site 0780

0780: Corcada, Torca de
Seldesuto 30T 448216 4794634 (Datum: ETRS89. Accuracy code: G) Altitude 389m
Length 321m Depth 125m (Does not include all the Active Route passages)
Area position : Site entrance in context : Logbook search

Updated 10th October 2004; 7th May 2007; 22nd May 2014; 21st May, 19th September 2017; 6th May, 23rd September, 11th December 2018; 13th May, 14th September, 31st October 2019; 22nd August, 30th October 2020; 4th March, 12th September 2021; 9th September 2022

An alternative GPS position is ETRS89: 0448206 4794622

   The site has been, at least partly, explored by Catalan cavers and the Active Route was pushed down to a major level by French cavers.
   A small entrance in the corner of a field - beyond the newly modernised barn - which may have to be excavated of an obscuring rock and soil.
   An entrance pitch of 4m drops into a steeply descending passage, littered with animal bones and roof tiles etc. This ends at a chamber with a small inlet passage on the left which could perhaps be pushed further.
   In the chamber a carbide arrow marks a slot down to a traverse left over a hole and a 2m climb down to the head of a 9m pitch. At the bottom two routes go off, an Active Route reached by holes down or a Fossil Route reached by a 2m climb up on the right.

    The Active Route leads to a 5m pitch in a meander passage, which continues narrow and was enlarged towards the head of another drop in August 2017. (See survey sketch). A single visit in summer 2018 pushed down the p5 in the Active Route and work continued in the autumn, following a narrow meander. (See surveys below). The enlarging of the Active Route continued at Easter 2019 with a breakthrough in the summer, over two trips, when a p18 with a hading rift to a p27, entering a bouldery chamber with a possible drop between the boulders and the wall. (batches 2019-01 and 2019-01). The survey can be seen below.
   Further work in the summer 2020, pursued a route between the blocks down a p9 to a walking-size gallery about 100m long. At the end, the route narrows with a draught. See the photos and plan + elevation below.
   A later survey (shown as 2020 autumn below) shows Corcada extended to the west by about 30m to a draughting lead. (None of these extensions are yet included in surveyed length)
   By the summer, 2021, the work in this series was completed and the surveys can be seen below.
(Complete diary of explorations in the Active Route can be seen here - in French and Google Translated into English.)

    The Fossil Route (rigging topo from 2022 summer logbook) leads to a 7m pitch with a narrow top, followed immediately by a 8m pitch. At the bottom an aven on the left has a vocal connection to before the 7m pitch. The way on is to the right, in a steeply descending bedding (possibly formed like all the cave on a fault plane) with an abandoned stream trench in the floor. Traversing off to the left reaches the head of a 16m pitch. At the foot a short passage leads to a narrow rift which could be pushed. In August 2017 this route was rigged for SRT.
   Three trips over Easter 2018 re-rigged the Fossil Route and capped at constrictions near the end. Water could be heard in the distance on day 2. On the final trip: "Squeezed through to a widening grotto. Slots in the floor about 5m deep. Sounds bigger below. Worth continuing capping to gain access." No survey was carried out although a sketch can be seen here.
   At the beginning of August 2022, the Fossil Route was opened up to allow a 13.6m survey to tie the end into the base of the pitch (batch 22-01).

A trip at Easter 2007 emerged to say that there were no easy extensions to be had.
The entrance was found to be strongly draughting in at Easter 2017.