El Descabezadero
September 07, 2018
Photographer: James Van Gundy
Summary Author: James Van Gundy
The Descabezadero (Spanish for headless) is a large spring, or perhaps more correctly a series of springs, that form the source of the Rio Actopan, in the Mexican state of Veracruz. These springs form a nearly continuous curtain of water that runs for more than one hundred meters at the base of a narrow canyon. Similar to the famous Thousand Springs along the Snake River in Idaho, the water issues from streams channels long ago buried by erupted volcanic rocks; basalt in the case of Thousand Springs, and rhyolite tuff in the case of the Descabazedero. Discharge from the springs can be several thousands of gallons per minute (approximately 5 cu ft/second) and provides enough flow to support a whitewater rafting business immediately downstream. This area has been developed as a tourist site that's become increasingly popular for people looking to escape the heat of the Veracruz summer. Photo taken on May 26, 2018.
Photo Details: Camera: NIKON COOLPIX P600; Exposure Time: 0.0050s (1/200); Aperture: ƒ/3.3; ISO equivalent: 100; Focal Length (35mm): 24.