Esquerdes de les Roques Xiques

A minor fissure at Roques Xiques (Pontons), undocumented despite its proximity to Avenc de Can Marimon. Located and explored in June 2020 by Montse Mañosa and Jordi Navarro (CE de Castellar del Vallès).

Pontons • Alt Penedès 20m 5m

EspeleoWorld

Pontons · Alt Penedès

Length: 20 m · Depth: 5 m

Updated record

https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/esquerdes-de-les-roques-xiques

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

Topographic map of the main entrance — Main entrance · ICGC topographic map

Characteristics

Type: Cave
Municipality: Pontons
Region: Alt Penedès
Unit: Alt Penedès, l'
Length: 20 meters
Depth: 5 meters
Major Unit: Serralada Prelitoral
Lithology: Limestone
Updated on EspeleoÍndex: December 30, 2020

Location

Located at the church of Santa Magdalena, north of Pontons, we follow the path that passes beside the cemetery and heads toward the riera dels Carbons, going up it along its left hydrographic side for a stretch of approximately 540m; near this point of the path is the Font d’Oriola.

Here we leave the path and head about 150m in an E direction, climbing up toward the cliffs and fissures of the Roques Xiques. Above the main cliff is the cavity, parallel to it and very close to the Avenc de Can Marimon, with which it shares the same tectonic origin.

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

Roques Xiques, Esquerdes de les
Elevation: 693 m
41.421878, 1.518719
UTM 31T (ETRS89) 376218 4586650
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Topographic

Esquerdes de les Roques Xiques - Topography, Pontons, Alt Penedès

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Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

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Photos

Esquerdes de les Roques Xiques - Photo, Pontons, Alt Penedès

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Espeleoindex · CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ · Image © its author.

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Description

Morphology

Cavity generated from the faults at the edge of the cliff; these have formed parallel and orthogonal to the cliff itself.

Access is via the fissure parallel to the cliff; at its south end a 1m rise allows entry into the cavity, initially open to the sky over a route of 8m of gentle descent, and then, after a slight climb already covered, a narrow descending conduit ends the fissure parallel to the cliff.

Practically at the lowest point of the previous fissure, another fissure, totally orthogonal, with a ceiling and somewhat narrower, allows descent between blocks in some places, down to another entrance mouth suspended on the cliff.

History

An undocumented fissure despite its proximity to the Avenc de Can Marimon. Located during the search for the two nearby cavities and explored by Montse Mañosa and Jordi Navarro (CE de Castellar del Vallès) in June 2020, while carrying out the cataloguing work.