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Cova Freda

Cova Freda

A 232 m-long cavity in Montserrat (Collbató), known since time immemorial and in a lamentable state of conservation.

Collbató • Baix Llobregat 232m 16m

A 232 m-long cavity in Montserrat (Collbató), known since time immemorial and in a lamentable state of conservation.

Characteristics

Location

The cavity is located in Montserrat (Collbató). From the parking area of the coves del Salnitre, take the stairs and, after the first two flights of steps, when they turn right, a marked path branches off to the left that must be followed for a little more than a hundred metres. Shortly before the path reaches the Canal del Xacó, on the right there is an ascending trail that in a few metres leads to the mouth of the cavity.

Map

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. Freda, Cova

    Elevation: 502 m

    41.573690, 1.832190
    UTM 31T (ED 50) 402734 4603308
Download all entrances as GPX

Photos

Cova Freda - Photo, Collbató, Baix LlobregatView 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 9

Description

Morphology

The current entrance is fitted with an iron door that has been open for many years; its installation involved masonry work that caused a second mouth a few metres away to disappear, which also allowed entry into the so-called Vestíbul, a spacious chamber that in some points allows one to stand upright. Some large blocks serve as a viewpoint over a lower hall, which is reached through a low passage to the left of them. To the right of this chamber and through a narrow passage one can enter a gallery (Corredor de la gatera) that is about 20 metres long and remains cut off from the rest of the cavity. Returning to the previous hall, the floor becomes steeper and one reaches a new chamber, smaller than the previous one, dominated by an important clastic morphology, which will be the main feature of the rest of the cavity. Continuing forward there are a series of diverticula that connect with different spaces between blocks and interconnected with each other. At the lowest point of the Cambra final the point of maximum drop of the cave is reached at the level of – 15.8 metres.

Speleothems

Climbing up some large blocks one can reach the final hall by different points, located on a lower level, in which different lithogenic forms appear, especially flowstone and stalagmitic formations in an advanced state of decalcification.

Other details

The cavity is in a rather lamentable state of conservation, due to the incivility of some visitors who have taken no care when throwing away rubbish and large “graffitis” with paint in every corner of the cave.

History

Despite being a cavity known since time immemorial, it does not appear in the old catalogues (Puig y Larraz; Font i Sagué). Faura in his Recull (1909) mentions a Cova Freda, to which he attributes 13 metres of length and which we think may be another Montserrat cavity. In fact, on a map of the mountain, published in 1909 by the Revista Montserratina, two caves with the same name appear, although the one referred to here appears as Cova Freda 2; the other, which they place in the area of the Clot de la Mònica, we have no data on. The archaeological excavations carried out in 1922 by Josep Colomines and published in 1925 in the work Prehistòria de Montserrat, are the first clear reference to the cova Freda and the cova Gran. It is not until the hydrogeological campaign in Montserrat directed by Llopis Lladó and Thomas Casajuana in the years 1946 to 1948, that in the work published in Speleon in 1953 extensive references are given about the cavity and in fact the only topography known until now. During the 1970s the archaeological excavations continued and the cavity was closed with a metal door, which shortly afterwards became completely unusable. Within the works of the ERE – CEC at the coves del Salnitre at the end of the 1980s, the topographic survey of the cova Freda was also carried out, which has remained unpublished until now (2010).

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Bibliography

Llopis, N.; Thomas, JM. (1953).- “Estudio hidrogeológico de la vertiente meridional de Montserrat”. Speleon IV (3-4): 121-192, Universidad de Oviedo

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