071 Torca del Mostajo
Cubija VN50359699 Alt. 312m Traverse length 17922m (with Regaton & Morenuca) Depth 122m
A surface survey has the entrance at VN50359696 Alt. 310m; GPS (during rain) has the entrance at 5023(1)9714(7)

Updated 13 February 1998; 19th February,18th April 1999, 12th December 1999, 3rd January 2001

What follows is an incomplete description.

One of the major systems on Enaso with its higher level at the same altitude as Cueva de Rascavieja (077). The cave is complicated on the middle level and this has hindered systematic exploration. The cave was linked with Torca Regaton (892) in 1994, and to Cueva de la Morenuca at Easter 1996 giving a total explored length of 17023m to the Sistema de Cubija. The 22m entrance pitch drops onto a slope of boulders and another 5m drop to a stony slope.

To the left, in 7m square passage, is a choke after 50m; to the right is the main route which ends after 200m at a perched boulder and a steep slope down to a pool. This was the original end. Five years after its discovery this slope was scaled and climbed to the continuation. The climb is now bypassed by using the roped traverse on the left hand wall (replaced in 1993). This clings to the top of a 30m high calcite slope and ends, after some 60m, at the sandy floored and draughting entrance to the 1983 extensions. Comfortable mixed caving, mainly on a sandy floor, leads past some nice stalactites, long helictites and a long straw formation. In a chamber, a 3m ladder climb up on the right hand wall enters a short length of passage which descends to a tight, strongly draughting crawl which took 6 days to excavate. This flatout section lasts for only 20m; the passage then breaks into the typical Matienzo tunnel, with a gypsum floor and initially, many formations. Part way along the crawl, to the right, is another crawl which opens out to a squatting height chamber. A duck under the right hand wall enters a crawl to a metre high passage which closes down.

The main passage passes around the side of a number of holes but the main obstacle is, after 300m, The Pit, an awkward traverse down into, and up out of, a sandy walled drop. The climb out of The Pit is laddered and was retackled in 1995.

The tunnel, equally large on the other side, almost immediately meets another, more easily negotiable hole, and then enters a large chamber with apparent carbon films over mud layers. A smaller section enters a boulder floored tunnel which chokes with a possible passage in the roof. This is the most NE extent of the passage at 290m

Near the end of this passage, a 10m climb up on the NW side leads to pitches reaching an ultimate depth of 100m. At ???m a phreatic level is encountered but chokes with calcite after a short

Various climbs were carried out at Whit, 1995. Near the end at VN5095297429 a 10m bolt climb to an ascending mud ramp ended with a choked phreatic tube. Further back on the corner at VN5086997384 a 15m bolt climb on poor rock ended in a solution

Other passages and climbs off here including the 1986

Portienzo bit, part way along top level was partly at Easter 1994. Description needed.

About 30 metres before the Pit, 4m up the left hand wall is the concealed pitch entry to the lower level passages, the Golden Void. There is a suggestion (1995) that there might be an easily gained passage at the head of the Golden Void but this was discounted at Easter 1999.

Hedgehog Crawl is found by crossing the centre of Chamber 46 and keeping to the right until a chamber ahead is seen with the sound of dripping water. Avens have intersected the passage and two deep pits have to be traversed by climbing around the left hand side. At the back of the second aven an exposed rope climb of about 4m up a flake enters the start of Hedgehog Crawl.

The passage starts as a flatout crawl through and over stal, passing several chambers on route. After about 50m, many dried crystal pools are seen which contain the formations after which the passage has been named. ( photo 1 photo 2). An alcove on the left hand side is eventually reached which contains much sand. The way on is through a low crawl to the right hand side and a squeeze through calcite leads to several pools. The final 60m of the crawl is an uncomfortable, very low crawl over calcited pebbles until the passage forks. The right hand side continues as before and may rejoin the trade route later on. The left hand side descends a steep slope into a rift containing the marked station V20.

To the left hand side of V20 an undescended (10m?) pit surrounded by stal is located. Going up and to the right of V20 a crawl through a stal grill leads to a junction. The left route leads to a low chamber with a large, undescended pit in the floor. Traversing past on the right hand side leads to two passages that are too low for further progress without digging. Just before the pit, a 3m climb up a vertical sand bank gains a chamber with several ways off. This needs pushing and surveying. A small crawl to the north of the pit rejoins the main way on further up the passage.

On the right, the possible continuation of Hedgehog Crawl rejoins, and the draught can be followed through a low crawl to a sandy tube that breaks out into a T junction (station 614).

