Balma de l'Espluga

Large rock shelter near Sant Quirze Safaja, 50 metres wide and about 10 metres high, with remains from the Leptolithic to the Early Postcardial Neolithic.

Sant Quirze Safaja • Moianès 20m

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Balma de l'Espluga

Large rock shelter near Sant Quirze Safaja, 50 metres wide and about 10 metres high, with remains from the Leptolithic to the Early Postcardial Neolithic.

Sant Quirze Safaja · Moianès

Length: 20 m

Updated record

https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/balma-de-l-espluga

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

Large rock shelter near Sant Quirze Safaja, 50 metres wide and about 10 metres high, with remains from the Leptolithic to the Early Postcardial Neolithic.

Characteristics

Type: Cave
Municipality: Sant Quirze Safaja
Region: Moianès
Unit: Cingles de Bertí - Vall del Tenes
Length: 20 meters
Depth: 0 meters
Major Unit: Serralada Prelitoral
Lithology: Limestone
Updated on EspeleoÍndex: May 18, 2025

Location

It is accessible from Sant Quirze Safaja via a good path to the mirador de la campana; a little further on you must take a small trail that descends in zigzags, which leads to the rock shelter in a total route of about 15 minutes.

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

Balma de l' Espluga
Elevation: 624 m
41.730915, 2.160165
UTM 31T (ETRS89) 430154 4620241
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Topographic

Balma de l'Espluga - Topography, Sant Quirze Safaja, Moianès

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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

It is a rock shelter 50 metres wide by about 10 metres high that encloses a small valley, partly shaped by the tufa from the water of the torrent de l'Espluga that plunges from above it.

History

Known since time immemorial.

It is a shelter where remains have been found from the Leptolithic (Undifferentiated) to the Early Postcardial Neolithic ( -33000 / -3500 ). The first excavations were carried out in 1960.

A few years ago, some scenes of the life of prehistoric humans were filmed at the rock shelter, in order to document a Catalan television series.

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Bibliography

Borràs, J.; Miñarro, J.M.;Talavera, F.;(1982).-'El Baix Empordà, el Gironès, la Selva, l'Osona, el Vallès oriental i el Maresme'. Catàleg Espeleològic de Catalunya (vol.6):276-277. Edit. Políglota. Barcelona.

Valles, Jordi de (2016).-'Bages, Barcelonès, Maresme, Vallès Occidental, Vallès Oriental'. Catàleg Espeleològic de Catalunya (vol.5):1-560. E C Gràcia /FCE.

Actualització de dades i fotografies, Grup de Veterans, maig de 2025.

Actualització de dades, coordenades i fotografies (Veterans Intercentres), maig de 2025.