0766: Simón 2, Torca de
Secadura 30T 455543 4800031 (Datum: ETRS89. Accuracy code: A) Altitude 139m
Length 2416m Depth 77m
Area position : Logbook search

Updated 19th February 1999; 28th October 2007; 6th January, 17th May 2011; 30th June 2018

The entrance lies some 150m southeast of Torca de Simón 1 (121) and on the right hand side of a valley. A complicated, phreatic cave with possible connections to Simón 1 and Cueva de Churro (118).

A tree-lined hole* contains a 6m pitch to a boulder slope and a 13m pitch at the base. A handline slope (with broken glass?) drops to a junction,, The main route heads north in fine walking passage to the head of a 3m pitch. To the northeast the passage rises and chokes after 40m. At the base of the pitch, the northern route goes to a 5 way junction.

The western route encounters a climb up to the right where the passage swings to the northeast to meet a drippy chamber which is choked with calcite. To the southwest of the climb up is a rift passage with boulders with high and low level routes combining at a climb down into a large rift. This is only 28m away horizontally (but 50m below) a 4m undescended pitch in Torca de Simón 1. The southwesterly route from the 5 way junction joins the southern route from the base of the 3m pitch at a 4 way junction.

The eastern arm swings south and enters Glitter Chamber (Station JC14) where gypsum spangles decorate wall surfaces.

Explorations at Easter 92 filled in some gaps and need describing. More names on passages?

The passage to the west of station JC36 at coordinates -84, 12 was excavated through calcite in the summer of 1992. The calcite-floored passage slopes down to the head of 10m pitch into a phreatic chamber with a stream canyon at the bottom. Downstream leads to a pool which is probably the upstream side of the "Top Sump". Upstream goes 80m to another sump. A high level route exists and is entered via a tight squeeze up through a rift above the main canyon. A very fine phreatic passage - Blue Bottle Passage - continues, with pools and traverses in a streamway, to a junction after 200m. Straight ahead ends upstream after 60m at a sump. This passage lines up exactly beneath another straight passage in Simón 1 (site 121).

The western route splits after 40m. The short, southern branch is now full of broken stal and chokes. The main way continues well decorated for 150m with 2m long straws and passage 10m wide with calcite flows. A blue bucket was found in this section, hence the name. It eventually chokes in a chamber with a 5m diameter pool and a possible lead up a waterfall entering the lake. One squeeze has been passed to a second which has not. The site draughts well. A Blue Bucket was also found in this section!?

Other bits to go at include: a muddy tube on the right of Blue Bottle Passage; downstream sump needs checking out; possible high level route needs bolting at roof level near deep pools in Blue Bottle Passage and also in right hand wall in big dog-leg off.

Link to entry in the Cave Diving Sump Index.

* After a number of futile attempts to find the entrance by Spanish cavers, a visit in May 2011 confirmed (as much as possible) that the entrance had been filled in and all that was left was a collapsed pit. See photos.
The entrance position has had the wrong grid reference read off the map. The cave has "moved" a significant amount which has obviously altered any area maps the cave line has been published in.

References: anon., 1989 (logbook); Oct 89; Corrin J, 1990; material in file; anon., 1992a (Easter logbook); anon., 1992b (logbook); Corrin J and Quin A, 1992 (survey and photo); Corrin J, 1993 (survey); Corrin J, 1994b (survey); García José León, 1997; Corrin Juan and Smith Peter, 2007; León García José, 2010 (Volume 1 and Volume 2) (photo); anon., 2011b (Easter logbook)
Entrance pictures : filled-in entrance
Underground picture(s): entrance passage  squeeze up  dusty chambers  formations in nice passage  sandy crawl  small traverse  rope traverse
Detailed Survey :
Line Survey :
On area survey :
Survex file : yes (Amended magnetic declination December 2013 to align with Eur79 grid and coordinates altered to fit ETRS89 datum, April 2014.)
north Secadura caves (2011) (Amended magnetic declination December 2013 to align with Eur79 grid and coordinates altered to fit ETRS89 datum, April 2014.)
Passage direction rose diagram: 30/6/2018

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