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Forat del Tossal

Forat del Tossal

Avenc de 34 metres de desnivell al Montsec d'Ares (Àger).

Àger • Noguera43m34m

A 34-metre-deep pit in the Montsec d'Ares (Àger), located on 7 March 2020 and explored by the GESAM de Tremp and the SIE-CEA.

Characteristics

Location

From Àger, take the paved track that leaves from beside the cemetery and climbs up to the crest of the Montsec d'Ares, a route commonly used by hang glider and paraglider pilots. Once at the top, the paved track continues to the left towards Sant Esteve de la Sarga; you must follow the track on the right, which continues eastwards, passing right by Sant Alís (the highest summit of the Montsec). From Sant Alís we follow the track heading towards the Pas de Colobor; after 750 metres we come to a turn-off on the right that leads us to the Tossal de la Canal de l'Embut, where there are several antennas. From this point we head towards the cliff, where on a rock on the ground we will find a bolt and, right at the entrance to the crag, a couple of fixed plates; here the rope must be rigged to descend, preferably 60 metres. From the plates to the cavity there is no re-rigging and the descent is not entirely vertical. Once at the mouth of the cavity we see that about fifteen metres away there are the chains used to climb the Canal.

It is also possible to descend following the marked path that forms part of the Lo Feixant del Montsec itinerary, with a single short scrambling step that leads to the upper part of the chains that go up the canal; this access does not require a rope.

Mapa

Entrances

Always verify coordinates and access conditions before setting out.

  1. Forat del Tossal

    Elevation: 1637 m

    42.040815, 0.779528
    UTM 31T (ETRS89) 316218 4656693
Download all entrances as GPX

Photos

Forat del Tossal - Photo, Àger, NogueraView image
Click to enlarge

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

Image 1 of 14

Description

Morphology

The mouth opens in the cliff wall in the form of a cave; the floor already slopes downwards from the entrance. Just past the mouth, in the ceiling we find an ascending pit of about 4 metres that leads to the outside on the crag wall, but the exit is very narrow and does not allow passage.

Following the ramp downwards we reach a small step and a narrow passage, which gives access to the -21 metre pit. Once at the base of the pit, at the W end we find a narrow passage that leads to a small pit of about 5 metres, which for the moment is the end point of the cavity. The base of the pit is filled with material from the most recent digging.

Both the depth, 34 metres (-30.5/+3.5), and the length of the cavity, 43 metres, are quite approximate.

Progression

The first explorers had to dig through twice following the ramp downwards; the narrow passage that gives access to the -21 metre pit also had to be dug through. The -21 metre pit is quite comfortable if rigged with assistance from a rock bridge; then it has no rub points. At the base of the pit, at the W end, a narrow passage, also dug through, leads to a small pit of about 5 metres, which for the moment is the end point of the cavity; in this place a slight draught is felt through a narrow fissure.

Other details

Along the whole stretch of the downward ramp and narrow passage we keep finding remains of the material used in the first explorations and diggings; the state of this material (ropes, timbers, maillons, hangers, etc.) is quite deteriorated, except for a bundle of timbers that retains its original wrapping. At the bottom of the -21 metre pit we find a wooden structure in the form of a cupboard made to hold stones, while at the same time we find a wooden platform secured with handrails that served to stop falling stones. Currently (2023) most of the timbers of this structure are beginning to rot, with the consequent risk of everything coming down.

History

Cavity located on 7 March 2020 by a woman on the day of the woman; for this reason the cavity is also called Forat de la Dona. The same day Jordi Pascual and Elena Doya of the GESAM de Tremp, who were prospecting along the feixant del Montsec, make a first attempt and begin the digging work. They return days later with Juan C. Gómez to continue the digging tasks, but Covid 19 forces them to abandon the activities. Once activity resumed, 25 attempts were needed to dig through the various passages and to rig the platforms to prevent falling stones while digging; Jordi Pascual takes part in all the trips that are made. In October 2020 they make a survey of the cavity. Subsequently the explorations would be halted.

In September 2023 Juli Serrano and Montse Roca (SIE-CEA), having heard of the existence of the cavity, explore it, photograph it and take some data which they provide to Espeleoíndex in order to be able to make the record of the cavity.

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Bibliography

  • Informació sobre la troballa de la cavitat, extret del blog (Llibre de Piades, SAM de Tremp) post del 8 de març de 2020.
  • Dades facilitades per Juli Serrano i Montse Roca (SIE-CEA) novembre 2023.
  • Informació de l'exploració i dades facilitades per Jordi Pascual Fransoy (GESAM) novembre 2023.

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