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Avenc Joan Cabeza

Avenc Joan Cabeza

Interesting 67 m deep pit in Begues, opened artificially in 1979 during sparry calcite extraction. It includes the Sala de la Manta and the Sala Flash Black Corb.

Begues • Baix Llobregat 179m 67m

Interesting 67 m deep pit in Begues, opened artificially in 1979 during sparry calcite extraction. It includes the Sala de la Manta and the Sala Flash Black Corb.

Characteristics

Location

From the confluence of streams on the way to the avenc de Sant Roc, take the one heading more toward the SW and follow it upstream for about 260 metres. At this point, in the very middle of two small gullies coming down the right-hand slope, climb about 15 metres of elevation gain and the excavation of the old quarry where the pit is located is easily found.

Map

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. Joan Cabeza, Avenc

    Elevation: 465 m

    41.312620, 1.917270
    UTM 31T (ED 50) 409466 4574236
Download all entrances as GPX

Photos

Avenc Joan Cabeza - Photo, Begues, Baix LlobregatView image
Click to enlarge

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

Image 1 of 10

Description

Morphology

The pit begins with a wide 49-metre vertical drop that at its base presents a ramp heading SW which ends in a drop of just over 3 m. Here there is access to a lower chamber located below the base of the main shaft, through an unobstructed passage that gives access to a 2.5 m drop reaching the lower little chamber, 9 m long by 4 m wide, with an irregular ceiling from 1.20 to 2 m high. The part located furthest N is connected with a -3.30 m shaft cleared on the ramp of the main shaft. On the left we find a small descending crawl through which we can progress about 2 m more and reach the maximum depth of the cave at -67 metres.

If from the bottom of the entrance shaft we head about 5 m in an E direction we will find a small depression that leads us to a descending crawl beneath a flowstone. This crawl, about 0.80×0.40 m, opens out into a small 5.80 m shaft that is easy to free-climb down. The small shaft, of irregular dimensions, has walls covered with flowstone and other formations, and opens 2.90 m above the floor to form a beautiful little chamber of 2×2 m. A ramp on the left leads us to a -0.70 m drop, where a tiny crawl prevents further progress in this sector, reaching 62 m of depth.

At the -25 level of the entrance shaft and on its N. wall, there is a window, difficult to access, which gives way to a chimney that after 10 metres of ascent emerges into a chamber beautifully decorated by lithogenesis. This is the Sala Flash Black Corb, about 8 metres high and whose ceiling lies very close to the surface. In a corner of the chamber there is a drop that leads to a niche that once again connects with the main shaft.

Speleothems

The small shaft has walls covered with flowstone and other formations. The Sala Flash Black Corb is a chamber beautifully decorated by lithogenesis, of great beauty due to the lithogenic coating it presents.

History

Opened artificially during the “sparry calcite” extraction works by a Valencian refractory materials company in 1979. Immediately afterwards, seeing the impossibility of continuing the works in the face of the collapse produced, the same workers proceeded to plug the mouth of the pit with large blocks. Months later, Joan Cabeza (SIEP) found the excavation and on 3 April 1980, with the help of Ferran Talavera, they were able to open a way between the blocks. The following day a team from the same SIEP carried out the first exploration. A week later, members of the SIE – CE Àliga carried out the second exploration and produced a new survey that remained unpublished until it appeared in Víctor Ferrer's work: Avencs de Garraf i d'Ordal.

A few weeks after the book appeared, the GES of the CM Terrassa visited the pit and carried out a clearance at the bottom, finding a lower chamber (Sala de la Manta) and also gained access by clearance to the shaft that reaches the -62 m level.

On a later visit by members of the Flash Black Corb, Victor Ferrer saw a window in the main shaft and they needed several trips to be able to access it. Finally, on 28 February 2008 they achieved the objective and were able to explore a chamber (Sala Flash Black Corb) of great beauty due to the lithogenic coating it presents.

During two visits to the cave (2012 and 2014) carried out by members of the GE Badalona and SE GE Ribes they re-examined different points of the pit and carried out a new complete survey.

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Bibliography

  1. Ferrer, V. (2006).- Avencs de Garraf i d'Ordal. 152 pp. + llibret fitxes i topografies. Edició de l'autor. Barcelona.
  2. Tolrà, A. (1980).- “Avenc Joan Cabeza” Boletín Espeleológico SIEP (12): 26-29. SIEP – Centre Excursionista Poblet. Barcelona.
  3. Valles, J. de (2017).- Catàleg Espeleològic de Catalunya (Vol. 6): el Baix Llobregat:468 pp. Espeleo Club de Gràcia / Federació Catalana d'Espeleologia. Barcelona.
  • Fotografies de Jordi de Cabo extretes del blog (espeleoyfotografia.blogspot.com.es) post del dia 19-09-2018
  • Actualització de dades, topografia (2012-2014) i fotografies zona inferior extretes del web: geb.cat (del Grup d'Espeleologia de Badalona). Apunt del 28-6-2015

Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/