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Cova del Garrofet

Cova del Garrofet

A 70 m long cave of archaeological interest in Querol (Alt Camp), with funerary remains from the Chalcolithic to Iberian times.

Querol • Alt Camp 70m 6m

A 70 m long cave of archaeological interest in Querol (Alt Camp), with funerary remains from the Chalcolithic to Iberian times.

Characteristics

Location

From Santes Creus follow the T-2441 road until kilometre 12.2 at the Can Llenes urbanisation. Turn right and follow Avinguda del Romaní, turn right onto Carrer del Roure and again right onto Carrer de l'Olivera until the end of the street; from here follow a path, soon you will reach a torrent, go down into its bed and exit on the left (hydrographic right), continue along the path, seeing a vineyard on the left; here the trail divides, climb the slope on the right and you will come out onto a track, follow this track to the right, soon finding a junction, continue along the left one, further on you will find a new junction, also continue along the left one, you will reach a third junction where on the left side there is a rock with a blue X and the remains of a white arrow, take this track to the right in a steep climb, reaching the end of the climb you find a new junction, continue along the left one, the path levels out and climbs again, until you reach a widening in the form of a small square where you find a new junction. Follow a path that leaves from the right side of this small square as if going in the opposite direction to the one you came from. Soon you find a tree on the right with a white X painted at mid-height on the trunk (ETRS89 coordinates X:373525; Y:4586083; Z:741 masl); at this point take a path to the left and follow the cairns that lead to the cavity.

By vehicle there is the alternative of following Avinguda del Roure until leaving the urbanisation; after passing a vineyard on the right take the track on the right, from here you will find two turnings to the right, always continue along the left one, on reaching the third turning to the right you must leave the vehicle and follow the rest of the itinerary indicated above from the rock with the blue X.

Map

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. Cova del Garrofet

    Elevation: 776 m

    41.383365, 1.448874
    UTM 31T (ED 50) 370398 4582680
Download all entrances as GPX

Photos

Cova del Garrofet - Photo, Querol, Alt CampView image
Click to enlarge

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

Image 1 of 8

Description

Morphology

The cavity has a route running NE-SW. The 7x5 metre entrance vestibule communicates through a low passage with a low gallery with a ceiling, on the left of which we find a small step; at its base a short gallery places us by means of a narrow passage between formation in a square room. A new narrow passage followed by a step places us in the final room, larger than the previous ones.

Speleothems

The square room presents a proliferation of columns and flowstone. The final room is completely covered by flowstone and lithogenic columns.

History

The first mention we find is due to Faura i Sans in his Recull (1909), although he only gives the name and locates it at Montagut. Ferraté includes this meagre reference in his Espeleologia de les comarques tarragonines (1918), although he mixes it with the cavities of the Ports at Tortosa.

Different archaeological work at the cave is known, the oldest by Grivé who, at the beginning of the 1930s, carried out an excavation and among other materials found the skeletons of a woman and a child. A funerary-type cavity where remains from the Chalcolithic to Iberian times have been located.

The first speleological references are those provided by members of the SIE – CE Àliga (Barcelona) who visited and surveyed it in 1971. Shortly afterwards it was the subject of different visits of a biospeleological nature (Bellés, Escolà, Comas).

We update the record (January 2016) including the original survey, unpublished until now, made by members of the GIE – CE de Gràcia on 3 June 1968.

Bio

Coleoptera

Troglocharinus variabilis ssp. mateui

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Bibliography

  1. Borràs,J.; Miñarro,JM; Talavera,F. (1978).- Catàleg Espeleològic de Catalunya (l'Alt Camp, la Conca de Barberà, el Baix Penedès i el Tarragonès). Vol 2: 246pp. Ed.Políglota. Barcelona.
  2. Tomàs, X. (1972).- “El hallazgo por primera vez en una cueva, de tres fragmentos cerámicos correspondientes a tres ollas cinerarias ibéricas”. EspeleoSie (12): 27-54. SIE – CE Àliga. Barcelona.

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