Caves and potholes in the Alt Freser geological unit
Spans: Ripollès
Part of the Pirineu Axial major unit, dominated by limestone (69 %). Its caves are spread across Ripollès.
Unit of the Alt Freser, in the Pirineu Axial, with 45 cavities: 12 pits and 33 caves. Total length of 3099 m and maximum depth of 67 m. Lithologies: limestone, marble, granite, slate and schist.
There are 45 catalogued cavities in the Alt Freser geological unit, including 12 potholes and 33 caves. The longest is Cova de les Encantades (865m) and the deepest is Sistema dels Forats Nº3 I Nº4 de l'Embut (67m).
Length adds each cave once (a system counts once), and depth is that of the deepest cave, canyons excluded.
Read more
The Alt Freser is a unit of the Pirineu Axial, in the upper valley of the Freser in the Ripollès, with Pyrenean limestone karst among crystalline reliefs. It brings together 45 cavities: 12 pits and 33 caves, with a total length of 3099 m and a maximum depth of 67 m. The lithologies present are limestone (31), marble (8), granite (4), slate (1) and schist (1).
Among the longest cavities are the Cova de les Encantades, 865 m, on the south slope of the Puigmal, known since time immemorial and explored in 1960; the Sistema dels Forats Nº3 I Nº4 de l'Embut, 542 m, at Núria, known since remote times and explored speleologically since 1953; and the Cova de Rialb, at Queralbs, 501 m in length and 38 m of drop (+12/-26), known since time immemorial and studied by speleologists since 1910.
As for depth, the Sistema dels Forats Nº3 I Nº4 de l'Embut reaches 67 m; the Avenc del Migdia, at Toses, 49 m, with shafts of -18, -11 and -15 m; the Cova de Rialb, 38 m; and the Avenc del Tronc, in the area of the riu de Tosa (Queralbs), 37 m, with an entrance in a wall of crags near Roc Pinós.
Map
The 20 longest
- 1Cova de les EncantadesQueralbs, Girona865 m
- 2Sistema dels Forats Nº3 I Nº4 de l'EmbutQueralbs, Girona542 m
- 3Cova de RialbQueralbs, Girona501 m
- 4Forat Nº1 de l'EmbutQueralbs, Girona124 m
- 5Gruta de Can CostaRibes de Freser, Girona123 m
- 6Coves de RibesCampelles, Girona95 m
- 7Avenc del MigdiaToses, Girona70 m
- 8Avenc del TroncQueralbs, Girona70 m
- 9Cova de FontsecaQueralbs, Girona58 m
- 10Cova PenjadaQueralbs, Girona53 m
- 11Graller del BogaderQueralbs, Girona44 m
- 12Cova de l'ósToses, Girona40 m
- 13Avenc del TetQueralbs, Girona35 m
- 14Cova de l'Estret del FornQueralbs, Girona34 m
- 15Bauma del CasotRibes de Freser, Girona32 m
- 16Cova dels LladresRibes de Freser, Girona32 m
- 17Coves del Catau de l'ósQueralbs, Girona28 m
- 18Cova dels Gours de QueralbsQueralbs, Girona27 m
- 19Avenc del Coll de Tres PicsQueralbs, Girona25 m
- 20Tut de FustanyàQueralbs, Girona22 m
The 20 deepest
- 1Sistema dels Forats Nº3 I Nº4 de l'EmbutQueralbs, Girona67 m
- 2Avenc del MigdiaToses, Girona49 m
- 3Cova de RialbQueralbs, Girona38 m
- 4Avenc del TroncQueralbs, Girona37 m
- 5Cova de les EncantadesQueralbs, Girona37 m
- 6Coves de RibesCampelles, Girona26 m
- 7Graller del BogaderQueralbs, Girona25 m
- 8Cova de FontsecaQueralbs, Girona22 m
- 9Gruta de Can CostaRibes de Freser, Girona21 m
- 10Avenc del TetQueralbs, Girona20 m
- 11Engolidor Nº5 del Pla d'anyellaToses, Girona16 m
- 12Avenc de PerepintaRibes de Freser, Girona15 m
- 13Engolidor Nº3 del Pla d'anyellaToses, Girona15 m
- 14Forat Nº1 de l'EmbutQueralbs, Girona12 m
- 15Avenc del Coll de Tres PicsQueralbs, Girona10 m
- 16Bauma del CasotRibes de Freser, Girona10 m
- 17Cova de l'ósToses, Girona10 m
- 18Cova PenjadaQueralbs, Girona7 m
- 19la CampanetaToses, Girona7 m
- 20Bauma de la CabretaRibes de Freser, Girona5 m
45 of 45
Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/