
Forat del Tossal
Avenc de 34 metres de desnivell al Montsec d'Ares (Àger).
EspeleoWorld
Forat del Tossal
Avenc de 34 metres de desnivell al Montsec d'Ares (Àger).
Àger · Noguera
Length: 43 m · Depth: 34 m
Updated record
https://espeleoworld.com/en/c/forat-del-tossal
Information can change. Always verify coordinates, access, weather, and cave conditions before setting out.
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.
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 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.
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Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/




