Sistema del Xitu

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Depth: 1148m

Surveyed length: >6111m

Entrance altitude: 1652m

Entrance coordinates: 4*55'06"; 43*14'04"

Location
On the Xitu del Ario, N. of Gustuteru, Picos de Cornion (western massif).

Access
Starting from Los Lagos (reached by road from Covadonga), follow the trail from Lago Ercina to the Ario refugio. The cave entrance is on the right of the path, 100m before the orientation table at the Xitu viewpoint (which in turn is about 500m before the Ario refugio).

Notes
The cave is formed on the Montaña limestone, (upper carboniferous). The main drainage has been dye traced to fuente Culiembro in the Cares gorge (alt. ~350m), with two smaller (probable) drainages to the fuente de la Canal de Trea and the fuente de la Canal de la ria de las Parvulas. The cave was explored by Oxford University Cave Club between 1979 and 1985. Two new entrances were added in 1985; pozu de la Cistra and pozu los Caracoles (both lower than the Xitu entrance). The cave ends in a sump.

Survey: surveyed by OUCC to BCRA grade 5b.

Bibliography:
C. Puch, op. cit., 1981, pp16, 48.
S. Gale, et al; "Les Picos de Europa", Spelunca, suppl. to no. 19, 1985, pp.18-20.