6 Amazing Alboran Sea Facts

Seas are usually defined as parts of oceans; similarly, the Alboran Sea is considered the westernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea. Its average depth is 445 m or 1460 ft, while its maximum depth is 1500 m.

The Alboran Sea covers an area of approximately 57,000 km2 and is located between the Iberian Peninsula and the north of Africa. The Strait of Gibraltar, situated at its western end, links the Mediterranean with the Atlantic Ocean.

The eastern portion of the sea links Cabo de Gata, a cape located in the south of Spain, to Cape Fegalo in Algeria. The Alboran Sea borders Spain in the north, the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar in the west and Morocco and Algeria in the south.

The Alboran Sea is a busy shipping route. Commercial ships crossing the Strait of Gibraltar often pass through this sea to reach their destination. It also has docking areas for American and British submarines. Many naval and military bases are located around the Alboran Sea.

Read along to learn more interesting facts about the Alboran Sea.

1. Understanding the Geology of the Alboran Sea

The seafloor under the Alboran Sea, called the internal zones and the Alboran domain, along with the external zones or mountains like the Atlas and the Gibraltar Arc, are made of continental crust.

They also define the westernmost point of the terranes that were subducted between the Eurasian Plate and the African Plate during the closure of the Tethys Ocean. Frequent earthquakes at a depth of around 600 km show that the subduction is still continuing and interactions between mantle and lithosphere are still shaping the area.

Internal zones are made of Paleozoic and Triassic rocks piled during the Tertiary period and extended since the early Miocene period. The seafloor is complex with many sub-basins, mainly three called the West, East and South Alboran Basins, seamounts and ridges.

2. Alboran Ridge is the most prominent geological feature

The Alboran Sea is an east-west-stretching marine basin flanked to the north and south by narrow shelves and slopes of African and Iberian land masses.

What stands out the most in the Alboran Sea geology is the 180 km long or 110 miles Alboran Ridge, which spans southwest from Alboran Island. It ends abruptly to the north against the Alboran Channel.

3. Gyre formation in the Alboran Sea

Due to the prevalence of strong winds, the currents in the Alboran Sea flow eastwards, bringing water from the Atlantic Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar.

A deeper subsurface seawater current flows westwards and carries salty water from the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean. This water exchange in the Alboran Sea happens in a vertical rotary circulation called a gyre.

4. Contains massive mountains like Gibraltar Arc and Atlas Mountains

The Gibraltar Arc is a geological area surrounding the Alboran Sea between the Iberian Peninsula and Africa. It comprises the Betic Cordillera, a system of mountain ranges in Spain and the Rif Mountains in northern Morocco.

The Arc lies at the western end of the Mediterranean Alpine Belt and was formed in the Neogene due to the convergence of African and Eurasian Plates.

The Arc has an internal zone on its inner side adjacent to the Alboran Sea. It consists of metamorphic rocks, while the external zone on the outside is made of sediments deposited on the margins of Iberia and Africa.

The Atlas Mountains lie in Maghreb, North Africa. They separate the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The highest peak of the range is Toukbai in central Morocco, which has an elevation of 4167 m. These mountains are mainly inhabited by the Berber, a term used to describe ethnic groups indigenous to North Africa.

The Atlas Mountains contain many natural resources, such as copper, phosphate, anthracite coal, natural gas, iron ore, lead ore, rock salt, and marble.

5. Home to the biggest population of bottlenose dolphins

The Alboran Sea marks a transition zone between sea and ocean; hence, it has both Atlantic and Mediterranean species. Also called the lungs of the Mediterranean, it has a high diversity of plankton, the biomass of which is said to be the highest in the region. Additionally, three species of seagrass are also found here.

The beds of seagrass Posidonia oceanica are the main source of oxygen, shelter, and habitat for diverse marine life in the Alboran Sea. Some key species found here are Norway lobster and red shrimp.

The Alboran Sea is home to the biggest population of bottlenose dolphins. The last population of harbour porpoises in the western Mediterranean also live in this water body. It is also a feeding ground for Europe’s loggerhead sea turtles.

According to estimates, around 300 fish species are found in the Alboran Sea, many of which are commercially valuable, such as hake, ocean sunfish, swordfish, sardines, barracudas, and mullets.

The World Wildlife Fund expressed concern about drift net fishing in the sea, which threatens turtles, dolphins and other marine life. In 2023, the EU, Algeria and Morrocco decided to ban bottom fishing practices near Cabliers Bank to protect the only cold-water coral reef growing in the Mediterranean.

Around 20 species of sharks are found here, including porbeagles, school sharks, dogfish, and whales like sperm whales, pilot whales, fin whales, Cuveir’s beaked whales, striped and common dolphins, Risso’s dolphins, etc. The northern part of the sea has many coastal and marine protected areas. Aquaculture and fishing are some of the main economic activities in the Alboran Sea.

6. Numerous islands in the lie in the Alboran Sea

Many islands lie in the Alboran Sea, such as Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, etc. BirdLife International has designated them Important Bird Areas because they function as important breeding grounds for many species of birds, particularly seabirds like Scopoli’s shearwaters and Audouin’s gulls. The islands are not very big, so they are inhabited by military personnel.

The Alboran Island belongs to Spain. It lies in the Alboran Sea, about 56 km north of Morocco’s coast and 85 km from the Spanish mainland. Major infrastructure here is an automated lighthouse constructed in the 19th century, a cemetery, and a harbour.

Chafarinas Islands is also a Spanish territory in North Africa off the coast of Morocco. The Alhucemas Islands are another island group in the Alboran Sea.

Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera is a tidal island which is linked to the shore of Morocco via a sandy isthmus. It also connects to an isle called La Isleta in the east through a rocky isthmus. It was named Rock of Badis and connected to the Badis town.

Conclusion

The Alboran Sea is said to be the westernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a busy shipping route, and many commercial vessels pass through this water body to reach their destinations. The Alboran Sea is also a biodiversity hotspot, home to 20 shark species and around 300 fish species that thrive in its waters. The sea has many small islands and islets, most of which are Spanish territories and are occupied by military personnel.

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