Back to Ajui

Numbers halved after the departure of 6 of the group for the UK we decided to pay a return visit to Ajui to have a look for the migmatite in the contact metamorphic aureole of the pyroxenite intrusion. Sources described this as visible in the Barranco de Aulagar to the south of the village
We parked at the top of the village (saved going back up the hill again) and headed for the barranco which didn't look as though it had seen any water for some time though obviously there had been much more regular flow down it in the distant past. The route took us up the western side of an earth dam (which held back no more than a dampish infill of mud where some greenery was growing.
A couple of hundred metres further on we began to find the migmatite: this is formed when the heat is so great that the rocks, instead of being metamorphosed, begin to melt. First thing that happens is that some of the lower temperature minerals are sweated out of the groundmass, coalesce in any areas where there is space (in this case probably cracks created by shear parallel to the dykes) and then recrystallise as things begin to cool down.

Barranco de Aulaga looking upstream (S)

Migmatite

The pale, felsic minerals show as light streaks in the darker groundmass.
Aulaga is the Spanish name for various thorny plants, in this case Thorn Lettuce (which I've also known as 'chicken wire bush' because of the 120 degree angles of the thorny stalks). Rounded masses of this were blowing down the barranco in the wind - the original tumbleweed perhaps? - and one of the group wearing shorts got badly scratched when one made a beeline for her!
After some first aid, followed by a fish lunch at one of the beach restaurants we decided to go and have a second look at the southern end of the Barranco de las Penitas which we'd been to a few days before: Jan reckoned that we could actually drive the track to the far end, saving a hot walk, so that we could get close to the syenite outcrop at the southern end of the ring complex. She was right.

Malpaso - the southern end of the barranco de las Penitas

We were able to walk along a pleasant path and through a palmera (sadly a number of trees are dying but there is a project to restore them) to the southern end of the syenite ridge a short way below the hermitage. A good reccy for next time!