How many moves in the largest cave. Why is it called "Mammoth Cave"? Fingal's Singing Cave, Scotland

Cave - a cavity in the upper part of the earth's crust, communicating with the surface by one or more inlets. Another definition: a cave is a natural underground cavity accessible to human penetration, having unlit sunlight parts and length (depth) is greater than the other two dimensions. 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. Speleotourists make a significant contribution to the study of caves.

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

Caves by origin

Karst caves

Most of these caves. It is karst caves that have the greatest length and depth. Karst caves are formed as a result of the dissolution of rocks by water, so they 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 present in natural water), but limestone still dissolves weakly 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 formed, but also quickly destroyed.

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 disturbances that can be traced on the surface. Also, for the formation of a cave, a sufficient amount of water precipitation is necessary, a successful form of relief: precipitation from large area should fall into the cave, the entrance to the cave should be located significantly higher than the place where they are unloaded The groundwater, and so on.

Many karst caves are relic systems: the water flow that formed the cave left it due to a change in the relief either to deeper levels (due to a decrease in the local basis of erosion - the bottom of neighboring river valleys), or stopped entering the cave due to a change in the surface catchment, after which the cave goes through various phases of aging. Very often, the studied caves are small fragments of an ancient cave system, opened up by the destruction of the enclosing mountain ranges.

Evolution karst processes and their chemistry are such that often water, having dissolved minerals rocks(carbonates, sulfates), after some time deposits them on the vaults and walls of caves in the form of massive crusts up to a meter or more thick (cave marble onyx) or ensembles of cave mineral aggregates that are special for each cave, forming stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, draperies and others. specific karst mineral forms - sinter formations.

IN Lately more and more caves are being opened in rocks traditionally considered non-karst. For example, in sandstones and table quartzites mountains tepui South America, the caves of Abismo Gai Collet with a depth of −671 m (2006), Cueva Ojos de Cristal with a length of 16 km (2009) were discovered. Apparently, these caves are also of karst origin. In a hot tropical climate, under certain conditions, quartzite can be dissolved in water.

Another exotic example of the formation of karst caves is the very long and deepest cave in the US mainland, Lechugia Cave (and other caves in Carlsbad national park). According to the modern hypothesis, it was formed by the dissolution of limestones by rising thermal waters saturated with sulfuric acid.

Tectonic caves

Such caves can arise in any rocks as a result of the formation of tectonic faults. As a rule, such caves are found in the sides of river valleys deeply cut into the plateau, when huge rock masses break off from the sides, forming sagging cracks (sherlops). Seizure cracks usually converge with depth in a wedge. Most often they are filled with loose deposits from the surface of the massif, but sometimes they form rather deep vertical caves up to 100 m deep. Sherlops are widespread in Eastern Siberia. They are relatively poorly studied and probably occur quite often.

erosion caves

Caves formed in insoluble rocks due to mechanical erosion, that is, worked out by water containing grains of solid material. Often such caves are formed on the seashore under the action of the surf, but they are small. However, the formation of caves, worked out along the primary tectonic cracks by streams going underground, is also possible. Quite large (hundreds of meters long) erosional caves are known, formed in sandstones and even granites. Examples of large erosion caves would be T.S.O.D. (Touchy Sword of Damocles) Cave in gabbro (4 km/−51 m, New York), Bat Cave in gneisses (1.7 km, North Carolina), Upper Millerton Lake Cave in granites (California).

Glacial caves

Caves formed in the body of glaciers by melt water. Such caves are found on many glaciers. Melted glacial waters are absorbed by the body of the glacier along large cracks or at the intersection of cracks, forming passages that are sometimes passable for humans. The length of such caves can be several hundred meters, the depth - up to 100 m or more. In 1993, a giant Izortog glacial well, 173 m deep, was discovered and explored in Greenland; the inflow of water into it in summer was 30 m³ or more.

Another type of glacial caves are caves formed in a glacier at the point where intraglacial and subglacial waters exit at the edge of glaciers. Meltwater in such caves can flow both along the glacier bed and over glacial ice.

A special type of glacial caves are caves formed in glaciers at the exit point of underground thermal waters located under the glacier. Hot water is capable of making voluminous galleries, however, such caves do not lie in the glacier itself, but under it, since the ice melts from below. Thermal glacial caves are found in Iceland, Greenland and reach considerable sizes.

Volcanic caves

These caves are formed during volcanic eruptions. The lava flow, cooling down, is covered with a solid crust, forming a lava tube, inside of which molten rock is still flowing. After the eruption has already, in fact, ended, the lava flows out of the tube from the lower end, and a cavity remains inside the tube. It is clear that lava caves lie on the very surface, and often the roof collapses. However, as it turned out, lava caves can reach very large sizes, up to 65.6 km long and 1100 m deep (Kazumura cave, Hawaiian Islands).

In addition to lava tubes, there are vertical volcanic caves - the vents of volcanoes.

Caves by type of host rocks

The longest Mammoth Cave in the world (USA) is karst, laid in limestone. It has a total length of passages of more than 600 km. The longest cave in Russia - the Botovskaya cave, over 60 km long, is laid in a relatively thin layer of limestone, sandwiched between sandstones, located in the Irkutsk region, the river basin. Lena. Slightly inferior to her Bolshaya Oreshnaya - the longest in the world karst cave in conglomerates in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The longest cave in gypsum is Optimistic, in Ukraine, with a length of more than 230 km. The formation of such extended 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. Caves are known in rock salt, in glaciers, in solidified lava, etc.

Caves by size

The deepest caves of the planet are also karst: Krubera-Voronya (up to −2196 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.

