Caves and potholes in the Massís de Bonastre geological unit
Spans: Baix Penedès, Tarragonès, Alt Camp
Part of the Serralada Prelitoral major unit, dominated by dolomite (41 %). Its caves are spread across Baix Penedès, Tarragonès, Alt Camp.
The Bonastre Massif, in the Serralada Prelitoral, contains 41 cavities: 19 pits and 22 caves, with 2376 m of total passage and a maximum depth of 70 m. The karst develops in dolomites, limestones, sandstones and conglomerates.
There are 41 catalogued cavities in the Massís de Bonastre geological unit, including 19 potholes and 22 caves. The longest is Cova d'Artús-forat del Vent (564m) and the deepest is Avenc de Vallmajor (70m).
Length adds each cave once (a system counts once), and depth is that of the deepest cave, canyons excluded.
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The Bonastre Massif, located in the Serralada Prelitoral, in the Baix Penedès, brings together 41 cavities: 19 pits and 22 caves. The whole totals 2376 metres of passage and reaches a maximum depth of 70 metres. It is a modest but characteristic karst, developed in dolomites (17), limestones (16), sandstones (7) and conglomerates (1).
Among the cavities most notable for passage length are the Cova d'Artús-forat del Vent, with 564 metres, and the Cova de Vallmajor, with 395 metres, known since ancient times and protected in 1998 as a World Heritage Site. Other notable cavities are the Cova Fonda, at 286 metres, and the Cova d'en Merla, at about 180 metres, known since the 13th century. As for depth, the Avenc de Vallmajor reaches 70 metres, followed by the Cova de Vallmajor, at 67 metres, and the Avenc de l'Arlà, at 63 metres.
Map
The 20 longest
- 1Cova d'Artús-forat del VentAlbinyana, Tarragona564 m
- 2Cova de VallmajorAlbinyana, Tarragona395 m
- 3Cova FondaSalomó, Tarragona286 m
- 4Cova d'en MerlaRoda de Berà, Tarragona180 m
- 5Avenc de VallmajorAlbinyana, Tarragona170 m
- 6Avenc de l'ArlàAlbinyana, Tarragona160 m
- 7Avenc del Nostre PareAlbinyana, Tarragona90 m
- 8Avenc d'EscansaAlbinyana, Tarragona55 m
- 9Cova ManenaEl Catllar, Tarragona50 m
- 10Avenc de la MoladaAlbinyana, Tarragona36 m
- 11Avenc dels PrimersAlbinyana, Tarragona35 m
- 12Cova de l'AdrianaAlbinyana, Tarragona28 m
- 13Avenc dels FornasosAlbinyana, Tarragona27 m
- 14Cova del ManouVespella de Gaià, Tarragona26 m
- 15Avenc del CamíAlbinyana, Tarragona25 m
- 16Avenc del CansatAlbinyana, Tarragona23 m
- 17Avenc d'en FloressoRoda de Berà, Tarragona22 m
- 18Cova d'en DuranRoda de Berà, Tarragona20 m
- 19Cova de la FaringallaLa Nou de Gaià, Tarragona18 m
- 20Avenc de la PedreraMasllorenç, Tarragona17 m
The 20 deepest
- 1Avenc de VallmajorAlbinyana, Tarragona70 m
- 2Cova de VallmajorAlbinyana, Tarragona67 m
- 3Avenc de l'ArlàAlbinyana, Tarragona63 m
- 4Cova d'en MerlaRoda de Berà, Tarragona61 m
- 5Avenc del Nostre PareAlbinyana, Tarragona43 m
- 6Cova d'Artús-forat del VentAlbinyana, Tarragona36 m
- 7Avenc de la MoladaAlbinyana, Tarragona17 m
- 8Avenc d'EscansaAlbinyana, Tarragona17 m
- 9Avenc dels FornasosAlbinyana, Tarragona15 m
- 10Cova FondaSalomó, Tarragona15 m
- 11Avenc dels PrimersAlbinyana, Tarragona14 m
- 12Avenc del CamíAlbinyana, Tarragona13 m
- 13Avenc d'en FloressoRoda de Berà, Tarragona10 m
- 14Avenc de la PedreraMasllorenç, Tarragona9 m
- 15Avenc del CansatAlbinyana, Tarragona9 m
- 16Cova de l'AdrianaAlbinyana, Tarragona8 m
- 17Pont de la ForadadaVilabella, Tarragona8 m
- 18Avenc de la FigueraEl Vendrell, Tarragona7 m
- 19Avenc de la CendraAlbinyana, Tarragona6 m
- 20Cova del ManouVespella de Gaià, Tarragona5 m
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Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/