Ojo Guareña
Cave and archaeological site in Spain / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ojo Guareña is a karst complex located in the Cantabrian Mountains of Castile and Leon, Spain, declared a natural monument by the government of Castile and Leon in 1996.[1][2] It is composed of over 90 kilometres (56 mi) of galleries and passages within an area of some 13,850 hectares (34,200 acres).[2][3] The limestone formation containing the system is approximately 100 metres (330 ft) thick and sits on a massive water-resistant layer of marl.[1][3] The caves were formed in the limestone by erosion sometime within the Coniacian Age. Ojo Guareña was considered the greatest karst system of the Iberian Peninsula until 2009, when a significant length of new passages was discovered in the Mortillano system.[4] It is also the 24th longest cave system.
Ojo Guareña | |
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Location | Province of Burgos, Spain |
Coordinates | 43°02′00″N 3°39′00″W |
Geology | Coniacian limestone |
Entrances | 10[1] |
Archaeological findings in the area indicate that various caves in the Ojo Guareña system were used by humans as early as the Middle Palaeolithic up until the Middle Ages.[5] Scientific exploration has also discovered the presence of over 180 species of invertebrates in the complex.[6]
Tourist access to the caverns is permitted, and there is a visitor's centre located in Quintanilla del Rebollar [es].[7]