Uvel karst caves. Karst caves - formation and stages of development

Cave - a natural cavity in the upper thickness of the earth's crust, communicating with the earth's surface by one or more outlets passable for humans. The largest caves are complex systems of passages and halls, often with a total length of up to several tens of kilometers. Caves are an object of speleology study.

Caves can be divided according to their origin into five groups. These are tectonic caves, erosional caves, ice caves, volcanic caves, and finally, the largest group, karst caves. Caves, in the entrance part, with suitable morphology (horizontal spacious entrance) and location (close to water) were used by ancient people as comfortable dwellings.

If you look at the caves from the point of view of geology, they are just cavities in the earth's crust, but the caves played an important role in the development of mankind, and due to man's fear of the unknown, many of the caves on the planet have not yet been thoroughly studied. In many caves, the so-called "rock" drawings of the first people have been preserved, which make it possible to understand the life and culture of the ancient inhabitants of the Earth. Many caves are of interest for their speleofauna and diverse speleo - interior. The rock in which the caves arise is limestone. This is a soft rock, it can be dissolved by weak acid. The acid that breaks down limestone comes from rainwater. Falling raindrops take carbon dioxide from the air and soil. This carbon dioxide turns water into carbon dioxide.

Mountain caves are not the only kind of caves. There are, for example, also sea caves that arose under the influence of splashing waves on stone cliffs along the coast. The waves were breaking up the rocks. They were destroyed, undermined from year to year also by pebbles and fine sand. Types of caves

Karst caves

Most of these caves. It is karst caves that have the greatest length and depth. Caves are formed due to the dissolution of rocks by water. Therefore, karst caves are found only where soluble rocks occur: limestone, marble, dolomite, chalk, as well as gypsum and salt.

Limestone, and even more so marble, dissolves very poorly with pure distilled water. Solubility increases several times if dissolved carbon dioxide is present in water (and it is always dissolved in water, in nature), but limestone still dissolves slightly, compared to, say, gypsum or, moreover, salt. But it turns out that this has a positive effect on the formation of extended caves, since gypsum and salt caves not only quickly form, but also quickly collapse.

A huge role in the formation of caves is played by tectonic cracks and faults. According to the maps of the explored caves, one can very often see that the passages are confined to tectonic faults that are visible on the surface. Also, of course, for the formation of a cave, a sufficient amount of water precipitation is necessary, a successful form of relief: precipitation from a large area should fall into the cave, the entrance to the cave should be located noticeably higher than the place where groundwater is discharged, etc.

The chemistry of karst processes is such that often water, having dissolved the rock, after a while deposits it back, forming the so-called. sinter formations: stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, draperies, etc.

The world's longest Mammoth Cave in the United States is embedded in limestone. It has a total length of passages of more than 500 km. The longest cave in gypsum is Optimistic, in Ukraine, with a length of more than 200 km. The formation of such long caves in gypsum is associated with a special arrangement of rocks: the layers of gypsum that enclose the cave are covered from above with limestone, due to which the vaults do not collapse. The longest cave in Russia - the Botovskaya cave, over 60 km long, is laid in limestone, located in the Irkutsk region, the Lena river basin. Slightly inferior to it is Bolshaya Oreshnaya - a karst cave in conglomerates in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The deepest caves of the planet are also karst: Krubera-Voronya (-2191 m), Snezhnaya (-1753 m) in Abkhazia. In Russia, the deepest cave is Throat Barloga (-900 m) in Karachay-Cherkessia. All these records are constantly changing, only one thing is invariable: karst caves are in the lead.

Karst caves- these are underground cavities formed even thicker than the earth's crust, in areas where readily soluble carbonate and halogen rocks are distributed, being subjected to leaching and mechanical stress, these rocks are gradually destroyed, which leads to the formation of various karst forms. Among them, the most interesting are underground karst forms - caves, mines and wells, sometimes characterized by a very complex structure.

