Bora Major

Coneguda cova d'uns 45 m. de recorregut a Terrades (Alt Empordà)

Terrades • Alt Empordà45m18m

EspeleoWorld

Bora Major

Coneguda cova d'uns 45 m. de recorregut a Terrades (Alt Empordà)

Terrades · Alt Empordà

Length: 45 m · Depth: 18 m

Updated record

https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/bora-major

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 cave of about 45 m of passage in Terrades (Alt Empordà), also known as Bora Major.

Characteristics

Type: Pothole
Municipality: Terrades
Region: Alt Empordà
Unit: Empordà, l'
Length: 45 meters
Depth: 18 meters
Major Unit: Prepirineu
Lithology: Limestone
Last review: 2024-11-23

Location

We will leave Terrades along the GI-511 road towards Sant Llorenç de la Muga; before reaching kilometre 1 we will turn right onto the GI-504 road. After travelling 275 metres we will park on the left of the road, where there is a track closed with a padlock. We will follow the track until we reach a property closed with a railing; from there we will continue along a path that at first runs alongside the railing. After travelling 700 metres from the road we will follow the path on the right; a hundred metres further on we will leave the path on the right. At this point we will already begin to find a cairn and old red paint marks; we must climb straight up the mountain without a path for about 190 metres and a height difference of 72 metres until we reach the mouth of the cavity.

From a distance, drinks cans can be seen hanging from the branches of the bushes, indicating the place where the mouth is located.

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

Major, Bora
Elevation: 374 m
42.320422, 2.826033
UTM 31T (ETRS89) 485665 4685368
Open in map Open in Google Maps

Download all entrances as GPX

Topographic

Bora Major - Topography, Terrades, Alt Empordà

View image

Click to enlarge

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

Image 1 of 2

Photos

Bora Major - Photo, Terrades, Alt Empordà

View image

Click to enlarge

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

Image 1 of 14

Description

Morphology

Once past the small mouth and a short passage, a narrow gap leads to a first chamber; at one of its ends a sloping conduit opens that communicates with the largest chamber of the cavity. At the lower end of this chamber and via a short vertical drop, we reach a small chamber that is the end point of the cave.

Speleothems

At one of the ends of the first chamber a sloping conduit opens with a column in the very middle.

Progression

Once past the small mouth and a short passage, a narrow gap leads to a first chamber; at one of its ends a sloping conduit opens with a column in the very middle, which communicates with the largest chamber of the cavity. At the lower end of this chamber and via a short vertical drop, we reach a small chamber that is the end point of the cave.

History

Since the Diccionario geográfico by Pascual Madoz (1850), two cavities in the Terrades area are mentioned, also recorded by C. del Prado, Puig y Larraz, Font i Sagué and Faura i Sans: the Cova de Santa Magdalena and the Cova dels Encantats. We have never had specific data about them, although perhaps one of the two could be the Bora Major.

The first news we have of the cavity is from Dr. Ricardo Zariquiey (father), who in August 1917, accompanied by Messrs. Guimjoan and Rosés, made a first recognised visit in search of subterranean fauna. In September 1923 it was visited again by his son, Ricardo Zariquiey Álvarez, accompanied by Mr. Bofill and with the same purposes. It should be said that they all call it by the incorrect form Vora Major. Over the years there have been many visits made by different biospeleologists and also by many curious people.

Complete data on the cavity were not available until January 1972, when it was explored by Empordà speleologists (S. Delclós et al.), who made a first survey and called it Cova de la Moneda Falsa, which seems to be how it is known in Sant Llorenç de la Muga, where they were given the information.

During the spring of 1973, the biospeleologist Àngel Lagar, together with colleagues from SIRE – UEC Gràcia, carried out a series of explorations in the area and explored and surveyed the Bora Major, thus recovering the name that Dr. Zariquiey had given it.

Bio

Coleoptera

Leioididae.

Parvospeonomus delarouzeii

Curculionidae

Otiorhychus (Lixorrhyncus zariquiei (Clermont, 1949)

User Comments (0)

No comments yet.

Be the first to share your experience!

Registered Explorations (0)

No explorations registered yet.

Bibliography

Borràs, J.; Miñarro,JM.; Talavera,F. (1980).-Catàleg espeleològic de Catalunya. Vol. 4: el Ripollès, la Garrotxa i l'Alt Empordà. 296 pp. Ed.Políglota. Barcelona.
Delclós, S. (1972).- “Cuevas y simas del Alt Empordà”. Comunicaciones del II Simposium Metodologia Espeleológica– Topografía. SIE – CEA i Escola Catalana d'Espeleologia. Barcelona.
Escolà, O.; Bellés, X. (1984).- “Distribució geogràfica dels Speonomus del subgènere Parvospeonomus (Col. Catopidae Bathysciinae) al vessant meridional dels Pirineus. Actes de la III Sessió conjunta d'entomologia: 19-28. ICHN – SCL. Mataró
Español, F. (1946).-”La Zariquieya troglodytes Jeann.” Graellsia 4 (4): 89-97
Español, F. (1956).- “Los Bathysciinae catalanes (col. Catopidae)”. Actes du II Congrés International d'Etudes Pyrénéens, T.3 (2):109-123. Luchon – Pau, 1954.
Lagar, A.; Salvadó, M.; Sabater, J.; Torrella, J. (1973).- “Cavidades de Terrades (Alt Empordà, Girona)”. Senderos (176): 19-25. Unió Excursionista de Catalunya. Barcelona.

Dades Biospeleològiques facilitades per Floren Fadrique.
Actualització de dades, coordenades i fotografies facilitades per Juli Serrano (SIE-CEA) i Francesc Rubinat (ERE-CEC), novembre de 2024.