Cova Terrera
Small cave with 40 m of passage at the Port (Alfara de Carles), at the NE end of the Mola de Catí, with a 30 m gallery, wall formations and a small 3 m pit.
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Cova Terrera
Small cave with 40 m of passage at the Port (Alfara de Carles), at the NE end of the Mola de Catí, with a 30 m gallery, wall formations and a small 3 m pit.
Alfara de Carles · Baix Ebre
Length: 40 m · Depth: 6 m
Updated record
https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/cova-terrera
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Small cave with 40 m of passage at the Port (Alfara de Carles), at the NE end of the Mola de Catí, with a 30 m gallery, wall formations and a small 3 m pit.
Topographic
Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.
Photos
Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.
Description
Morphology
The entrance, in the form of an overhanging arch and with the remains of a stone wall (it had been used as a livestock pen), gives access to a gallery about 30 metres long which in its first stretch is about 4 metres wide and gradually narrows. The floor is practically horizontal and clayey. The height of the gallery is about 2 metres. At its end it narrows suddenly and one enters halfway along a shaft of vertical polarity, profusely decorated with wall formations. In an ascending direction one can progress about 3 metres and in the opposite direction one can descend a small pit about 3 metres deep that ends in a small chamber barely 2 metres in diameter.
Speleothems
The shaft of vertical polarity is profusely decorated with wall formations.
Progression
In an ascending direction one can progress about 3 metres and in the opposite direction one can descend a small pit about 3 metres deep that ends in a small chamber barely 2 metres in diameter.
History
The first reference we have about the cavity is the one given by H. Breuil who, in his biospeleological research, visited it on 23 May 1915 and made a brief description that appears in the list of visited cavities in the work by Jeannel and Racovitza with the number 789.
In 1934, Bayerri mentions it in his Història de Tortosa, of which he says only: "Cova Terrera, donde caben 500 reses", from which we deduce he was unaware of Breuil's visit.
In 1935, N. Llopis Lladó also visited it and made a survey that had remained almost unpublished until now.
The cavity was practically forgotten by speleologists and during the SIE campaign at the Port in the 1970s the already known avenc de la Tronada or de l'Emili Tafalla was explored. At that time it was thought, given the characteristics of that cavity, that the Cova Terrera mentioned by Breuil had been rediscovered and the pit was published under the name of the cave.
In 2005, members of the Espeleo Club Tortosa find a cavity unknown to them, explore it and name it Cova de l'Instint. A few years later, accompanied by Mr. Josep Tomàs, a good connoisseur of the Mola and of the Port in general, they reach the true Cova Terrera and with surprise verify that it is none other than "their" Cova de l'Instint.
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Bibliography
- Bayerri, E. (1934).- Historia de Tortosa y su comarca. Tomo II. 704 pp. Tortosa
- Jeannel, R. et Racovitza, R. (1918).- “Enumeration des grottes visitées, 1913-1917 (6ª série)” Biospeologica (39):
- Martínez, C. (2011).- “Coves de la Mola de Catí: Terrera – Orgui – Gerret” (post penjat al blog de l'Espeleo Club Tortosa)
· Coordenades, fotografies i altres dades facilitades per l'Espeleo Club Tortosa.
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Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/