Skip to main content
Cova del Sauló

Cova del Sauló

Small cave with a 27 m passage along the Gaià river, in Montferri. A gallery-tunnel with laminar openings at the NE and SO ends, excavated in poorly consolidated sandy materials.

Montferri • Alt Camp 27m 3m

Small cave with a 27 m passage along the Gaià river, in Montferri. A gallery-tunnel with laminar openings at the NE and SO ends, excavated in poorly consolidated sandy materials.

Characteristics

Location

On the right bank of the Gaià river, in one of its meanders, shortly before reaching the molí de Puigtinyós. Access can be gained from Montferri as well as from Bràfim, passing by the Mare de Déu de Loreto.

Map

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. Cova del Sauló

    Elevation: 190 m

    41.261740, 1.359076
    UTM 31T (ED 50) 362635 4569315
Download all entrances as GPX

Photos

Cova del Sauló - Photo, Montferri, 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 4

Description

Morphology

Half hidden by vegetation and a large block, after the small cliff we find the northern access. The cavity is a gallery with a 27 metre passage, a veritable tunnel with a maximum width of 5.15 metres and a height of 2.34. The openings at its NE and SO ends, in the form of a laminar squeeze, force one to crawl and have a similar width of 2.7 metres.

Hydrology

Given its situation and subterranean characteristics, we think that its genesis is related to the meanders of the Gaia river (now almost invisible from the SO opening), of which it could constitute a loss that took advantage of part of its flow to cut back and shorten the river's course.

Progression

The openings at the NE and SO ends, in the form of a laminar squeeze, force one to crawl.

Other details

The poorly consolidated sandy materials that make up the host rock crumble easily.

History

The first reference we know of is made by Faura in his Recull (1909), indicating a visit in 1907, a passage of 15 metres and that it is found in marls. It is possibly the same cavity already cited by Font in his Catàleg (1897) as la Cova (the Cave) del Santó and with data from the Interrogatori made the previous year from the Centre Excursionista de Catalunya. Both locate it in the village of Puigtinyós (which from 1917 came to be called Montferri at the request of its inhabitants, who considered the former pejorative).

There is no further news until members of the SIE – CEA visit it on 12 March 1972, locating it in Bràfim and calling it Cova del Siuló.

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

  1. Borràs, J.; Miñarro, J.M.; Talavera, F.(1978).-”l'Alt Camp, la Conca de Barberà, el Baix Penedès i el Tarragonès” Catàleg Espeleològic de Catalunya (Vol.2):1-246. Ed. Políglota. Barcelona.
  • Situació, fotografies i altres dades extretes del blog: Espeleobloc (post del 28-7-2009)

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