0078: Tizones, Cueva de los
La Vega 30T 451888 4795911 (Datum: ETRS89. Accuracy code: M) Altitude 174m
Length 698m Depth 8m Vertical range -8 +5m
Area position : Logbook search

Updated December 17th 1999; 8th January 2000; 14th May 2000; 21st January 2001; 8th November 2003; 6th January 2011

The cave was extended in 1999 and 2000.

The entrance is a sink for a small stream. The route is at water level until a squeeze over a block leads to walking sized passage for 75m. A short duck with minimal air space is followed by walking passage and a short, wet crawl or a dry oxbow to deep water, where progress is stopped by a large block. The resurgence is 350m away but there is no draught.

The 1999 extensions start 25m from the entrance where there is a climb through an excavated section on the right followed by a squeeze into joint controlled phreatic passages. About 100m of comfortable hands and knees crawling leads to a number of 10m holes down to the streamway last seen at the entrance. A rope is needed for the traverse and a 6m rope climb is the best route down.

At this lower level, walking-sized passage heads upstream to a boulder choke with the stream emerging. Downstream, smaller passage goes for about 200m to a complex boulder choke with a possible continuation. This lower section almost certainly floods to the roof. Partway down the 6m climb is the continuation of the higher phreatic level and entry is gained via a muddy scramble. The 35m or so of continuing passage becomes increasingly more difficult with traverses and was completed at Easter 2000 by laddering certain sections and then climbing back up. At a 3m climb, the left hand branch becomes well decorated into a chamber. The passage on the right closes down completely while the obvious passage from the chamber ends in a boulder choke with some spaces above.

Back at the 3m climb, a route at the base was pushed through some grotty passage to known passage at the active level.

Notenboom in Research on the Groundwater Fauna of Spain: List of Stations and First Results (Notenboom J and Meijers I, 1985) gives the following fauna: Echinogammarus/Gammarus, Cyclopoidea, Ostracoda, Prosobranchia/Hydrobioidea, Bivalvia/ Sphaeriidae, Insecta, Oligochaeta, Turbellaria.

References: Fernández Gutiérrez et al, 1966 (survey); anon., 1978 (logbook); Kendal Caving Club and Manchester University Speleological Society, 1975 (survey); Corrin J S and Smith P, 1981; Notenboom J and Meijers I, 1985; anon., 1999c (logbook); Corrin Juan, 2000; anon., 2000b (Easter logbook); Corrin Juan, 2001
Entrance picture : yes
Underground picture(s):
Detailed Survey :
1965 known cave low res high res
1975 known cave low res high res
1999, 2000 known cave 1:1000

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.)
Passage direction rose diagram: 30/6/2018

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