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Cova dels Pilons

Cova dels Pilons

Cova d'un centenar de metres de recorregut a Sarroca de Bellera.

Sarroca de Bellera • Pallars Jussà100m8m

A cave of about a hundred metres at Sarroca de Bellera, with a large rock shelter 43 m wide, square pillars and a descending gallery.

Characteristics

Location

Going from Senterada towards the Pont de Suert along the N-260 road, after kilometre 324, we will find on the right a turn-off that forks; the right-hand branch goes to Erdo, we will take the left-hand track (old road), currently quite damaged, so we advise leaving the vehicles and continuing on foot. At the spot there are the ruins of a house of which only the front remains standing, where we find a representation of Sant Jordi.

The track runs along the left hydrographic bank of the meanders of the Bòssia river, a little above it. At 300 metres we will find the large Espluga de la Solana d'Erdo, with its characteristic pillars. In 2012, this track was full of beehives, so caution is required.

Mapa

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. Cova dels Pilons

    Elevation: 885 m

    42.357131, 0.894704
    UTM 31T (ETRS89) 326619 4691576
Download all entrances as GPX

Photos

Cova dels Pilons - Photo, Sarroca de Bellera, Pallars JussàView 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

We are before a large rock shelter 43 m wide by 8 m high and 6 m deep at most. Its base is full of blocks fallen from the ceiling.

The most curious feature of this espluga is the existence of 4 large pillars, and one small one, which seem to prop up the ceiling of the cavity. The pillars are square, 1X1 metres.

We find the continuation of the cave at the far right, where a descending passage leads us, 8 m further on, to an opening that by means of a small step and a ramp brings us out into a room with a low ceiling (1 metre high) where we find a flooded area where water coming from outside accumulates. We are in an inclined stratum that turns out to be the continuation of the rock shelter. We will advance some forty metres towards the NE, the ceiling continues low and the widths are about 8-10 metres approximately. Here we find a small collapse that leads us to a lower little room of about 8X4 metres with no exit. This spot gives us the maximum depth of the cave (-8 m). Some 10 metres further on we find another collapse, in this case elongated, which also leads nowhere. Ten metres more and the gallery ends.

Regarding the route of 174 metres and elevation change of +7 metres, indicated in the updated survey (GEB-GEP), we understand that the width and elevation change of the rock shelter are being counted; what is strictly the cave has no more than a hundred metres of route.

Hydrology

Flooded area where water coming from outside accumulates.

Progression

Descending passage, small step and ramp, room with a low ceiling, advance towards the NE, collapses and a lower little room with no exit.

History

The first known speleological exploration was carried out in 1975 by the SIEP of the CE Poblet de Barcelona, although they mistakenly place it in the municipality of Senterada.

We do not know the origin of the pillars that seem to hold up the vault of the Balma, but someone, some time ago, explained to us that it was done precisely with this intention, when the road passed right next to the rock shelter and there was a danger that in the event of a collapse it would fall onto the road.

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Bibliography

  1. Talavera, Ferran (1978).-”Cova dels Pilons”. Boletín Espeleológico SIEP (10):6-8. SIEP-CE Poblet. Barcelona
  2. Borràs, J.; Miñarro, J.M.; Talavera, F. (1978):”el pallars jussà”. Catàleg Espeleològic de Catalunya (vol. 1):174-175. Ed. Políglota. Barcelona.
  • Coordenades, topografia actual i fotografies extretes del blog: cavitatsdecatalunya.blogspot (de Jordi de Valles). Apunt 10-4-2014.

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