Caves and potholes in the Zona volcànica d'Olot geological unit
Spans: Garrotxa
Part of the Serralada Transversal major unit, dominated by sandstone (83 %). Its caves are spread across Garrotxa.
A unit of the Serralada Transversal with 6 caves in the Garrotxa, where the cavities are linked to lava flows and tubes. The group totals 405 m of passage and 19 m of maximum depth.
There are 6 catalogued cavities in the Zona volcànica d'Olot geological unit, including 0 potholes and 6 caves. The longest is Baumes d'en Caxurma (387m).
Length adds each cave once (a system counts once), and depth is that of the deepest cave, canyons excluded.
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The Zona volcànica d'Olot is a unit of the Serralada Transversal formed by 6 cavities, all of them caves. The group totals 405 m of passage and reaches a maximum depth of 19 m. It is a volcanic district of the Garrotxa, where the cavities are linked to lava flows and tubes rather than to karst.
The most notable cavity is the Baumes d'en Caxurma, with 387 m of passage and 19 m of depth; it has been known since time immemorial, with inscriptions more than 100 years old, and has been explored speleologically since the 1940s. The Cova de les Feixes, of 18 m, is a small tunnel in volcanic materials in Olot, the only cavity of this type in Catalonia. The group is completed by the Balma de la Feu, in Santa Pau, 44 m wide and 14 m of maximum depth; the Bauma dels Monjos, also in Santa Pau, 26 m wide and 11 m deep; and the Cova dels Encantats de Dalt, in Sant Joan les Fonts, with two entrances and two galleries that converge inside.
The lithologies present are Sandstone, in 5 cavities, and Basalt, in 1.
Map
The 20 longest
- 1Baumes d'en CaxurmaMontagut i Oix, Girona387 m
- 2Cova de les FeixesOlot, Girona18 m
- 3Balma de la FeuSanta Pau, Girona14 m
- 4Cova dels EncantatsSant Joan les Fonts, Girona12 m
- 5Bauma dels MonjosSanta Pau, Girona11 m
- 6Cova dels Encantats de DaltSant Joan les Fonts, Girona10 m
The 20 deepest
- 1Baumes d'en CaxurmaMontagut i Oix, Girona19 m
- 2Cova de les FeixesOlot, Girona1 m
- 3Cova dels EncantatsSant Joan les Fonts, Girona1 m
Name↕ | Length↓ | Depth↕ | Municipality↕ | Region↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baumes d'en Caxurma | 387 meters | 19 meters | Montagut i Oix | Garrotxa |
| Cova de les Feixes | 18 meters | 1 meters | Olot | Garrotxa |
| Balma de la Feu | 14 meters | 0 meters | Santa Pau | Garrotxa |
| Cova dels Encantats | 12 meters | 1 meters | Sant Joan les Fonts | Garrotxa |
| Bauma dels Monjos | 11 meters | 0 meters | Santa Pau | Garrotxa |
| Cova dels Encantats de Dalt | 10 meters | 0 meters | Sant Joan les Fonts | Garrotxa |
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Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/