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    Expedition Report Tinguaton Lanzarote 2020

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    Laurens Smets
    The Sima de Tinguaton in Lanzarote, Canary Islands is the deepest volcanic geyser shaft in the world at over 101 meters deep. The shaft formed from fissures and depressions that fed lava fountains during a volcanic eruption in 1824. Exploration of the narrow shafts was challenging, requiring technical climbing and hauling systems. In 2019, a group installed hauling systems and descended over 100 meters deep through tight squeezes as small as 23-25cm wide, confirming the shaft as the deepest known volcanic geyser type in the world.

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    Expedition Report Tinguaton Lanzarote 2020

    Uploaded by

    Laurens Smets
    15 views2 pages
    The Sima de Tinguaton in Lanzarote, Canary Islands is the deepest volcanic geyser shaft in the world at over 101 meters deep. The shaft formed from fissures and depressions that fed lava fountains during a volcanic eruption in 1824. Exploration of the narrow shafts was challenging, requiring technical climbing and hauling systems. In 2019, a group installed hauling systems and descended over 100 meters deep through tight squeezes as small as 23-25cm wide, confirming the shaft as the deepest known volcanic geyser type in the world.

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    Gazette 2020 Lanzarote

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    expedition report Tinguaton Lanzarote 2020

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    The Sima de Tinguaton in Lanzarote, Canary Islands is the deepest volcanic geyser shaft in the world at over 101 meters deep. The shaft formed from fissures and depressions that fed lava fountains during a volcanic eruption in 1824. Exploration of the narrow shafts was challenging, requiring technical climbing and hauling systems. In 2019, a group installed hauling systems and descended over 100 meters deep through tight squeezes as small as 23-25cm wide, confirming the shaft as the deepest known volcanic geyser type in the world.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    15 views2 pages

    Expedition Report Tinguaton Lanzarote 2020

    Uploaded by

    Laurens Smets
    The Sima de Tinguaton in Lanzarote, Canary Islands is the deepest volcanic geyser shaft in the world at over 101 meters deep. The shaft formed from fissures and depressions that fed lava fountains during a volcanic eruption in 1824. Exploration of the narrow shafts was challenging, requiring technical climbing and hauling systems. In 2019, a group installed hauling systems and descended over 100 meters deep through tight squeezes as small as 23-25cm wide, confirming the shaft as the deepest known volcanic geyser type in the world.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Sima de Tinguaton or Sima del Diablo.

    Deepest vulcanic Geysir shaft in the world

    Just under Tinajo driving a bit further down to the south passing through the small village Tinguaton
    you can find at your left hand side the Vulcan Tinguaton.
    This young volcano has been a challenge for both scientists and cavers as an intriguing mystery and a
    very special phenomenon in the world. On a height of about 325m above sea level a small crater can
    be found with all around some 5 till 10m. high walls. The Vulcan Tinguaton is situated within the new
    borderlines from the Geological protected Timanfaya Parque
    In the crater a kind of fissure can be found with 6 depressions . Some of these depressions have a
    shaft leading deep down into the unknown.

    The origin of the shafts is described by the Italian speleo-geologist Francesco Sauro (ref.) as:

    first formed as a fissure feeding strombolian lava fountains at the beginning


    of the eruption of 1824, and then evolving as geyser vents at the final stage
    of this historic eruption. This type of volcanic cave is very rare in the world.

    It was from the start in 1965 uptill 1975 that under leadership of a certain G.M San Bernardo the
    shafts( called Sima’s in Spanish) where investigated at the for that time maximum technical limits .
    The shafts are indeed very very small and it was for that reason the explorers did not dear to go
    deeper into the black unknown.

    38 years later in 2013 it was a group of adventurous friends from Lanzarote , who took up the
    challenge again. They descended down to a small fissure up till a depth as claimed at that
    time - 99m. but in reality this appeared to be just - 65m. At that point where a small stone is
    wedged in between the walls they had to stop as the group had reached their limits again. And the
    cave wouldn’t reveal her mysteries .

    In the meanwhile the surroundings and the caves gained their interest from astronauts. As some
    years ago they found caves on the moon and on Mars. The area of Vulcan Tinguaton is a look-a-like
    so it became a regularly by ESA (European Space agency) troops used training ground/camp.

    In December 2019 it was just before new year that a group explorers from Vulcan vertical and Speleo
    Nederland took up there investigations again. Prospecting had already been done for some years and
    it was decided to install several hauling systems in the cave to overcome the tightness of the
    squeezes which where leading into the deep. Squeezes, fissures with a width of 23 till 25cm. are
    quite common in this shaft system and they were a real challenge to be overcome. Not only physical
    but indeed a claustrophobic mental challenge. NOT FOR PUSSIE’S

    After 6 hours of hard work the group of 5 reached in the end a real depth of 101m. as all is now
    surveyed and verified with 3d laser apparatus . For scientists it is now confirmed that this former
    geyser shaft is one of the deepest Vulcanic shafts in the world. As for Vulcanic Geysir type. THE
    DEEPEST.

    Member from the team 2019 left to right:


    Vulcan vertical: G.D. Santana Gomez (teamleader), A. Pérez Perdomo, M.A. Caceres Arrocha, I.Galilea
    Speleo Nederland : L.M.J. Smets (surveyer)
    The hauling system as used in rescue techniques in caves

    Some typical fissure like shafts.


    Pictures from jan and dec 2019

    Note. Vulcan Vertical is a Caving and Canyoning club on Lanzarote based in Arrecife with 50 members
    Speleo Nederland is the Caving club in the Netherlands with 200 members

    Drawing of the 2 deepest shafts

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