NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration - The Origin of Life: An Astrobiology Field Guide
The Rio Tinto River
Location: Rio Tinto River, Spain
Latitude: 37.69
Longitude: -6.55
Navigating: Locate the western side of Europe on the globe to find the country of Spain. You may wish to turn on boundaries to help locate our target. The area of Rio Tinto can be found in the south west corner of Spain. From far away, Rio Tinto blends well with the surrounding countryside, so it may be easier to find Rio Tinto using a pseudo color view.
Significance: Microbial communities have been found to thrive despite the extreme conditions of the Rio Tinto river. The water has extremely high acidity with a pH of 1.7-2.5 and contains concentrated amounts of heavy metals.
The Rio Tinto River with LandSat7
 

When looking at the area around Rio Tinto you can spot a distinct indentation in the earth. This is where a nearby mine operates. Once it was thought the mine caused the river's unique characteristics, but it has been determined that this occurred naturally. The bacteria in the river are actually the cause of the high acid levels.

The reason why Rio Tinto appeals to astrobiology is it has features similar to Mars. Water, oxygen in the atmosphere and iron sulphur are what the two have in common here.
Visible: 500,000 meters Visible: 50,000 meters Visible: 10,000 meters
   
Pseudo: 500,000 meters Pseudo: 50,000 meters Pseudo: 10,000 meters
   
Curator: Randolph Kim
Responsible NASA Official: Patrick Hogan
Last Updated: 10/25/2004

 

,