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Cova M-21

An 82-metre-long fissure in Montcortès (Baix Pallars), with two entrances and a vertical drop of -12.5 metres.

Baix Pallars • Pallars Sobirà 82m 12m

EspeleoWorld

Cova M-21

An 82-metre-long fissure in Montcortès (Baix Pallars), with two entrances and a vertical drop of -12.5 metres.

Baix Pallars · Pallars Sobirà

Length: 82 m · Depth: 12 m

Updated record

https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/cova-m-21

Information can change. Always verify coordinates, access, weather, and cave conditions before setting out.

Main entrance reference 42.315742, 0.981344 UTM 31 · 333739 4687011
Topographic map of the main entrance
Main entrance · ICGC topographic map

An 82-metre-long fissure in Montcortès (Baix Pallars), with two entrances and a vertical drop of -12.5 metres.

Characteristics

Location

The Escletxa is located in Montcortès, in the municipality of Baix Pallars. From Senterada one must head to the Pobleta de Bellveí, where a narrow road is taken to the right as far as the estany de Montcortès. From the E side of the estany an asphalted track leads off towards Peracalç; on reaching the junction with the track that goes to Montsor, this is taken to the right, suitable for any vehicle, and after 1.7 kilometres one arrives at the flat area where the cavities are found. This flat area lies to the left of the track and the spot is easily recognised because the track makes a sharp bend to the right and also to the right there is a large temporary pool of water used for watering animals.

Identifying the cavities is quite difficult, since at present (2011) only the painted name survives on M-1 and M-11; on the remaining cavities any sign identifying them has disappeared, and the GEB gives no indication of any guideline followed in order to identify them. Therefore, apart from these two cavities, it is unknown which coordinates correctly correspond to each of them; it has been thought appropriate to mark the remaining cavities with coordinates situated between M-1 and M-11, bearing in mind that apart from M-8, which is located a couple of bends before reaching the flat area, the remaining cavities lie within a radius of less than 200 metres from this point. In some cases the coordinates correspond to hole entrances, but it is not known whether they correspond to the same ones. The coordinates are approximate, within a radius of less than 200 metres.

Map

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. M-21, Cova

    Elevation: 1348 m

    42.315742, 0.981344
    UTM 31T (ED 50) 333739 4687011
    Open in map Open in Google Maps
Download all entrances as GPX

Description

Morphology

The cavity has two entrances. A small step leads to a P-4.5 easily avoidable by descending on the left-hand side. From here, if the opposite wall is climbed, one exits through entrance (2). To the right and by two different routes one converges on a small chamber. To the left the cavity descends until reaching its deepest point, at -12.5 metres.

Progression

Although the cavity has two entrances, the one recommended is the one marked as (1) on the survey. A small step leads to a P-4.5 easily avoidable by descending on the left-hand side. From here, if the opposite wall is climbed, one exits through entrance (2). To the right and by two different routes one converges on a small chamber. To the left the cavity descends until reaching its deepest point, at -12.5 metres.

History

From 26 to 30 March 1970 a team from the SIE of the CEA explored the Forat de Montcortès (98 metres) and the Forat del Vicenç (-10 metres). Later, on 6 and 7 March 1976, another SIE team in which some members of the previous team took part explored, in the serra de Peracalç, between the estany de Montcortès and Peracalç, three cavities of -30 metres, -11 metres and -7 metres depth respectively, which it named Forats de la Grata no. 1, 2 and 3; this information remains in the SIE archives but nothing about it was ever published. They very probably correspond to one of the many holes explored by the GEB in this sector.

In 1980 the GEB began a series of explorations on this flat area located to the N of the roca de Perauba and to the W of the dolmen de Perauba, which the GEB calls the pla del campament, because it is the spot where they set up camp during the explorations; these would last until 1988. Later they returned in September 1994, in July 1995, when they accompanied the archaeologists from the department of history of pre-capitalist societies and social anthropology of the UAB, and they returned again in November 1999. Over the course of these years, the forest mass has grown considerably, which also complicates the locating of the cavities.

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Bibliography

  1. Porcel Caro,Enric.(1990).-”Exploracions a la Serra Magdalena ”. Cavernas (22):49-57. GE Badalona.
  2. Porcel Caro,Enric; Miret Pérez, Francesc.(2008).-”Cavernes d'interès arqueològic”. Cavernas (27):58-63. GE Badalona.
  3. Navarro,J.(1971).-”Relación cronológica de las exploraciones realizadas por miembros de la SIE en 1970”. EspeleoSie (10):75-87. SIE – CE Àliga. Barcelona.

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