Caves and potholes in Sandstone terrain
Sandstones are a sedimentary rock of cemented sand grains, poorly soluble, where cavities of mechanical origin predominate. The catalogue records 366 cavities in this lithology: 317 caves and 49 pits, with 17588 m of total passage and a maximum depth of 215 m.
There are 366 catalogued cavities in Sandstone, including 49 potholes and 317 caves. The longest is Cova del Serrat del Vent (4,273m).
Length adds each cave once (a system counts once), and depth is that of the deepest cave, canyons excluded.
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Sandstones are a sedimentary rock of cemented sand grains. They are poorly soluble, so cavities of mechanical origin —rock shelters, overhangs and erosion caves— predominate rather than classic karst.
The catalogue records 366 cavities developed in sandstones: 317 caves and 49 pits, with a total passage of 17588 m and a maximum depth of 215 m. The longest cavity is the Cova del Serrat del Vent, with 4273 m of passage in Tavertet, which also reaches the maximum depth, with a total drop of 215.5 m (-183.6/+31.9). Other cavities notable for their length are les Correjades, of 1835 m, and the Sistema de la Bora Fosca, of 1257 m and -60 m of drop, also in Tavertet.
Among the deepest cavities are the Avenc de Can Plana, 68 m deep in Sant Martí de Llémena, and the Avenc del Cataplanell, 63 m deep in Coll de Nargó (Boumort). Other relevant cavities are the Bora Tuna, with 403 m of passage in Llorà (Gironès), and the Baumes d'en Caxurma, with 387 m of passage in la Garrotxa.
Map
Autonomous communities
The figures of these places do not add up to the total: a cave can be in more than one place, or in none when its location has no lower level.
The 20 longest
- 1Cova del Serrat del VentTavertet, Barcelona4,273 m
- 2les CorrejadesLa Vall d'en Bas, Girona1,835 m
- 3Sistema de la Bora FoscaTavertet, Barcelona1,257 m
- 4Bora TunaSant Martí de Llémena, Girona403 m
- 5Baumes d'en CaxurmaMontagut i Oix, Girona387 m
- 6les TunesTavertet, Barcelona324 m
- 7Cova Nº2 dels NeretsTalarn, Lleida303 m
- 8Baumes de la Molera d'ausióSant Julià de Vilatorta, Barcelona270 m
- 9Cavorca de FalgarsLa Vall d'en Bas, Girona251 m
- 10Cova del MortSant Esteve de la Sarga, Lleida219 m
- 11Avenc del BlocSant Aniol de Finestres, Girona211 m
- 12Cova de les AngúniesSant Aniol de Finestres, Girona190 m
- 13Tuta de SausLa Pobla de Lillet, Barcelona186 m
- 14Cova Nº3 dels NeretsTalarn, Lleida176 m
- 15Bora Gran d'en MasalleraL'Esquirol, Barcelona166 m
- 16Bora Llarga d'en MasalleraL'Esquirol, Barcelona155 m
- 17Avenc del CataplanellColl de Nargó, Lleida154 m
- 18Avenc de Can Roca Roja Nº2Sant Feliu de Pallerols, Girona149 m
- 19Cova Nº1 dels NeretsTalarn, Lleida140 m
- 20Cova de la CarreraLa Vall d'en Bas, Girona134 m
The 20 deepest
- 1Cova del Serrat del VentTavertet, Barcelona215 m
- 2Avenc de Can PlanaSant Martí de Llémena, Girona68 m
- 3Avenc del CataplanellColl de Nargó, Lleida63 m
- 4Sistema de la Bora FoscaTavertet, Barcelona60 m
- 5Tuta de SausLa Pobla de Lillet, Barcelona59 m
- 6Avenc del BlocSant Aniol de Finestres, Girona43 m
- 7Cavorca de FalgarsLa Vall d'en Bas, Girona40 m
- 8Cova de les AngúniesSant Aniol de Finestres, Girona40 m
- 9Cova del MortSant Esteve de la Sarga, Lleida39 m
- 10Bora Gran d'en MasalleraL'Esquirol, Barcelona38 m
- 11Horats de MargalidaBossòst, Lleida33 m
- 12Avenc de Can Roca Roja Nº2Sant Feliu de Pallerols, Girona31 m
- 13Cova Nº2 dels NeretsTalarn, Lleida28 m
- 14Forat Gran de Prat SobiràColl de Nargó, Lleida28 m
- 15Avenc de Can Roca Roja Nº1Sant Feliu de Pallerols, Girona27 m
- 16Forat de la CarreteraIsona i Conca Dellà, Lleida26 m
- 17Cova de Sant MiquelSant Esteve de la Sarga, Lleida25 m
- 18Avenc de Can Roca Roja Nº4Sant Feliu de Pallerols, Girona22 m
- 19Avenc del Puig CubellVidrà, Girona22 m
- 20Cova Nº1 dels NeretsTalarn, Lleida22 m
50 of 366
Source: Espeleoindex (espeleoindex.com), modified. CC BY-NC 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/