138 Cueva de Coberruyo
Enaso VN51539639 Alt. 300m  Length 150m Depth 42m

Updated 19th February 1999; 3rd February 2001

A large cave entrance leads to a goat shelter where it is difficult to leave daylight except through a hole at the end of the eastern limb where a funnel-shaped chamber has a choked 45m pitch in the bottom and a climb to the left leads to a decorated chamber. Another climb ahead leads to a 33m pitch down which chokes at rifts.

The cave contains several groups of schematic-abstract paintings, unfortunately not very well conserved, mostly in the left- hand passage. These are sketched and described in El Arte Esquemático-Abstracto de Matienzo y sus alrededores (Smith Peter, 1998b). and further discussed in Muñoz Emilio et al, 1995. There is evidence of palaeolithic remains under the large boulders of the entrance, a layer with bones and flints being visible.

Charcoal has been radio-carbon dated (pers comm 1998) to the late 11th century.

According to Quin (BU pp59-62), in his magnetic susceptibility studies, sediments from Coberruyo show similar k values to sediments in Cueva de Rascavieja (077), indicating that the sites may have had a common morphogenic agent and are connected.

References: Kendal Caving Club and Manchester University Speleological Society, 1975 (survey); Mills L D J and Waltham A C, 1981 (survey); Corrin J S and Smith P, 1981; Smith P, 1981b (survey); Manchester University Speleological Society, 1982 (survey); pers comm 83; anon., 1986 (logbook); material in file; anon., 1992b (logbook); Corrin J and Quin A, 1992; Quin A, 1993b (survey); Quin Andrew, 1995 (survey); Muñoz Emilio et al, 1995; Smith Peter, 1998b (survey); Smith Peter, 1998a (photo)
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Detailed Survey : 1:1000
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