Grotte-aven du Serre des Périers

Erosion entrance 1 m x 0.80 m. 1-metre step. 5-metre entrance crawl (dug open) that opens spectacularly into a large chamber (Salle des Elytres: 25 m x 20 m x 15 m). Already big volume. This chamber continues northward via a rising Gallery (5 m x 2 m on average) by steps and over superb flowstone. This Gallery ends, choked by calcite, after about thirty metres in length.

At the low point of the chamber, directly below the access crawl and in a chaos of very large blocks, after a 7-metre Ressaut (step) and a descent over small ledges, a shaft opening leads to a strongly inclined P15 immediately followed by a P13 entirely in free space!. This free space (magnificent) opens into the ceiling of a vast chamber (salle du Miroir) more than 50 metres long by 40 wide (overall, approximately) with a large meander in the ceiling oriented due north 40°!. Large calcited blocks litter the latter. In the chamber, very large blocks. This chamber features an imposing fault mirror (N.40) that corresponds to the Cévennes fault.

On the south-western part of this large chamber, a stepped shaft of 18 metres leads towards the south-south-west into a vast Gallery 10 to 12 metres wide, 10 high in places (Galerie des Trescols). Rectangular gallery with significant floor fill and numerous draw-down points. After 200 metres (approximately, overall) of this magnificent Gallery displaying very fine erosion forms on the walls and ceiling (cupules, ceiling lapiaz, ledges) the clay fill (dry) approaches the vault of the Gallery which at this level is marked by a very significant fault at the origin of its obstruction. An 8-metre-wide flat-out passage presents itself, obstructed after about ten metres by a pile of collapsed strata from this fault, but which can be bypassed by a narrow lower Gallery (digging work in progress). a 20-metre shaft has been descended (after blasting) between the wall of this Gallery and the fill. This gives a good idea of the scale of the original Gallery!

Back towards the large chamber (salle du Miroir) and towards what can be considered the downstream of this system, the very clear draught exits at one third of the height of the P18 against the chamber wall and the calcited fill. a constriction leads to a lower network (réseau du Gadin) extended by a narrow meander (méandre du Covid) partly dug open both upstream and downstream over about thirty metres (more than 45 digging sessions between 2020 and 2023).

Behind the access shaft to the salle du Miroir, a low passage leads into the "réseau Sylvie", a south-south-east extension of about fifty metres of development.

The rope arrives on a vast dome of white calcite protected by marking tape.

This network is traversed by a temporary stream.

The cave is being worked on at several points: the terminal lower flat-out passage of the Galerie des Trescols, the low point of the "Sylvie" network and the low point of the "Gadin" network. Meandering Gallery of Covid (CLPA-ARIS agreement). The aim of this work is to reach the very large salle des Provençaux located some 55 metres below.