Matienzo is the name of a village and a

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

depression some 25 km southeast of

Santander Santander may refer to: Places * Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain * Santander Department, a department of Colombia * Santander State, former state of Colombia * Santander de Quilichao, a m ...

in Ruesga municipality,

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 ...

, northern

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 ...

. The

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

around Matienzo is riddled with caves (up to 58.6 km in length) which have been extensively explored over the last 50 years by Spanish and British cavers. The total length of cave passage explored, as of December 2016, is 377 km.

References

External links

Matienzo Caves site
Information about the area, more than 4000 caves, research details, cave surveys and thousands of photos], www.matienzocaves.org
Matienzo: 50 Years of Speleology
Cave exploration, cave diving, geology, archaeology, geomorphology and personal recollections, dual language overview of 50 years of speleology in and around Matienzo], www.rrcpc.org.uk Populated places in Cantabria Caves of Cantabria {{cantabria-geo-stub