is that they are the largest in Andalusia

The speleology It is a fascinating activity. This discipline mixes sports exploration with scientific study and constantly reminds us that we can continue discovering things from our past. Recently, we have found treasuresfurther cave paintings and clues about the arrival of man to Mallorca. The latest has been a brutal underground connection in Malaga.

And officially they are the largest caves in Andalusia.

Historical connection. It was last September 26 of this year when the Underground Explorations Group of the Malaga Hiking Society confirmed what had been suspected for years: Sima Nevero and the Sima Aire They were physically connected. These are two cavities that are about 340 meters apart in a straight line, but of course, that distance is if we create an artificial tunnel. Nature is somewhat more complex.

Let the numbers speak. This confirmation has given rise to the birth of the Nevero-Aire Complex, an underground system that, right now, is about 26,445 meters with a drop of 955 meters.

These impressive figures make it one of the most extensive underground systems in Spain and the largest caves in Andalusia. Having discovered this cconnection between the chasms It is an achievement, but it is really not that strange if we take into account that the Sierra de las Nievesto which they belong, is an enormous karst system that extends for more than 12,000 hectares.

Three decades of exploration. The carbonate terrain is very sensitive to erosion by rainwater, which favors the creation of underground networks formed by galleries and wells. And it has not been found by chance: in recent years, explorers have dedicated themselves to surveying and studying the cavities, looking for that connection between the chasms, something that was suspected. for more than 30 years.

It was in the 80s when curiosity about these galleries began. At that time, the Sima del Nevero was a cavity barely 15 meters deep, but its study confirmed that it reached 755 meters. That of the Aire, for its part, sank to a depth of 724 meters and the clues that the speleologists followed pointed to that physical connection between the two.

path ahead. As we say, although it is now that the connection to obtain those 26,445 meters of galleries has been confirmed, it is estimated that there is much more that we still do not know. So much so that researchers hope that it will be integrated with the Cueva del Agua and other systems, reaching a total of more than 50 kilometers of galleries.

If so, the Sierra de las Nieves would go from being the largest cave system in Andalusia to being one of the largest underground systems in all of Europe, rubbing shoulders on the list with the Muotathal swiss or Alto del Tejuelo in Cantabria, both surrounding 213 kilometers of interconnected caves. All far, yes, from the more than 590 underground kilometers of the ‘Colossal Cave’ in Kentucky.

Heritage. Aside from the records, it is interesting that we continue to discover new developments in both underwater and terrestrial exploration due to the valuable information on the geological, hydrological and climatic processes that they can provide. In this context, this information dates back millions of years and is another “medal” for a system that is already a National Park and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

It is evident that this is a great addition to the underground geological heritage of Andalusia, and now it only remains to be seen how many more connections speleologists will be able to add in future expeditions and research. In fact, the intention is to continue exploring. Rogelio Ferrer is a member of the GES and has commented that the discovery has been like “opening the pandora’s box“, but the next step is to raise more money, since expeditions like this “require a significant investment that is beyond our reach.”

For the moment, and as they point out researchers and the Commonwealth of Municipalities of the area, is that the Sierra de las Nieves “is not only beauty on the surface: also in depth, geological history and an example of commitment to science.”

Images | David Garcia Rodriguez, Sierra de las Nieves (Miguel Benitez)

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