One of the main conditions formation of karst caves is the presence of karst rocks, characterized by significant lithological diversity. Among them are carbonate rocks (limestones, dolomites, writing chalk, marbles), sulfate (gypsum, anhydrite) and halide (rock, potassium salts). Karst rocks are very widespread.

In many places, they are covered by a thin cover of sandy-argillaceous deposits or directly come to the surface, which favors the active development of karst processes and the formation of various karst forms. The intensity of karst formation is also significantly affected by the thickness of the rocks, their chemical composition and occurrence features.

Water is the builder of karst caves

As already mentioned, the builder of karst caves is water. However, in order for water to dissolve rocks, they must be permeable, i.e., fractured. Rock fracturing is one of the main conditions for the development of karst. If a carbonate or sulphate massif is monolithic and consists of solid rock varieties devoid of fracturing, then it is not affected by karst processes.

However, this phenomenon is rare, since limestones, dolomites and gypsums are fissured in nature. Cracks that cut through limestone massifs have a different origin. Highlight cracks lithogenetic, tectonic, mechanical unloading and weathering. The most common are tectonic cracks, which usually cut through different layers of sedimentary rocks, without refracting during the transition from one layer to another and without changing their width.

Tectonic fracturing is characterized by the development of complex mutually perpendicular cracks 1–2 mm wide. Rocks are characterized by the greatest fragmentation and fracturing in zones of tectonic disturbances.

Falling on the surface of a karst massif, atmospheric precipitation penetrates deep into this massif through cracks of various origins. Circulating through underground channels, water leaches the rock, gradually widens the underground passages and sometimes forms huge grottoes. Moving water is the third prerequisite for the development of karst processes.

Without water, which dissolves and destroys rocks, there would be no karst caves. That is why the features of the hydrographic network and the peculiarity of the hydrogeological regime largely determine the degree of trickiness of the karst strata, the intensity and conditions for the development of underground cavities.

Rain and melt snow water

The main role in the formation of many karst cavities is played by infiltration and inflation rain and snowmelt waters. Such caves are corrosion-erosion origin, since the destruction of the rock occurs both due to its chemical leaching and by mechanical erosion. However, one should not think that these processes proceed simultaneously and continuously.

At different stages of the development of caves and in different parts of them, one of these processes usually dominates. The formation of some caves is entirely associated with either corrosion or erosion processes. There are also nival-corrosion caves, which owe their origin to the activity of melted snow waters in the zone of contact between the snow mass and karst rock. These include, for example, relatively shallow (up to 70 m) vertical cavities in the Crimea and the Caucasus.

Many caves arose as a result of the collapse of the roof over underground corrosion-erosion voids. Some natural cavities were formed by leaching of rocks by artesian, mineral and thermal waters ascending along cracks. Thus, karst caves can be of corrosion, corrosion-erosion, erosion, nival-corrosion, corrosion-gravity (failure), hydrothermal and heterogeneous origin.

condensation water

In addition to infiltration, inflation and pressure waters, condensation waters also play a certain role in the formation of caves, which, gathering on the walls and ceiling of caves, corrode them, creating bizarre patterns. Unlike underground streams, condensation waters affect the entire surface of the cavity, and therefore have the greatest impact on the morphology of the caves.

Particularly favorable conditions for moisture condensation are characterized by small cavities located at a considerable depth from the surface, since the amount of condensation moisture is directly dependent on the intensity of air exchange and inversely on the volume of the cavity. Observations carried out in , showed that 3201.6 m3 of water condenses during the year, and 2500 times more (i.e. 0.008004 km3) in the underground cavities of the entire main ridge. These waters are highly aggressive.

Their rigidity exceeds 6 meq (300 mg/l). Thus, due to infiltration waters, the caves of the Crimean Mountains, as shown by simple calculations, increase by about 5.3% compared to the total volume. The average mineralization of condensation waters is about 300 mg/l, therefore, they carry out 2401.2 tons (8004 106 l X 300 mg/l) of calcium carbonate during the year.

