La Tejera Experimental Area

La Tejera. Czech

The experimental area of the Tejera de Czech is located in the vicinity of this town. This space is dedicated to the rocks and minerals of the Alto Tajo Natural Park and it is represented in it by ten lithologiesthe most characteristic or outstanding ones. For each type of rock, there is a hand sample, a cut sample to be able to contemplate the original colour and its components and a magnifying glass to observe the minerals and elements that go unnoticed to the naked eye. In addition, a series of explanatory texts appear next to each rock, explaining the relief they originate from, their age and the traditional uses they have been put to.

Lithologies such as the slate, quartzite, dacite, conglomerate, sandstone, gypsum, bioclastic limestone, sand, massive limestone and travertine or calcareous tuff. 

They represent a unique opportunity to see the ten main types of rock present in the Natural Park. Many of them are visible in the surroundings of the shingle field, to the south we see the turrets and sandstones and conglomerates of the Buntsandstein, with its characteristic red colour, to the west, towards the village of Czechthe limestones and dolomites grey-oak woodlands that form a mountain range (where we can see some antennas), to the north, next to the pinewoods, the black slates which outcrop on the slope covered by steppe rockrose, and to the east, in the direction of Oreathe quartzite brown in colour. The shales surrounding this site are very fragile and particularly disintegrated, giving rise to elongated rock forms known by their appearance as "French fries".

In addition, the experimental area of La Tejera is located on a old dump reclaimed with the aim of making this space a kind of laboratory of the geology of the Upper Tagus.

Finally, I would like to add that currently this area, due to misuse by some users and lack of maintenance by whoever is responsible, is not in its best days, many lithologies are disordered, broken, or simply missing so that part is unusable, even so, it is a good place to learn a little more about the materials that make up these beautiful landscapes, and an obligatory stop to visit the famous Dropstone from Czech or the Graptolite deposit that are located in its immediate vicinity.

<< How to get there?

The experimental area of La Tejera is very easy to find as it is well signposted on a bend just before entering the village of La Tejera. Checa, if we come along the road to Orea. Specifically on the CM-2111 between kilometres 24 and 25.