Expedition Name (& Club): Matienzo 2013

Destination country: Spain
Region: Cantabria

Lat: 43.3148 Long: -3.5851 Elevation: 0 m
MEF funding: none

Leader: Mr Juan Corrin

Brief Expedition objectives:

List a short summary of the main Expedition objectives.

Continued cave exploration, survey, photo, etc and surface prospecting within our 96sq km area.

Detailed description of objectives:

Give a more detailed account of the purpose of the trip, including any particular known caves you intend to visit, specific areas where you will explore for new cave, and scientific experiments you will attempt.

Letters correspond to letters on the enclosed area map
1: Pushing upstream and above in Torca la Vaca (B), to reach Cobadal depressions and ..? Diving sumps within Torca la Vaca.
2: Exploring open leads and pushing in Torca de Peña Encaramada (C).
3: Continue exploration in the Sistema de los Cuatro Valles (D).
4: Continue exploration in Cueva-Cubío del Llanío (M) and Cueva Ruchana (Q).
5: Diving upstream sump(s) in Cueva Reñada, South Vega System (J)
6: Pushing in the Sumidero de Cobadal and The Sewer. (F)
7: Continued exploration in Cueva del Torno at Fresnedo. (O)
8: Continue exploration in Fuente Aguanaz. (A)
9: Continued exploration in Invisible Cave near Fuente Aguanaz. (A)
10: Exploration of open entrances on Mullir and other areas. (Over 589 unexplored sites from 3779 to investigate).
11: Pushing in Cueva Vallina. (L)
12: Continued resurveying and pushing in Cuevas Risco and Tiva. (K)
13: Continued exploration in El Cubillón and other sites at Moncobe / Ideopuerta. (1.6km long and a number of leads.) (R)
14: Continue training of younger team members in expedition caving skills. All caves mentioned have going leads.

Previous work in this area:

Give details of any previous work in this area by your own and other teams. Include references to reports and articles published on the area, and the names of any local cavers or academics with whom you have discussed the Expedition.

We're the major explorers. Some references: Cuadernos II, VIII, IX-X; Matienzo 74; Matienzo 75; MUSS Journals 8, 9, 10; Articles in Caves & Caving 8 11 14 18 22 26 32 35 41 44 49 55 58 63 66 70 75 79 83 87 89; Speleology 2, 3

& 5. Trans 8.1 and article in 10.3; articles about the explorations and archaeology in Spanish journals by Peter Smith. Most recent major overview in Spanish is in Actas del V Congresso Español de Espeleología (1990), pp345 -

355 (Federación Española de Espeleología). Annual summaries published with Federación Cántabra de Espeleología.
A major work is Ruiz Cobo Jesús and Smith Peter et al, 2001. The Archaeology of the Matienzo Depression, North Spain. In BAR International Series 975, 224 pages.
La Cueva de Cofresnedo en el Valle de Matienzo, a 198 page colour book summarising a 6 year archaeological project by the same authors, was published 3 years ago by the Cantabrian Government. Expedition reports for 2006, 2007,

2008, 2009, 2010 have appeared in recent Speleology issues. The 2011 and 2012 reports are with Erin Lynch.
A "complete" history & cave descriptions are at www.matienzo.org.uk.