The total removal of calcium carbonate by karst springs in the Crimean Mountains is about 45,000 tons/year. Consequently, the role of condensation waters in the formation of underground cavities is relatively small, and their impact on the rock as a denudation agent is limited mainly to the warm period.

Karst caves, photos of which can be seen in this article, are widespread throughout the world. It is for this species that formation with the greatest extent and depth is characteristic. In most cases, when caves form naturally, their shape depends on the degree of influence of water on rocks. That is why karst caves are found in those places where there are deposits of various soluble rocks.

Limestone dissolves very poorly under the influence of pure water. At the same time, if the water contains an increased amount of carbon dioxide, the solubility of the rock can accelerate several times.

Basic data

Karst caves are underground cavities that can form an exit to the surface or form in a closed space. In fact, they are depressions of various lengths and lengths, created naturally, without human intervention, in a variety of karst rocks. At the same time, the karst layer in each cave has its own percentage of moisture content.

It is noteworthy that salt caves are formed and destroyed quickly enough, as a result of which they almost never have time to reach the same length as limestone or marble, formed under the influence of water.

The relief of the caves

For the accelerated formation of such caves, it is necessary to have small cracks and depressions called kars in the rock layers, as well as a network of such natural holes as:

Funnels. A characteristic feature is the irregular or conical shape of the recess. They reach a diameter of up to 250-300 m at a depth of 50 m to 100 m. At the bottom, you can find special holes called ponors, into which the bulk of groundwater gradually drains. These sites are often the initial formations of future mines, wells or abysses, the depth of which in some cases exceeds a thousand meters. So, for example, one of the largest abysses in the world called Jean-Bernard is located in the Alps of France. Its depth is 1410 m.
Basins are cavities periodically filled with water (disappearing lakes).
Polya are hollows 20-200 km 2 in size. They are also characterized by periodic filling with water.
Wells.
Mines.

It is noteworthy that underground passages and depressions of various lengths initially form in karst rocks, and a full-fledged karst cave begins to gradually form from them, the formation of which can take more than one hundred years.

Education

The formation of karst caves largely depends on tectonic cracks and faults, into which large volumes of water sediments flow over a long period. In addition, for the formation of a cave, it is necessary that the entrance to it be located much higher than the place where groundwater accumulates. It is noteworthy that the main feature of karst processes is that often water, having dissolved the rock, after some time washes it back, forming a number of sinter formations.

The degree of expressiveness of karst forms

According to the degree of expressiveness, surface and underground karst formations can be divided into:

naked - pronounced and located on the surface of the earth;
turfed - can be covered with a layer of soil;
covered - the karst layer is covered with loose sediments with an insoluble structure;
armored - the karst layer is covered with semi-rock and rock formations.

Inside such caves, as a result of the lack of access to sunlight and the increased content of carbon dioxide concentration, a special microclimate has been observed for centuries, which allows preserving the natural beauty of karst formations.

Climate influence

In regions that are characterized by low air temperatures, the underground cavities of karst caves in the winter season freeze so much that even in summer the temperature in them does not rise above zero. In such caves one can often observe the formation of ice crust, stalactites or other forms of frozen moisture on the ceiling and walls.

Karst caves of the world

The longest cave in the world, formed in limestone, was named Mamontova. It is located in the USA (Kentucky) and has a total length of over 400 km. Two rivers flow through it at once: the Styx and the Echo.

The longest cave in gypsum - Optimistic - is located in Ukraine (Ternopil region, Podolia). It was discovered back in 1966. The length of the passages in it is more than 230 km. The area of the cave itself reaches 2 hectares. This length was achieved due to the fact that the layers of gypsum in which the cave was formed are covered from above with a layer of limestone, which keeps the vaults from collapsing.

