Cave of El Soplao
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

El Soplao ( Cantabrian: El Sopláu) is a
cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
located in the municipalities of Rionansa, Valdáliga and Herrerías in
Cantabria Cantabria (, also , , Cantabrian: ) is an autonomous community in northern Spain with Santander as its capital city. It is called a ''comunidad histórica'', a historic community, in its current Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered on the east ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. It is considered unique for the quality and quantity of
geological Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other E ...
formations (
speleothem A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending ...
s) in its 17 miles length, 6 of which are open to the public. In it are formations such as
helictite A helictite is a speleothem (cave-formed mineral) found in a limestone cave that changes its axis from the vertical at one or more stages during its growth. Helictites have a curving or angular form that looks as if they were grown in zero gra ...
s (eccentric stalactites defying gravity) and curtains (draperies, or sheets of calcite, sometimes translucent, hanging from the ceiling). Its formation dates back to the
Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretace ...
, in particular the
Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
period 240 million years ago. The entrance is at 540 metres in the Sierra Soplao Arnero. The cave was accidentally discovered during drilling for
mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...
, subsequently being exploited for the extraction of minerals. During its operation, many local families were supported by the income they got from the mining, combined with farming livestock. After decades of neglect,
speleology Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form ( speleogenesis) and change over time (speleomorphology) ...
, and in particular the Cantabria University Speleology Club since 1975, have discovered its true geological value. On July 1, 2005 the Government of Cantabria opened it to the public and publicised it internationally, after development for tourism and protection rules prohibiting any further activity by the discoverering club. Research goes on, resulting in the study of amber deposits, the recognition of underground
stromatolite Stromatolites () or stromatoliths () are layered sedimentary formations ( microbialite) that are created mainly by photosynthetic microorganisms such as cyanobacteria, sulfate-reducing bacteria, and Pseudomonadota (formerly proteobacteria). T ...
s formed by manganese-oxidising bacteria, and a new mineral form, zaccagnaite-3R. The cave recently started holding music concerts. Artists like Bertín Osborne or Nando Agüeros have played inside the cave for hundreds of people in 2016. El Soplao is just one of at least 6,500 caves in Cantabria.


Situation

The cave is located in the Sierra de Arnero, part of the Sierra del Escudo de Cabuérniga, between the towns of Rionansa, Herrerías and Valdáliga and around San Vicente de la Barquera. The Sierra de Arnero runs parallel to the
Cantabrian Sea The Cantabrian Sea; french: Mer Cantabrique, gl, Mar Cantábrico, ast, Mar Cantábricu, eu, Kantauri. is the term used mostly in Spain to describe the coastal sea of the Atlantic Ocean that borders the northern coast of Spain and the southwe ...
, with a maximum altitude of 682 metres. To access the cave you can use the Cantabrian motorway.


Galleries

El Soplao is a very extensive network of caves and developed at several levels. Cave metrics (December 2003)Juan Colina (entre otros), ''El Soplao, una cavidad única'', Creática Ediciones (2003). are: http://www.microbemagazine.org/index.php/05-2011-current-topics/3353-manganese-oxidizing-microbes-form-giant-stromatolites-in-caves * Length of natural passages surveyed (12,585 metres). * Length of mined passage connected with the cave (3,240 metres). * Lacuerre Caves (2,927 metres). * Total System length (17,852 metres).


Gallery of the Ghosts

It is a natural room which had the amount of thick white and stalagmite formations rising from the ground pisolithic for her figure, gave rise to the name of the gallery. The gallery is 350 metres long and some areas reaching 35 metres wide. Its name comes from the great white stalagmites that resemble ghosts, in the end zones of the gallery. Had a great use to the early twentieth century as a place of extraction and storage by the mineral miners of ''La Florida''.


Gallery Gorda

It is a room with a natural underground lake and one of the largest in terms of volume. This is the first gallery to be accessed Soplao. The name comes from the impression of smallness due to one of the cavers who investigated the caves. It has a lighting system that highlights the colours of the stalactite from the ceiling, covered with calcite helictitas.


Gallery of the False Floor

Small chamber where impressive rock formations in the form of thin threads that are screwed everywhere.


Gallery of the Camp

Is of moderate dimensions, with widths up to 10 metres. The name comes from the installation of a research camp during the first raids. Here it remained unbroken 208 hours Speleo Club members CantabriaJuan Colina (between), ''El Soplao, una cavidad única'', Creática Ediciones (2003). highlight the cast, dyed red and white minerals in the area.


Gallery of the Cauliflower

Stand, rather than stalactites, stalagmites huge, often eccentric, that they tend to join at the end with the roof. Can be seen traces of an earthquake that hit the spot.


Gallery of the Forest

High gallery which takes its name from its resemblance to a natural forest. The cast and the union of stalactites and stalagmites happen everywhere, creating large and varied columns. As in the Galería of the Cauliflower can be seen traces of an earthquake.


Gallery Genesis

Located to the east. It is one of the highest, reaching 30 metres high. Its length exceeds 160 metres. Notable cast sheets, giant stalagmites pisolithic nests. Its name comes from the number of colours displayed on it, because of the variety of salts dissolved in water.


Other galleries

* Gallery of Bridge * Gallery of the Mermaid * Gallery Columns * Gallery Grey * Gallery of the Avalanche * Gallery of the Goat * Gallery the Wonders * Gallery Wet


Mineral and fossils

This is the list of minerals and fossils found in the cave, in alphabetical order:


Fossils

*'' Amarantoraphidia ventolina'' *
Amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In ...
* Black amber *'' Cantabroraphidia marcanoi'' *'' Necroraphidia arcuata''


Minerals

*
Aragonite Aragonite is a carbonate mineral, one of the three most common naturally occurring crystal forms of calcium carbonate, (the other forms being the minerals calcite and vaterite). It is formed by biological and physical processes, including pre ...
* Calcite * dolomite * Sphalerite * Galena *
Marcasite The mineral marcasite, sometimes called “white iron pyrite”, is iron sulfide (FeS2) with orthorhombic crystal structure. It is physically and crystallographically distinct from pyrite, which is iron sulfide with cubic crystal structure. Both ...
*
Pyrite The mineral pyrite (), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue giv ...


See also

* Caves in Cantabria


References

*Cantabrian Speleogical Club "The Cave of El Soplao, a unique cave" (1987)


Bibliography

* Francisco Fernández Ortega and Maria del Carmen Urioste Valls, El Soplao fantasy in the darkness, Creatic Publishing (2007). * John Hill (between others), El Soplao, a unique cavity, Creatic Editions (2003).


External links


El Soplao official website

Cantabrian Speleolo Club: discoverers of much of El Soplao

More information on El Soplao


* ttp://misfotosdecantabria.blogspot.com/2010/01/el-soplao-wwwelsoplaocom.html Photos of caving in El Soplao
Manganese-Oxidizing Microbes Form Giant Stromatolites in Caves
{{Authority control Prehistoric sites in Spain Archaeological sites in Spain Show caves in Spain Soplau