleven inhabitants and which is part of Spain, but also of Africa.
Other cities that are considered to be transcontinental are Istanbul, Suez and Atyrau in Kazakhstan. These are considered to be transcontinental because they sit between two continents that are separated by a river.
Image: Archive
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