It is noteworthy that the deepest caves in the world are also karst. An example is the Abkhaz: Krubera-Voronya and Snezhnaya. The depth of the first is 2191 m, and the second is 1753 m.

A large number of karst caves are also found in Europe. The most famous of them is the Moravian Karst (Czech Republic). Its underground karst deposits of Devonian limestone formed over 350 million years ago. It represents a whole area of karst subsidence.

At the same time, one of the most popular caves among tourists remains the Postojnska Yama karst cave (Slovenia). Its total length is no more than 20 km, however, the Poika River flows through its underground territory, in the waters of which you can see unusual whitish fish without eyes.

Karst caves in Russia

Despite the variety of karst caves around the world, the largest and longest of them - Bolshaya Oreshnaya - is located in the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

One of the longest limestone caves in Russia is Botovskaya (Irkutsk region). Its length is about 60 km.

The deepest karst cave, Gorlo Barloga, is located in Karachay-Cherkessia and goes 900 m deep.

Caves of the Crimean Peninsula

Special attention should be paid to the Crimea, which has long been famous for its karst cavities.

Despite the fact that their formations occupy an impressive part of the peninsula, karst caves such as:

Red. The labyrinths of its passages occupy 6 floors with a vault height of about 30 m and a length of halls up to 80 m. It accounts for 1/3 of the area of all formations of this type on the peninsula. The underground river Su-Uchkhan flows along the bottom of the cave, the vaults of which are decorated with extremely beautiful columns, stalagmites and stalactites.
Marble is located at an altitude of 1000 m above sea level. It got its name as a result of formation in marbled limestone. It contains the most beautiful cascades of lakes, placers of cave pearls and stone waterfalls.
Emine-Bair-Khosar occupies one of the first places among the world's natural phenomena. It represents more than 1500 galleries and halls, a small fraction of which is equipped for visiting tourists. In this cave, you can see a unique collection of the remains of representatives of the wild fauna that inhabited the Crimean peninsula several million years ago.

Research features

Underground waters gradually wash out and widen the cracks in the rock and begin to form galleries and grottoes. It is noteworthy that those karst caves, where water flows make more impressive paths for themselves, gradually expand and form an intricate system of underground passages, which can be located at various levels and connected by mines and wells of various depths.

Any person who decides to travel along the underground river must always remember that this is a very dangerous occupation. Despite the fact that most of the tunnels are quite wide, they gradually narrow in certain areas. At the same time, under the influence of the current, the boat can simply crash against the walls of the cave. In addition, tourists in such suits are also waiting for numerous rapids and waterfalls, as well as unexpected deep abysses. You can also get serious injuries by bumping into natural growths of rock: both protruding from the water and hanging from the ceiling. As a result, you can be knocked off the boat into icy water, which is fraught with not only bruises, but also hypothermia. That is why, when exploring karst caves, you must be extremely careful and careful in order to keep only pleasant impressions from an unforgettable trip to these wonderful places.

It is of great scientific and applied interest. Speleological research makes it possible to better understand the complex and contradictory karst processes, without taking into account which it is impossible to achieve any successful solution of many economic problems in areas where readily soluble carbonate and halogen rocks are distributed.

Without a comprehensive study of the features of the karst, hydraulic engineering, industrial, civil and transport construction is significantly hindered. Many valuable minerals are associated with karst caves. Often, karst massifs have huge reserves of groundwater, which can be successfully used for water supply of industrial and domestic facilities, as well as in agriculture and forestry.

The caves are of great interest in geomorphological, hydrological, biospeleological, archaeological and paleozoological respects. In recent years, they have been studied as special natural landscapes, and belong to. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of caves in terms of speleotourism.

In this article, of course, it is impossible to consider all aspects of scientific and applied cave meanings. Let us briefly dwell on only some of them.