To the right leads to a series of chambers and passages. This obvious, low, calcited passage may be followed to a continuation through abundant gypsum for about 200m to a dig. Just before this point a pit in the floor may be descended for about 20m until it gets too tight. this whole section has a draught that appears to switch randomly and also contains one rat (?) skeleton at its start.

The second left hand passage enters a low chamber containing fallen slabs and a climb down at the left hand wall drops into passage just near the connections with Regaton and Morenuca. Continuing on, a chamber is reached with two ways out. At the back, a crawl leads to a collapse area which connects with the previous low chamber. The right hand passage eventually ends at a calcite choke after a free climbable negotiation of a pit in the floor. Shortly before this, a crawl up a sandy bank on the right leads to meandering fossil passage which currently ends at an 18m pitch with an unpushed continuation on the other side. A traverse requiring a little protection, or dropping the pitch to a possible lower level is required to follow the good draught in this area.

The left hand side of the T junction leads immediately to a 4m roped climb into a large passage. On the right hand side a large aven bisects the passage creating a pitch down. The large aven continues up for about 15m and is, in total, about 40m deep. This is the Italian Pitch, first explored in 1985. The connection to Torca Regaton (892), discovered in 1994, is about 20m down from the last rebelay and 20m up from the floor. A short pendulum to the opposite side of the shaft lands on an obvious big boulder (station 930 in Regaton). Regaton may be gained by entering a small passage at the back of the block lower down.

Traversing around the left hand side of the Italian Pitch gains the continuation of the passage. To the left a crawl leads to a complex area of tubes which has only been partly explored. Passing under a climb up on the right hand side to a low chamber which connects further back, a large, steeply ascending ramp is reached. Climbing the ramp is most easily done on the right and, at the top, a tricky traverse meets a large, truncated roof tube. To the left of the ramp top a collapse area is reached but just before this, on the right, a tube may be climbed into using combined tactics. This is the connection with Cueva de la Morenuca (0774).

The Eastern Series on the middle level was extended in 1991 to its most easterly point by dropping a 12m pitch into a series of rifts and boulders, ending at an altitude of 215m. In 1999, further explorations in the eastern Series showed that there was still work to be done in this area. See the log book.

The 1992 explorations added a small amount but the survey needs tying back in to a known point.

According to Quin (BU pp59-62), in his magnetic susceptibility studies, sediments from Torca del Coterón on South Vega show similar k values to sediments in Torca del Mostajo, indicating that the sites may have had a common morphogenic agent and have been connected. However, the study also indicates that sediments from Torca Regaton (892) show little similarity to sediments from Mostajo, indicating that the sites have not had a common morphogenic agent. This needs explaining.

References: anon., 1978 (logbook); Corrin J et al, 1978 (survey); Mills L D J, 1981; Corrin J S and Smith P, 1981; Smith P, 1981b (survey); anon., 1983b (logbook); Corrin J, 1983b (survey and photo)/anon., 1984 (logbook); Cawthorne Bob, 1985b; Barrington P and Hanson D, 1984 (survey and photo); anon., 1985a (Easter logbook); anon., 1985b (logbook); Corrin J, 1986 (survey); anon., 1986 (logbook); Corrin J, 1987; material in file; anon., 1987 (logbook); anon., 1988 (logbook); Davis J and Corrin J, 1989 (photo); anon., 1991 (logbook); Corrin J, 1992a (survey); anon., 1992b (logbook); Cawthorne B, 1992; Corrin J, 1992b (survey and photo); Corrin J and Quin A, 1992 (survey); Corrin J, 1993 (survey); Quin A, 1993b (survey); Corrin J, 1994a (survey); Corrin Juan, 1995b (survey); anon., 1993b (logbook); anon., 1994a (Easter logbook); anon., 1994b (logbook); Corrin J, 1994b (survey and photo); anon., 1995b (Whit logbook); anon., 1995c (logbook); Quin Andrew, 1995 (survey); anon., 1996a (Easter logbook); anon., 1996b (logbook); Corrin Juan, 1997a; Corrin Juan, 1997b; anon., 1997b (logbook); Corrin Juan, 1998 (photo); Fernández Ortega F, Valls Uriol and Maria del Carmen, 1998 (photo); García José León, 1997 (survey and photo); Corrin Juan, 1997c; anon., 1999a (Easter logbook); anon., 1999c (logbook)
Entrance picture : yes - from a distance  close up view
Underground picture(s): Climb to Hedgehog Passage  Dwarf Chamber   Golden Void top
Hedgehog Passage 1   Hedgehog Passage 2  The Italian Pitch    Top level formations
Detailed Survey :
Line Survey :
On area survey : shown on the North Vega System with no detail
Survex file :