Caves and potholes in the El Garraf geological unit
Spans: Baix Llobregat, Garraf, Alt Penedès
Part of the Serralada Litoral major unit, dominated by limestone (88 %). Its caves are spread across Baix Llobregat, Garraf, Alt Penedès.
The Garraf massif, between Barcelona and the Penedès, contains 367 cavities: 293 pits and 74 caves, with a total length of 15,052 m and a maximum depth of 291 m. The avenc de l'Esquerrà is the most important and complex cavity.
There are 367 catalogued cavities in the El Garraf geological unit, including 293 potholes and 74 caves. The longest is Avenc de l'Esquerrà (2,050m).
Length adds each cave once (a system counts once), and depth is that of the deepest cave, canyons excluded.
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The Garraf massif, between Barcelona and the Penedès, is one of the most emblematic limestone karsts of the Catalan coast, pierced by hundreds of pits. It forms part of the Serralada Litoral and contains 367 cavities: 293 pits and 74 caves, with a total length of 15,052 m and a maximum depth of 291 m. The dominant lithologies are Limestone (324), followed by Dolomite (39), Conglomerate (3) and Travertine (1).
The avenc de l'Esquerrà is the most important and complex cavity, with a depth of 291.4 m and three routes: Via Normal – Anna Maria Pallejà, Via Rat-penat and Via Lamarca-Torras. Other cavities notable for their depth are the Forat de la Ruda (193 m), the avenc de la Ferla (172 m), the avenc de les Garses (146 m) and the avenc Carles Selicke (135 m).
Among the cavities with the greatest length are the avenc de l'Esquerrà (2,050 m), the avenc de la Ferla (704 m), the avenc dels Guerrillers-guerrilla (635 m), la Falconera (600 m) and the Forat de la Ruda (450 m).
Map
The 20 longest
- 1Avenc de l'EsquerràOlesa de Bonesvalls, Barcelona2,050 m
- 2Avenc de la FerlaBegues, Barcelona704 m
- 3Avenc dels Guerrillers-guerrillaGavà, Barcelona635 m
- 4la FalconeraSitges, Barcelona600 m
- 5Forat de la RudaSitges, Barcelona450 m
- 6Avenc del BrucBegues, Barcelona313 m
- 7Avenc Carles SelickeBegues, Barcelona300 m
- 8Avenc del BoixBegues, Barcelona253 m
- 9Avenc Benjamí-digónSitges, Barcelona240 m
- 10Avenc de les GarsesBegues, Barcelona225 m
- 11Avenc del VallaricSitges, Barcelona215 m
- 12Avenc de la SivinotaGavà, Barcelona202 m
- 13Avenc LeiaSitges, Barcelona180 m
- 14Avenc Joan CabezaBegues, Barcelona179 m
- 15Avenc AsensioBegues, Barcelona170 m
- 16Avenc dels TresBegues, Barcelona155 m
- 17Avenc dels LlambricsBegues, Barcelona151 m
- 18Avenc del GinebróBegues, Barcelona145 m
- 19Avenc de les GranotesCastelldefels, Barcelona140 m
- 20Avenc Hanna SvacbrocSitges, Barcelona135 m
The 20 deepest
- 1Avenc de l'EsquerràOlesa de Bonesvalls, Barcelona291 m
- 2Forat de la RudaSitges, Barcelona193 m
- 3Avenc de la FerlaBegues, Barcelona172 m
- 4Avenc de les GarsesBegues, Barcelona146 m
- 5Avenc Carles SelickeBegues, Barcelona135 m
- 6Avenc de la SivinotaGavà, Barcelona132 m
- 7Avenc del BrucBegues, Barcelona117 m
- 8Avenc dels TresBegues, Barcelona111 m
- 9Avenc LeiaSitges, Barcelona110 m
- 10Avenc del VallaricSitges, Barcelona103 m
- 11Avenc dels Guerrillers-guerrillaGavà, Barcelona97 m
- 12Avenc Benjamí-digónSitges, Barcelona95 m
- 13Avenc d'en PereBegues, Barcelona93 m
- 14Avenc dels ArítjolsSitges, Barcelona92 m
- 15Avenc dels LlambricsBegues, Barcelona85 m
- 16Avenc AsensioBegues, Barcelona84 m
- 17Avenc de Sant CristòfolBegues, Barcelona84 m
- 18Avenc GiescBegues, Barcelona82 m
- 19la FalconeraSitges, Barcelona81 m
- 20Avenc del Penya-segat de la FalconeraSitges, Barcelona80 m
Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/