Significance of caves for construction

The presence of underground cavities and especially large karst caves is a serious obstacle to hydrotechnical construction, since it creates conditions for a possible strong leakage of water from the reservoir. This complicates filling it up to the design mark, and also threatens destruction of the constructed dam. Similar phenomena occur in the practice of hydraulic engineering construction. So, as a result of a failure over karst cavities under the action of the load of the structure, the Austin Dam in Texas (USA) was destroyed.

The Soviet Union has accumulated rich experience in hydropower construction in karst regions. It is based on a special engineering-geological study of karst territories and the identification of the main patterns of karst development. In some cases, it is possible to “get away” from the karst, i.e., to place the hydraulic structure in such a way (for example, the Kuibyshev hydroelectric power station on the Volga, the Bratsk hydroelectric power station on the Angara, etc.) so that the karst cannot influence it.

In other cases, it is necessary to create dams in karst areas (Syzran hydroelectric power station, Pavlovskaya hydroelectric power station in Ufa, etc.). At the same time, to protect against karst, complex impervious concrete curtains are created and artificial colmatage of karst cavities is carried out with clay material. This not only "fills" existing cavities, but also prevents further development of karst.

preliminary speleological research are important when choosing construction sites for industrial and domestic facilities, as well as for the construction of railways and highways. There are cases when buildings and various kinds of structures were destroyed as a result of failures above underground voids. In this regard, the greatest attention is paid to predicting the probability of dips formation. Particularly great difficulties are created when laying railways in areas where soluble rocks are distributed.

Karst caves complicate the tunneling of various tunnels. So, for example, during the construction of the Rome-Naples railway (Italy), a tunnel was cut through the Monte Orso mountain, composed of karst chalk limestones. Due to the fact that he entered the roof of a large karst cave (length 70 m, height 12 m), the route had to be moved.

The karst is especially harmful to the mining industry. Underground karst cavities contribute to an increased inflow of karst waters into mine workings, which greatly complicates the exploitation of mineral deposits. This is noted in many deposits of the Russian Plain, Kazakhstan and Siberia. But, perhaps, the mines of the Kizelovsky coal-bearing basin in the Urals are especially watery. Here, the inflow of karst waters into capital mines in some cases can exceed 2500 m3/hour.

Naturally, such a large influx of water greatly complicates the operation of the deposit and requires large expenditures for the establishment of powerful drainage facilities. Especially dangerous are sudden breakthroughs of water, leading to the collapse of the roof and flooding of mine workings. They are usually noted in zones of tectonic disturbances, where large underground cavities and caves are developed. The use of advanced exploration and drainage wells, as well as other measures, currently makes it possible to successfully conduct mining operations at deposits located in heavily karst rocks.

Mineral value of the caves

The caves are of great interest from a mineralogical point of view. At present, 83 secondary minerals have been found in the caves of the carbonate karst. Of these, the most numerous are the groups of phosphates (27.71%), carbonates (16.85%) and sulfates (13.25%). Mineral accumulation processes occurred either simultaneously with the formation of caves (under conditions of penetration of hydrothermal and other solutions), or after the formation of underground cavities, in areas where a sharp change in the factors of migration of chemical elements was observed. In some cases, the concentrations of ore and non-ore minerals are of industrial interest.

The so-called bean and karst iron ores, confined to deep caves and natural mines, have a different origin. They are associated with the processes of limestone containing impurities. In the Soviet Union, such ores have been noted in the Russian Plain and the Urals.

Significance of caves for oil and gas production

The study of underground karst cavities is of great interest in connection with the confinement of deposits to them. oil and gas. Unfortunately, for a long time, researchers and operators underestimated the role of karst in the formation of productive carbonate reservoirs and did not associate oil deposits with karst voids. Meanwhile, especially in recent years, drilling and geophysical studies have shown a strong vugginess of carbonate formations, and a lot of data has been collected confirming the connection of large oil deposits with karst cavities. So, for example, during the flowing of one of the wells at the Hobbs oil field (USA), a stalactite was thrown out. At the Romashkinskoye deposit in Northern Bashkiria, a multi-tiered system of large karst cavities was found in the limestones of the Lower Carboniferous.

