Polje de Mira-Minde

Useful Information

Location:	Between the cities Mira d'Aire and Minde.
Open:	no restrictions. [2020]
Fee:	free. [2020]
Classification:	Polje.
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:	n/a
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

04-MAY-1979

protected by Decreto-Lei nº 118/79 as a Natural Park.

Description

The Polje de Mira-Minde is a plain surrounded by limestone cliffs. The surrounding limestone is heavily karstified, and there are numerous caves, including some show caves. At the rims and in the floor of the polje are numerous Karst estavelles, locally called algares (potholes). After heavy rains they produce high amounts of water, and the plain is flooded by a temporary lake. Some time after the rain stops, the water flows back into the springs where it emerged from. That's why they are estavelles: sometimes they are springs, at other times they are swallow holes. The temporary lake appears only after heavy rains, and its appearance is not regular and does not have a certain periodicity.