La Vasenilla

La Vasenilla is a spectacular natural depression located beside the coastal cliffs of El Poble Nou de Benitatxell, just a short distance from the Moraig Fault. Its almost circular shape, steep walls and large blocks of rock accumulated at its base make it one of the most distinctive geological features in the Moraig area.

A large collapse doline

La Vasenilla is an outstanding example of a collapse doline, a geological formation characteristic of limestone terrain and karst landscapes.

Water slowly infiltrates fractures in the limestone and, over time, gradually dissolves the rock, creating underground cavities. When the roof of one of these cavities becomes unstable and eventually collapses, it creates a depression such as the one visible today at La Vasenilla.

This process explains its distinctive shape: a large, approximately circular depression surrounded by very steep, almost vertical walls. Numerous large rock blocks remain at the bottom, having fallen during successive episodes of collapse.

A future cove

One of the most fascinating aspects of La Vasenilla is its proximity to the Mediterranean. The doline lies immediately beside the cliff face and is connected to the sea through fractures and cavities in the rock, although marine erosion has not yet completely opened the depression to the coastline.

The continuous action of waves and erosion will gradually weaken the rock wall separating it from the sea. If this process continues, part of the cliff will eventually disappear and the former doline will become directly exposed to the Mediterranean.

This will create a new inlet in the cliff face that may eventually develop into a small cove. La Vasenilla therefore provides a remarkable opportunity to observe a stage in the geomorphological process that helps explain the formation of some of the characteristic coves found along limestone coastlines.

An evolving geological landscape

La Vasenilla forms part of the extraordinary geological landscape of Moraig, where rock fracturing, limestone dissolution and marine erosion have acted together over millions of years.

Just a few metres away is the Moraig Fault, whose spectacular fault plane preserves evidence of the tectonic movements that affected this territory. Nearby is also the Cova dels Arcs, formed through the interaction between karst processes and the continuous action of the sea.

La Vasenilla is therefore much more than a large depression in the rock. It is an exceptional example of a landscape that is still evolving, revealing how geology and the Mediterranean continue to slowly shape the coastline of El Poble Nou de Benitatxell.