Bòfia del Port del Comte
Popular cavitat de 30 m. de fondària al Port del Comte.
EspeleoWorld
Bòfia del Port del Comte
Popular cavitat de 30 m. de fondària al Port del Comte.
Coma i la Pedra, La · Solsonès
Length: 65 m · Depth: 30 m
Updated record
https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/bofia-del-port-del-comte
Information can change. Always verify coordinates, access, weather, and cave conditions before setting out.
Popular 30 m deep cavity in the Port del Comte, known since time immemorial and formerly exploited as a natural ice well.
Topographic
Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.
Photos
Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.
Description
Morphology
Large 20 x 6 metre mouth preceded by an incipient funnel. Upper lip (SE) 5 metres higher than the NW.
A 3 metre ramp from the lower lip and a 12.5 metre shaft down to the top of a debris cone covered with a characteristic deposit of snow and ice. This chamber gradually widens, from 8 metres at the NW end (where there is a small extension developed along a joint) to 19 metres at the SE end.
The height of the chamber, in the part where there is a ceiling, is about 15 metres. In this part there are two chimneys inhabited by jackdaws that have given rise to a couple of guano cones.
At the S end and by a short ascending ramp behind a large block, one reaches the mouth of a cavity whose floor is occupied by blocks of regular size that leads, through a crawl at its bottom, to another small chamber of 7 x 2.5 x 15 metres.
La Bòfia is a cavity whose mouth opened by the collapse of the underlying vault, originally closed. The two lateral small chambers are “fusiform” forms of considerable development in height, as are the two chimneys in the ceiling, which also represent infiltration points subsequent to the genesis of the main chamber.
Speleothems
At some time of the year at this point some ice stalactites and stalagmites may form, poorly developed.
Hydrology
The ice and snow, even in October, reach a considerable thickness, and cover a debris cone of clastic origin that occupies the projection of the mouth on the floor. Some years, it seems that the accumulated snow can reach to within a few metres of the lower lip.
Progression
A 3 metre ramp from the lower lip and a 12.5 metre shaft down to the top of a debris cone. At the S end and by a short ascending ramp behind a large block, one reaches the mouth of a cavity whose floor is occupied by blocks of regular size that leads, through a crawl at its bottom, to another small chamber.
Other details
Popular 30 m deep cavity in the Port del Comte.
History
Known since time immemorial. Mentioned in old catalogues (Madoz, Puig y Larraz, Font i Sagué, Faura i Sans,...).
Natural ice well that was exploited by the people of the region for centuries. We have evidence of explorations by members of the ERE-CEC in March 1956 and of the GES-CMB in March 1961. It is not until 31 October 1966, during the last campaigns of the Operació Solsonès, that members of the ERE-CEC make a complete exploration and study of the cavity. At that time there still existed two flights of 6 metre ladders (built with pine trunks by the people of the xalets del Prat de Bacies), which allowed descent to the bottom from the lower lip.
User Comments (0)
No comments yet.
Be the first to share your experience!
Registered Explorations (0)
No explorations registered yet.
Register your visit to this cave!
Bibliography
- Escolà, O. (1974).- “Solsonès I: Plataformes superiors d'erosió. Port del Comte”. Espeleòleg (19): 1029-1035. ERE-CEC. Barcelona.
- Altres fotos extretes del blog: Espeleobloc (post del 3-10-2011)
Nearby caves
Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/