Underground cavities can be used to store oil and petroleum products. In the Soviet Union, for this purpose, in particular, the Vodyanaya cave (volume 1000 m3), located on the right bank of the Ik River (Russian Plain), was used. In March 1964, an oil lake with an area of about 200 m and a depth of 1 m was noted in it.

Speleological and speleohydrological studies have become increasingly important in recent years in studying the distribution, regime and reserves of underground karst waters used for the purposes of water supply to cities and industrial enterprises. Particularly interesting in this regard are the works carried out in and on, which played an important role in solving the problem of drinking water supply to the resorts of the Black Sea coast.

Importance of caves for agriculture

The presence of underground karst cavities cannot be ignored when carrying out agricultural and forestry work. Karst determines significant drying of the surface, a rare river network, and deep groundwater, which in many areas causes great harm to agriculture and forestry.

Significance of caves for archeology

The caves are of great archaeological interest, since the life of our distant ancestors was closely connected with them. It was relatively warm here, it was possible to maintain fire and successfully defend against dangerous animals. The value of caves in this industry is quite high.

Human culture was born in the caves. Underground temples arose, the oldest sculptures in the world, bas-reliefs, entire art galleries created by the fragile chisel of a primitive artist. For the first time, drawings of a Paleolithic man in the Soviet Union were found in the Kapova cave by A. Ryumin. The first construction works related to strengthening the entrance with an artificial wall, leveling the floor, creating niches for storing food, etc. also date back to this time. Therefore, the caves are the cradle of mankind.

Archaeological research of caves makes it possible to recreate the history of the development of human society, to penetrate to the origins of our culture and art, to trace the main stages of their evolution.

The first ancient Paleolithic monument(Mousterian site) on the territory of our country - the Wolf's Grotto - was opened in 1879 in the Crimea K.S. Merezhkovsky. Later, sites of ancient people were found in many regions of the Soviet Union: in the Crimea, the Caucasus, the Russian Plain, the Urals, Central Asia, Siberia and other places. The world's northernmost site of an Upper Paleolithic man was discovered in the Northern Urals at the entrance to.

The bones of ancient animals found in caves are an interesting material for establishing the faunistic complex of past eras. The bones of mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, bison, reindeer, elk, wolf, fox, cave bear, cave hyena, cave lion and many others have been found in the caves. These bones got into the caves in various ways. Some of them were washed away by water streams, others were brought in by animals, and some accumulated as a result of the death of cave animals or animals that accidentally fell into underground cavities.

Among the fossil animals of particular interest is the cave bear, which was distinguished by its enormous size. It had a wide distribution area, the northern border of which, apparently, passed in the upper reaches of the Pechora River, where the northernmost location of the bones of the cave bear (Medvezhya cave) was found.

Natural caves and mine workings in many countries of the world are widely used for medicinal purposes (speleotherapy). Clean air, often ionized with radioactive carbon isotopes, constant temperature and various other factors make it possible to successfully treat respiratory diseases, arthritis, rheumatism, hypertension, gout and some skin diseases. There are also underground clinics in the Soviet Union. In the village of Solotvyno (Transcarpathian region), in a salt mine drift at a depth of 206 m, there is an underground treatment ward of the regional allergological hospital. Patients suffering from bronchial asthma are treated here.

Every day they spend 7-10 hours. underground. The course of treatment lasts 280-300 hours. Special studies have shown the suitability of the potash mines of Solikamsk and Bereznyakov for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. A wide range of speleotherapeutic observations was made in many caves of Abkhazia and Imeretin (Caucasus). In the near future for patients with asthma, chronic bronchitis and whooping cough, it is planned to open an underground sanatorium in the Tskhaltub stalactite cave.

Some caves, especially those characterized by low air temperature, have long been used as warehouses for storing food and various materials.

