Caves and potholes in the El Montmell geological unit
Spans: Baix Penedès, Alt Camp
Part of the Serralada Prelitoral major unit, dominated by limestone (83 %). Its caves are spread across Baix Penedès, Alt Camp.
El Montmell is a unit of the Serralada Prelitoral with 41 cavities: 14 pits and 27 caves. It has a total length of 1174 m and a maximum depth of 80 m, with limestone and dolomite predominating.
There are 41 catalogued cavities in the El Montmell geological unit, including 14 potholes and 27 caves. The longest is Avenc Victoria (250m).
Length adds each cave once (a system counts once), and depth is that of the deepest cave, canyons excluded.
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El Montmell, located in the Serralada Prelitoral, contains 41 cavities: 14 pits and 27 caves. The group totals 1174 m of length and reaches a maximum depth of 80 m. The dominant lithologies are limestone (34 cavities), followed by dolomite (6) and conglomerate (1).
Among the most notable cavities is the Avenc Victoria, with 250 m of length and 80 m of depth, discovered in 1969 by the SIE – CEA and structured along an E–W fracture. The Avenc dels Pinyerets, discovered in 1933, has 110 m of length and 38 m of depth, with a first shaft of 15 m and another of 7 m. Also included are the Avenc de Pallerets, with 90 m of length and 23 m of depth, mentioned since 1897 and explored in 1933, and the Cova del Manyé, with 90 m of length and an approximate drop of 19 m, with remains of rubbish removed in 2022.
The range, limestone, extends between the Penedès and the Camp as a prolongation of the Prelitoral, with scattered cavities.
Map
The 20 longest
- 1Avenc VictoriaAiguamúrcia, Tarragona250 m
- 2Avenc dels PinyeretsEl Montmell, Tarragona110 m
- 3Avenc de PalleretsEl Montmell, Tarragona90 m
- 4Cova del ManyéLa Bisbal del Penedès, Tarragona90 m
- 5Avenc dels Pinyerets de BaixEl Montmell, Tarragona45 m
- 6Cova de les CambretesEl Montmell, Tarragona42 m
- 7Cova de PedrafitaEl Montmell, Tarragona42 m
- 8Avenc AntistianaEl Montmell, Tarragona40 m
- 9Avenc de Carles VEl Montmell, Tarragona35 m
- 10Cova de la GuiaSant Jaume dels Domenys, Tarragona33 m
- 11Cova de l'OllaEl Montmell, Tarragona33 m
- 12Cova Nº1 del GarrigaEl Montmell, Tarragona29 m
- 13Avenc de la Roca LlisaEl Montmell, Tarragona22 m
- 14Avenc del MainerLa Bisbal del Penedès, Tarragona22 m
- 15Avenc de la CativeraEl Montmell, Tarragona20 m
- 16Avenc de les VentosesEl Montmell, Tarragona17 m
- 17Cova de la BarracotaSant Jaume dels Domenys, Tarragona17 m
- 18Cova de la Poca CarnSant Jaume dels Domenys, Tarragona17 m
- 19Avenc de Puig FrancàsEl Montmell, Tarragona16 m
- 20Cova de la Moixeta PetitaEl Montmell, Tarragona16 m
The 20 deepest
- 1Avenc VictoriaAiguamúrcia, Tarragona80 m
- 2Avenc dels PinyeretsEl Montmell, Tarragona38 m
- 3Avenc de PalleretsEl Montmell, Tarragona23 m
- 4Avenc de la Roca LlisaEl Montmell, Tarragona19 m
- 5Cova del ManyéLa Bisbal del Penedès, Tarragona19 m
- 6Avenc AntistianaEl Montmell, Tarragona15 m
- 7Avenc dels Pinyerets de BaixEl Montmell, Tarragona15 m
- 8Cova de les CambretesEl Montmell, Tarragona15 m
- 9Avenc de Carles VEl Montmell, Tarragona14 m
- 10Avenc del MainerLa Bisbal del Penedès, Tarragona11 m
- 11Cova de PedrafitaEl Montmell, Tarragona11 m
- 12Cova de l'OllaEl Montmell, Tarragona10 m
- 13Avenc de Puig FrancàsEl Montmell, Tarragona8 m
- 14Avenc de la CativeraEl Montmell, Tarragona7 m
- 15Avenc de les VentosesEl Montmell, Tarragona7 m
- 16Avenc del Torrent de Santa CristinaLa Bisbal del Penedès, Tarragona7 m
- 17Avenc de la Plana de la TorreEl Montmell, Tarragona5 m
- 18Esquerda de les Plaques del SolEl Montmell, Tarragona5 m
- 19Cova de la BarracotaSant Jaume dels Domenys, Tarragona3 m
- 20Cova Penjada del Barranc FondoSant Jaume dels Domenys, Tarragona3 m
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Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/