Caves and potholes in the El Salí de Cardona geological unit
Part of the Depressió Central major unit, dominated by salt (75 %). Its caves are spread across Bages, Garrigues.
El Salí de Cardona, el, in the Depressió Central, brings together 4 caves with a total length of 5208 m and a maximum depth of 187 m. Salt diapir of Bages, one of the most singular salt karsts in Europe.
There are 4 catalogued cavities in the El Salí de Cardona geological unit, including 0 potholes and 4 caves. The longest is Cova dels Meandres de Sal (4,300m).
Length adds each cave once (a system counts once), and depth is that of the deepest cave, canyons excluded.
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El Salí de Cardona, el, is a unit of the Depressió Central that brings together 4 caves, all catalogued as Cova. Together they total 5208 m of length and reach a maximum depth of 187 m. The lithologies represented are Salt, present in 3 cavities, and Conglomerate, in 1.
The longest and deepest cavity is the Cova dels Meandres de Sal, with 4300 m of length and 187 m of depth; it includes the Fritz Künzel, Superior, Fèlix and Cascades galleries, with explorations between 1999 and 2017. It is followed by the Forat Micó, of 640 m and 25 m of depth, and the Cova del Riu, of 260 m and 5 m. The Cova de les Besses, of 8 m, is a walled rock shelter in Cervià de les Garrigues, catalogued by members of the ECM Barcelonès in October 2019.
The group forms part of the salt diapir of Bages, one of the most singular salt karsts in Europe, with caves that evolve from one year to the next.
Map
The 20 longest
- 1Cova dels Meandres de SalCardona, Barcelona4,300 m
- 2Forat MicóCardona, Barcelona640 m
- 3Cova del RiuCardona, Barcelona260 m
- 4Cova de les BessesCervià de les Garrigues, Lleida8 m
The 20 deepest
- 1Cova dels Meandres de SalCardona, Barcelona187 m
- 2Forat MicóCardona, Barcelona25 m
- 3Cova del RiuCardona, Barcelona5 m
Name↕ | Length↓ | Depth↕ | Municipality↕ | Region↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cova dels Meandres de Sal | 4,300 meters | 187 meters | Cardona | Bages |
| Forat Micó | 640 meters | 25 meters | Cardona | Bages |
| Cova del Riu | 260 meters | 5 meters | Cardona | Bages |
| Cova de les Besses | 8 meters | 0 meters | Cervià de les Garrigues | Garrigues |
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Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/