Avenc dels Pinyerets

Avenc de 38 m. de fondària al Montmell (Baix Penedès)

Montmell, El • Baix Penedès110m38m

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Avenc dels Pinyerets

Avenc de 38 m. de fondària al Montmell (Baix Penedès)

Montmell, El · Baix Penedès

Length: 110 m · Depth: 38 m

Updated record

https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/avenc-dels-pinyerets

Information can change. Always verify coordinates, access, weather, and cave conditions before setting out.

Topographic map of the main entrance — Main entrance · ICGC topographic map

A 38 m deep pit in the Montmell (Baix Penedès), discovered in 1933, with a first 15 m shaft and another of 7 m, and a great profusion of lithogenic forms.

Characteristics

Type: Pothole
Municipality: Montmell, El
Region: Baix Penedès
Unit: Montmell, el
Length: 110 meters
Depth: 38 meters
Major Unit: Serralada Prelitoral
Lithology: Limestone
Last review: 2017-02-12

Location

Almost at the western end of the Plana de la Torre, next to the highest point of this plain, covered by a thick scrubland that makes transit and the location of the cavities very difficult.

It can be accessed from the hamlet of Aiguaviva del Montmell by a lost path that climbs in a NW direction and also from Aiguaviva itself following the TV-2443 road in the direction of Can Ferrer de la Cogullada and, before the houses of the Vall de Sant Marc, on the right, a track for off-road vehicles comes out that leads to Mas Solà and before arriving there is a turnoff to the right that would take us to the ruins of the Torre de Milà and that continues on to end almost at the upper plain. The vehicle must be left at a point where the track is wider, before starting the last climb that leads to the plain, since there is a fallen pine tree across the track that blocks the way (data from February 2017). From the plain at the end of the track, we find some blue markings on the trees that, following them, lead us to the different cavities of the Plana de la Torre, passing first by the avenc de la Plana de la Torre, then by the avenc Antistiana, next one passes by the avenc Victoria and finally one arrives at the avenc dels Pinyerets.

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

Avenc dels Pinyerets
Elevation: 755 m
41.354340, 1.487550
UTM 31T (ED 50) 373577 4579401
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Topographic

Avenc dels Pinyerets - Topography, Montmell, El, Baix Penedès

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Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

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Photos

Avenc dels Pinyerets - Photo, Montmell, El, Baix Penedès

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Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

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Description

Morphology

The entrance is small, 1 metres long by 0.50 metres at its widest part, giving way to a first 15 metres deep shaft; at its bottom, a narrow and elongated floor gives options to two continuations: Towards the SW there is a small rise and below it a window that overlooks a shaft that descends almost to the point of maximum depth; continuing along the base of the entrance shaft towards the NE, one descends a steep slope that leads to a narrow rise and to a shaft of 7 metres of drop and from here one can descend by a steep slope and a rise to the lower gallery which the final small shaft follows. Again at the base of the 7 metres shaft one can continue climbing a little to penetrate into a gallery, with some narrow passage and an irregular layout that leads to two chambers almost superimposed one on top of the other.

Speleothems

In the two almost superimposed chambers there is a great profusion of lithogenic forms, especially parietal and of stalagmitic type in the sun.

History

Cavity unknown until the year 1933 when a former shepherd of the area, Mr. Joan Vives, accompanies Lluís Porta i Massana (CEC) to the entrance of the pit, which is found covered by stones and must be cleared. Porta and his companions carry out the first exploration on 27 August 1933 and a note is published in the CEC bulletin of the following year.

During the campaigns of the SIE – CEA (1966-69) in the Montmell area an attempt is made to locate the pit but the search is unsuccessful, although the prospecting results in the discovery of a new cavity (Avenc Victoria) which turns out to be the deepest in the area.

Around 1972, members of the ERE – CEC accompanied by Lluís Porta himself attempt the location, but almost 40 years later memory fails and despite having to go to Tarragona to look for an old exploration companion of Porta's, the location proves impossible.

It is not until 1977 that Xavier Bellés together with other biospeleologist companions and accompanied again by Lluís Porta (this time provided with photos taken during the first exploration) manage to find it and explore it for faunal purposes.

With the indications of the previous ones and not without difficulties in its location, a group of the SIE-CEA and of the ERE-CEC explore it again on 25 July 1978 and make a new survey.

In February 2017, a small clearing is carried out at the entrance, in order to facilitate access to the cavity, since previously it was very selective.

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Bibliography

Borràs, J.; Miñarro,JM.; Talavera, F. (1978).- Catàleg Espeleològic de Catalunya. Vol. 2 (l'Alt Camp, la Conca de Barberà,el Baix Penedès i el Tarragonès):246 pp. Ed. Poliglota. Barcelona.

Porta, Ll. (1934).- “Recerques espeleològiques pel terme del Montmell. L'avenc de Pinyerets” Butlletí del Centre Excursionista de Catalunya (468): 203-205. Barcelona.

Rovira, J.; Victoria, JM. (1972).- “El karst de la Torre de Milà (Aiguaviva, Baix Penedès)” EspeleoSie (13): 41-81. SIE del CE Àliga. Barcelona.

Actualització de la fitxa el febrer de 2017 incloent coordenades, situació, descripció, fotografies i altres dades facilitades per Juli Serrano i Francesc Rubinat.