Cova del Comte Arnau

Small cave near the puig de Sant Amand (Ogassa), with two entrances, known orally as “Mina del Comte Arnau”.

Ogassa • Ripollès 16m 6m

EspeleoWorld

Small cave near the puig de Sant Amand (Ogassa), with two entrances, known orally as “Mina del Comte Arnau”.

Ogassa · Ripollès

Length: 16 m · Depth: 6 m

Updated record

https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/cova-del-comte-arnau

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

Small cave near the puig de Sant Amand (Ogassa), with two entrances, known orally as “Mina del Comte Arnau”.

Characteristics

Type: Cave
Municipality: Ogassa
Region: Ripollès
Unit: Alt Ter
Length: 16 meters
Depth: 6 meters
Major Unit: Pirineu Axial
Lithology: Limestone
Updated on EspeleoÍndex: May 20, 2023

Location

On the upper part of the puig de Sant Amand (or Sant Amanç, according to the maps), specifically about 70 m WSW of its summit and only about 12 m of elevation difference from it.

To get there, we will start from the coll de Jou (1637 m), which separates the Taga (2038 m) from the puig de Sant Amand (1851 m) and which can be reached by a track that leaves from Bruguera. From the coll we will start the path through a meadow to enter shortly afterwards into a forest of pines and beeches. The path climbs up the north slope of the puig to finally reach the ridge at a flat place called pla de Pena. Now we must follow the more or less ridge path that leads to the summit, but before reaching it we will turn right to enter a chaotic spot of crevices and blocks in the middle of the forest, the place where we will find the cavity.

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

Cova del Comte Arnau
Elevation: 1840 m
42.265205, 2.206590
UTM 31T (ETRS89) 434565 4679526
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Topographic

Cova del Comte Arnau - Topography, Ogassa, Ripollès

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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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Photos

Cova del Comte Arnau - Photo, Ogassa, Ripollès

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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

The cave has two entrances, one horizontal and another in the form of a 3.5 m shaft that is easily downclimbed.

The horizontal entrance opens within an open-air crevice about 2 m wide. One must enter crouching, but soon the short entrance gallery meets perpendicularly the main gallery, which follows a joint and is 12 m long with a maximum width of 3 m and a height that reaches 5 m. Irregular floor, with blocks. At the opposite end from the one we entered, the entrance of the 3.5 m shaft can be seen above.

Progression

One must enter crouching through the horizontal entrance; the 3.5 m shaft is easily downclimbed.

Other details

The cave is found in a kind of geological collapse with crevices and blocks in the middle of the forest that give it a chaotic appearance. This collapse precedes an important cliff facing south and which is responsible for the genesis of the collapse itself and of the cave.

History

Currently the cavity is known by some local mushroom pickers and hikers who, through oral transmission, know it by the name “Mina del Comte Arnau”, despite it being an entirely natural cavity. Speleologically speaking, it is an unpublished cave that does not appear in any catalogue despite forming part of the legend of the comte Arnau.

On 28 July 2022 it was located by members of the ECMB and the GEB who carried out the cataloguing work.

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Bibliography

Totes les dades, topografia i fotografies han estat extretes del web: geb.cat (del Grup d'Espeleologia de Badalona). Apunt del 15-8-2022. Dades: Ferran Cardona (ECM Barcelonès) i Josep Cuenca (GE Badalona).