Aven de l'Hydropathe
Fossil vertical shaft of 50 metres in Urgonian limestones, with a flat floor of clay and stones.
EspeleoWorld
Aven de l'Hydropathe
Fossil vertical shaft of 50 metres in Urgonian limestones, with a flat floor of clay and stones.
Fitou
Length: 60 m · Depth: 50 m
Updated record
https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/aven-de-l-hydropathe-fitou
Information can change. Always verify coordinates, access, weather, and cave conditions before setting out.
Fossil vertical shaft of 50 metres in Urgonian limestones, with a flat floor of clay and stones.
Description
Morphology
Oblong entrance of 1.5 m x 1 m. It is a single vertical shaft 50 metres deep. The first part down to 6 metres widens to an average diameter of 3 metres. After 6 metres, the cavity rapidly enlarges into a fault perfectly oriented north/south, reaching 10 metres long by 4 metres wide. Then, at about 15 to 20 metres from the bottom, the shaft resumes the form of a cylinder 4 to 5 metres in diameter up to the arrival. The flat floor consists of clay and stones. Slight lateral hollowings bear witness to flows and enlargements attempted by visitors.
Hydrology
The cavity develops in the series of Urgonian limestones from the Valanginian to the lower Bedoulian. Fossil Aven with no trace of flow.
Other details
The authors, dreading to find themselves with their feet in the water... instituted such a name!
Bio
During a visit on 1 October 2017, a toad, a frog and a newt were seen.
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Contains information from Grottocenter (Wikicaves), grottocenter.org, made available under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0, https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/), modified. · https://grottocenter.org/ui/entrances/137804 · The derived data is available on request under the ODbL: [email protected] · data as of 2026 · Source: Grottocenter (Association Wikicaves), worldwide collaborative cave database (grottocenter.org), modified. CC BY-SA 3.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Grottocenter (Wikicaves) · Text by Stochus (Description générale), Stochus (Géologie et hydrogéologie), Stochus (Toponymie), Stochus (Biospéologie) · adapted by Espeleoworld (normalized, translated); the adaptation is licensed CC BY-SA 3.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ · https://grottocenter.org/ui/entrances/137804 · data as of 2026