Broad prospects are opening up in the use of underground thermal karst waters. In this regard, the experience of organizing greenhouse-hothouse farming in Ochamchira on the southwestern slope of the Caucasus (Georgia) on the basis of the Okhurey springs is interesting. Projects are being developed for the use of hot karst waters in public utilities and for medicinal purposes.

Significance of caves for tourists

Currently, a lot of work is underway to improve one of the most remarkable karst caves in the Soviet Union. Soon lovers of underground exotic will be able to get into this cave through a specially created 800-meter tunnel, through which comfortable electric trains will run. Now footpaths are being laid here, openwork bridges are being thrown over deep wells, spiral staircases are being erected along blocky landslides for a better view.

Multi-colored illumination will make the most interesting parts of the Anakopia Cave even more spectacular. It is planned to build an asphalt road to the cave, as well as to build a hotel and a tourist base for 500 people. Design and survey work has also begun on the improvement of some other caves of the Soviet Union, planned for excursions.

Work on the use of karst caves for tourism purposes has only just begun. They should be continued and significantly expanded. At the same time, it is necessary not only to fully equip, electrify and telephone the caves that are objects of visit, but also to bring good roads to them, to build modern hotels nearby. Of course, this will require some investment.

Meanwhile, as experience shows, with a reasonable and proper use of caves, these costs not only quickly pay off, but also give a significant profit. Currently, the Kungur cave, for example, is visited annually by about 200 thousand people. According to preliminary estimates, 350-400 thousand people will be able to visit the Anakopia Cave annually. The funds received as a result of a wide influx of tourists can be used for further equipment of caves, as well as for scientific speleological research.

Karst caves, which are often characterized by a complex morphological structure, richness of sinter forms and the originality of the underground world, are unique natural monuments and are subject to protection. And this is no coincidence. The penetration of a person into the underworld sometimes leads to sad consequences. Often a person casually destroys what nature has been creating for many millennia. Some long-visited caves have been badly damaged by "tourists".

The Urals is a cave region of the state and the Uvelsky district of the Chelyabinsk region is no exception. Uvel karst caves- This is a unique karst area. Moreover, the Uvelsky district is not mountainous, but hilly steppe and forest-steppe! There are about 60 caves and grottoes. Some of them are "blind". Karst fields (several) and more than a hundred sinkholes.

Photo Karst funnel among birches

Some 4-tiered up to 27 meters deep. From a letter from an 18th-century traveler: "There is a great danger of a carriage or cart getting into the cave, because it is hidden under snowy rubble and passes exactly along the postal route that leads from Troitsk to Yekaterinburg."

Uvel "steppe" karst caves are hidden in the dungeon. There is a lot of everything karst here: hollows, logs, ravines, ponors, funnels, and below - grottoes, corridors and caves. In general, this whole area is full of holes.

Once upon a time, many millions of years ago, the Urals was the bottom of the sea-ocean. Any suspension, primarily calcium, settled on the bottom. Over millions of years, a hundred meters thick has accumulated. Then the sea receded, and its bottom opened and rose. This is the Uvel limestone. At first it was a dense monolith, and now it is eaten up and down with all sorts of cavities. He became porous. There are many voids in it, it is full of holes. Here and there it falls through funnels, logs and depressions. Water made this stone limestone, water wears it down.

Cave Cossack camp the largest in the region, it has a length of more than 200 meters. It is really difficult for an unprepared tourist to notice it. Right in the middle of an open field, or even in the center of a strawberry clearing, the earth's bowels suddenly open up under the feet of astonished travelers.

Until recently, between the two entrances to the underground labyrinth there was a tunnel through which one could freely pass. Those. the cave is two large funnels connected
passing through each other. By autumn it was all dry and it was possible to walk freely. But in 2005, the water did not go away and a glacier was formed that does not melt even in summer. Such is the phenomenon in defiance of global warming. Scientists do not give an explanation. The thickness of the ice is about a meter at the entrance, and there it is probably up to three meters deeper.

