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Cova de Porta-lloret

Cova de Porta-lloret

Cova de 72 m de recorregut al vessant esquerre del riu Siurana (Cornudella de Montsant)

Cornudella de Montsant • Priorat72m17m

A 72 m long cave on the left bank of the Siurana river, in Cornudella de Montsant, discovered in 1934 and excavated until 1952.

Characteristics

Location

The cave is located on the left bank of the Siurana river, in the municipality of Cornudella de Montsant. From the village of Arbolí one must take the track that climbs to the hermitage of Sant Pau; shortly before reaching it there is another track on the left (closed) (Camí de Gallicant). One passes by the font Voltada and continues towards the Mas de Salin (rural house). One continues onwards towards Gallicant; shortly before a ruined corral a maintained path branches off to the left and descends towards the barranc del Grau and crosses the Grau de Vincabrer. Once down, the path takes the NE direction and, at a given moment, one comes to a crossroads with a signpost where one can read “La Tosca”. Here one takes a secondary path that, in a short but steep climb, leads to the cave La Tosca. Taking it as a reference, the cave of Porta Lloret is about 50 metres away, following the foot of the cliff towards the W, with no marked path.

Mapa

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. Porta-lloret, Cova de

    Elevation: 669 m

    41.258898, 0.953755
    UTM 31T (ETRS89) 328578 4569517
Download all entrances as GPX

Photos

Cova de Porta-lloret - Photo, Cornudella de Montsant, PrioratView image
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Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

Image 1 of 4

Description

Morphology

The entrance opens in a corner at the foot of the cliff. It is of a good size, but some large blocks form a step that is overcome by passing under the block on the right. 7 metres above the main entrance there is another entrance that had never been indicated in the topographies prior to that of 2017 (ECG; GEB).

It gives way to a straight gallery of triangular section, initially descending, which increases in size until reaching the central sector, where 7 metres in width by 14 in height are reached. From here it becomes ascending, with some quite large block chaos. A large slab detached from the right wall narrows the width of the gallery and, further on, one must overcome a large block to reach the terminal sector, the cavity ending obstructed by blocks.

The cavity develops parallel to the cliff. In fact, the north wall (right) is an enormous slab displaced from the cliff that has slid along its base and has come to rest with its upper part against the south wall. As a consequence of this, we have a cross-section of triangular shape, taller than it is wide, and on the ceiling the line of discontinuity between the north wall (mobile) and the south wall (static) is perfectly reflected.

Blocks are abundant, notably a secondary slab detached from the north wall that also rests against the south wall with its upper part.

Progression

The entrance opens in a corner at the foot of the cliff. It is of a good size, but some large blocks form a step that is overcome by passing under the block on the right. 7 metres above the main entrance there is another entrance that had never been indicated in the topographies prior to that of 2017 (ECG; GEB).

It gives way to a straight gallery of triangular section, initially descending, increasing in size until reaching the central sector, where 7 metres in width by 14 in height are reached. From here it becomes ascending, with some quite large block chaos. A large slab detached from the right wall narrows the width of the gallery and, further on, one must overcome a large block to reach the terminal sector, the cavity ending obstructed by blocks.

Other details

In the deepest zone materials dated from the Chalcolithic to the final Bronze Age – Iron I were found.

History

Discovered in 1934 by Mr. Josep Porta, then schoolmaster of Arbolí. That same year the excavations directed by Salvador Vilaseca began with the participation of the discoverer; of Mr. Josep Lloret, then schoolmaster of Alforja and discoverer of several cavities in the Arbolí area, and of Mr. Manuel Mata, of Reus. The work was carried out in different stages until 1952, when it was considered finished. Members of the Excursionist Section of the Centre de Lectura de Reus also participated.

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Bibliography

  1. Borràs, J.; Miñarro, JM.; Talavera, F. (1984).- Catàleg espeleològic de Catalunya. Vol. 7 (el Baix Camp, el Priorat i la Ribera d'Ebre. Políglota: 283 pp. Barcelona.
  1. Vilaseca, S. (1958).- “La cueva de Porta-Lloret en el antiguo término de Siurana, Montes de Prades”. Ampurias (XIX-XX): 104-114 Museo de Arqueologia. Barcelona. Actualització de dades, topografia (2017) i fotografies extretes del web: geb.cat (GE Badalona). Apunt del 20 de febrer del 2017.

    • Dades fitxa actualitzada: F. Cardona (ECG); J. Cuenca i F.X. Samarra (GEB)    

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