Potholes: map and catalogue

Potholes (Catalan avenc) are cavities with predominantly vertical development: shafts and pits that drop steeply into the rock.

Potholes: 5,962 catalogued cavities. The longest is Sima Alto de Tejuelo 8 (218,553 m) and the deepest is Torca de la Cornisa (1,507 m).

5,962caves

1,313.5kmtotal length

1,507mmaximum depth

Length adds each cave once (a system counts once), and depth is that of the deepest cave, canyons excluded. Without length data: 2,283. Without depth data: 881.

Autonomous communities

Catalonia

1,948 caves

117.3km

571m

🏆 Longest: Sistema de la Bargadèra (2,100m)

⬇️ Deepest: Sistema de la Bargadèra (571m)

Navarre

1,779 caves

212.3km

1,435m

🏆 Longest: Sima de la Piedra de San Martin (80,620m)

⬇️ Deepest: BU-56 Illaminako Ateak (1,435m)

Basque Country

877 caves

149.0km

522m

🏆 Longest: Sima del Hayal de Ponata VII (90,000m)

⬇️ Deepest: Gazteluko Urzuloa (522m)

Andalusia

779 caves

1,101m

⬇️ Deepest: Sima GESM (1,101m)

Cantabria

211 caves

733.0km

1,169m

🏆 Longest: Sima Alto de Tejuelo 8 (218,553m)

⬇️ Deepest: Sima 056 (1,169m)

Balearic Islands

170 caves

78m

⬇️ Deepest: Avenc des Benavinguts (78m)

La Rioja

52 caves

3.3km

125m

🏆 Longest: Sima de San Bartolomé o El Maestro (609m)

⬇️ Deepest: Sima de San Bartolomé o El Maestro (125m)

Aragon

49 caves

56.7km

1,327m

🏆 Longest: Sima del Baste (13,089m)

⬇️ Deepest: Sima del Sabbat (1,327m)

Valencian Community

39 caves

39 shafts

Asturias

29 caves

4.8km

634m

🏆 Longest: Pozu'l Trave Rolamuela (2,797m)

⬇️ Deepest: Pozu'l Trave Rolamuela (634m)

Castile and León

23 caves

36.4km

1,507m

🏆 Longest: Torca de la Cornisa (6,445m)

⬇️ Deepest: Torca de la Cornisa (1,507m)

Castilla–La Mancha

5 caves

626m

142m

🏆 Longest: Sima de Manuel Mozo (626m)

⬇️ Deepest: Sima de Manuel Mozo (142m)

Galicia

1 cave

129m

⬇️ Deepest: Sima Aradelas (129m)

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

1Sima Alto de Tejuelo 8Ruesga, Cantabria218,553 m
2Torca de Mazo ChicoSoba, Cantabria147,890 m
3Torca La SimaSoba, Cantabria119,000 m
4Torca de BernallánArredondo, Cantabria100,907 m
5Sima del Hayal de Ponata VIIUrduña/Orduña, Bizkaia90,000 m
6Sima de la Piedra de San MartinIsaba/Izaba, Navarra80,620 m
7Torca de ZpilicuetaRuesga, Cantabria32,951 m
8Torca del Hoyo GrandeSoba, Cantabria21,800 m
9Torca del RegatonRuesga, Cantabria20,780 m
10Torca La VacaEntrambasaguas, Cantabria15,478 m
11BU-56 Illaminako AteakIsaba/Izaba, Navarra14,500 m
12Sima del BasteBorau, Huesca13,089 m
13Sima-cueva del RiscoRuesga, Cantabria10,615 m
14AN-8Isaba/Izaba, Navarra9,192 m
15Torcón de la Calleja RebolloRuesga, Cantabria7,902 m
16Del. Ukk.22 TobozoIsaba/Izaba, Navarra7,520 m
17LarretxikiSierra de Aralar, Navarra6,815 m
18Ormazarreta IISierra de Aralar, Navarra6,815 m
19Torca de la CornisaPosada de Valdeón, León6,445 m
20Pozo Azul de CovaneraTubilla del Agua, Burgos6,410 m

Full ranking

The 20 deepest

1Torca de la CornisaPosada de Valdeón, León1,507 m
2BU-56 Illaminako AteakIsaba/Izaba, Navarra1,435 m
3Sima de la Piedra de San MartinIsaba/Izaba, Navarra1,410 m
4Sima del SabbatPlan, Huesca1,327 m
5Pozo del MadejunoPosada de Valdeón, León1,252 m
6Sima 056Cillorigo de Liébana, Cantabria1,169 m
7Sima GESMTolox, Málaga1,101 m
8Torca de Mazo ChicoSoba, Cantabria950 m
9Sima Camino AraTorla-Ordesa, Huesca943 m
10Torca del Cueto de los CalabrerosCillorigo de Liébana, Cantabria831 m
11Sima del CuetoArredondo, Cantabria829 m
12AN-8Isaba/Izaba, Navarra819 m
13Torca La SimaSoba, Cantabria814 m
14Sima de la HorcadinaPosada de Valdeón, León803 m
15Sima del BasteBorau, Huesca759 m
16AN-3Isaba/Izaba, Navarra739 m
17Sima del FloreroCillorigo de Liébana, Cantabria723 m
18UK-4Isaba/Izaba, Navarra717 m
19C-50 Pre HusIsaba/Izaba, Navarra696 m
20Grallera del pico Fenez T-38Torla-Ordesa, Huesca640 m