A few kilometers from the Cossack camp - Big and Small Zhemeryak. This place could become an experimental laboratory for oceanologists. A little extreme, rappelling and you are at the bottom of the ancient sea. Numerous bottom sediments, shells, shells, marine life hundreds of thousands of years old stuck around the walls. The fossils are well preserved. And it is difficult to find analogues of this phenomenon in Russia. The cave from time to time is flooded with water up to the very ceiling. The caves of the Zhemeryak log have been known since the 18th century and were described as early as 1756. Schismatics have found refuge here for centuries. The remains of the log house have survived to this day in the form of separate logs. Another platform was found to pass through the pit in the cave. It is hammered together with old nails with a square section.

Photo by V.I.Yurin with young speleologists.

The river Sukharysh in the Uvelsky district is called "karst". There are 22 caves and grottoes in the lower reaches of the Sukharysh. The most interesting are 4 through caves. They were discovered by Vladimir Yurin, a well-known speleologist in Chelyabinsk. This section of the river began to be called the Valley of Through Caves. Vladimir Ivanovich told how he walked along the left rocky bank of the Sukharysh and saw continuous thickets. Cross to the right bank, he saw something like a niche. Having made his way through dense thickets, he discovered a hole, which later turned out to be a through cave. When Yurin squeezed 6 meters into the cave, he heard an incomprehensible rumble. but the caves are usually silent. As it turned out, the entire ceiling was plastered with a carpet of flies and mosquitoes. They hid there from the heat. Upon further exploration of this cave, Yurin discovered human bones and beads. It was the burial of a woman from the end of the early Iron Age. Those. 2000 years ago. It is believed that only noble people were buried in the caves, it was an honor. The burial chamber was located inside the rock approximately in the middle of the cave. Above its passage was littered with stones. The height of the rock is 6 meters, the length of the cave is 25 meters.

Stock Foto Ust-Sukharyzhskaya cave.

Later, bones of a woolly rhinoceros, a bison, and a wild horse were found here for the first time in the caves of the Uvelsky region. This is already the Paleolithic 15-20 thousand years ago.

The top photo shows the largest sinkhole in the area. Its diameter is 54 meters. Depth 14 meters. On the side is a rock 7 meters high under which there are five buried entrances. Inside is a vertical well leading to a spooky dungeon. V.Yurin explored the cave, its length after clearing was 110 meters. Moreover, the gap was so narrow that I had to hammer it for 5 hours to squeeze through. The cave goes horizontally, but there are vertical wells. Somewhere there are grottoes, somewhere I had to crawl. The funnel is part of a huge system. This is a powerful karst area from Klyuchi to Koelga, in the south to Podgorny. Most of the year the funnel is dry. The flow of water occurs in the spring.

3 photos Karst sinkhole and cave near Podgorny (March 2018)

The bear climbed there with Yurin. You could say he became a speleologist.

V.Yurin developed several excursion routes "The World of Caves of the Forest-Steppe" through caves and objects of history and culture, mainly on the territory of the Uvelsky karst area. Travel agencies of Chelyabinsk and other cities of the region lead excursions here.

The Uvel karst region is unique. It attracts speleologists, archaeologists, paleontologists, zoologists and geologists. Here, in a small area, we have 3 tectonic faults, various types of limestone of different colors of organic origin, very rich in fauna. Various igneous rocks lie along the boundaries of this karst region. Almost all types of karst and practically all karst forms have been recorded. This area took the 4th place in the Chelyabinsk region in terms of the number of caves, grottoes and wells. Unique natural objects are located here: a huge karst funnel (Kaigorodova), large karst (cave) dry logs, a "valley of through caves", an underwater cave. V.Yurin theoretically calculated an underground system with a length of 3-6 km.

Many archaeological sites are concentrated in a small area. XVIII - beginning. XX century.