The deepest caves in the world

The depth of a cave is the height difference between the entrance (the highest of the entrances, if there are several) and the lowest point of the cave. If there are passages in the cave located above the entrance, the concept of amplitude is used - the difference in levels between the lowest and highest point caves. According to estimates, maximum depth the occurrence of cave passages under the surface (not to be confused with the depth of the cave!) can be no more than 3000 meters: deeper than any cave will be crushed by the weight of the overlying rocks. For karst caves, the maximum depth of occurrence is determined by the karst base (the lower limit of karst processes coinciding with the base of the limestone sequence), which can be lower than the erosion base due to the presence of siphon channels. The deepest cave, at present, is the Krubera-Voronya cave with a depth of 2196 m, this is the first and only cave that crossed the line of 2 km. The first explored cave with a depth of more than 1000 meters was the French Berger abyss, considered the deepest in the world from the discovery in 1953 until 1963.

The longest caves in the world

Contents of the caves

Speleofauna

Although the living world of caves, as a rule, is not very rich (excluding the entrance part, where sunlight enters), nevertheless, some animals live in caves or even only in caves. First of all, these are bats, many of their species use caves as a daily shelter or for wintering. Moreover, bats sometimes fly into very remote and hard-to-reach corners, perfectly orienting themselves in narrow labyrinth passages.

In addition to bats, several species of insects, spiders (Neoleptoneta myopica), shrimp (Palaemonias alabamae) and other crustaceans, salamanders and fish (Amblyopsidae) live in some caves in warmer climates. cave views adapt to complete darkness, and many of them lose their organs of vision and pigmentation. Often these species are very rare, many of them are endemic.

archaeological finds

Primitive people used caves all over the world as a dwelling. Even more often, animals settled in the caves. Many animals died in the cave-traps, starting from steep wells. The extremely slow evolution of caves, their constant climate, and protection from the outside world have preserved a huge number of archaeological finds to us. These are pollen of fossil plants, bones of long-extinct animals (cave bear, cave hyena, mammoth, woolly rhinoceros), cave drawings ancient people (caves Kapova in the Southern Urals, Divya in the Northern Urals, Tuzuksu in the Kuznetsk Alatau, Niah Caves in Malaysia), tools of their labor (villages Strashnaya, Okladnikova, Kaminnaya in Altai), human remains of different cultures, including Neanderthals , up to 50-200 thousand years old (Teshik-Tash cave in Uzbekistan, Denisova cave in Altai, Cro-Magnon in France and many others).

The caves may have played the role of modern cinemas.

Water in the caves

Water, as a rule, is found in many caves, and karst caves owe their origin to it. In the caves you can find condensate films, drops, streams and rivers, lakes and waterfalls. Siphons in caves significantly complicate the passage, require special equipment and special training. Often there are underwater caves. In the entrance areas of the caves, water is often present in a frozen state, in the form of ice deposits, often very significant and perennial.

Air in the caves

In most caves, the air is breathable due to natural circulation, although there are caves in which you can only be in gas masks. For example, guano deposits can poison the air. However, in the vast majority of natural caves, air exchange with the surface is quite intense. The reasons for the movement of air are most often the temperature difference in the cave and on the surface, so the direction and intensity of circulation depend on the season and weather conditions. In large cavities, the movement of air is so intense that it turns into wind. For this reason, air draft is one of the important features when looking for new caves.

cave deposits

There are mechanical (clay, sand, pebbles, boulders) and chemogenic deposits (stalactites, stalagmites, etc.). In cave systems with an active watercourse, as a rule, mechanical deposits are presented in the form of blocky blockages, often of very large volumes, formed as a result of the collapse of the set of passages, which are formed by the dissolution of the water flow. Blockages are difficult to pass, and dangerous, since the balance of a block blockage is often unstable. Clay deposits are widely represented in the galleries left by an active stream that carried mechanically insoluble rock particles. In the limestone containing the cave, the soluble component is calcium carbonate, which often makes up only about 50% of the rock. The remaining minerals are usually insoluble, and if the water that dissolves the rock is presented in the form of a drop, infiltrate, with a low water flow, unable to provide mechanical transfer of particles, clay deposits begin to accumulate. Very often, ancient passages are completely covered with clay.

Chemogenic deposits (sinter formations) also usually adorn ancient cave galleries, where water, slowly filtering through cracks in limestone, is saturated with calcium carbonate, and when it enters the cavity of the cave, due to a slight change in the partial pressure of water vapor when a drop breaks off, or when when it falls to the floor, or when turbulence occurs when draining, calcium carbonate crystallizes from a saturated solution in the form of calcite.

excursion caves

Some caves are equipped for visiting tour groups(so-called showcaves). To do this, in the part of the cave, the most spacious and rich sinter formations, pave footpaths, ladders, bridges, electric lighting is created; in some cases, if the entrance part of the cave is a technically difficult area, tunnels are made. On the territory of the former USSR, the most famous caves are Marble in the Crimea, Kungurskaya in the Urals, Novoafonskaya in Abkhazia.

Caves in the solar system

In addition to the Earth, caves have been found on the Moon and Mars. Apparently, these are volcanic caves, ancient traces of volcanic activity.

artificial caves

Caves - dungeons of the industrial world

Under any major city there is a system of dungeons for technical purposes: basements of ground buildings, metro, life support system (water supply, heating, sewerage, electrical and telephone cables, fiber optic network), bomb shelters, bunkers in case of war, and so on.

Cave - as the dwelling of holy ascetics

Many holy ascetics settled in the caves. Later, monasteries and Lavra were founded on these places:

• Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
• Pskov-Caves Monastery
• Holy Assumption Cave Monastery (Crimea)
• Kholkovsky monastery
• Chelter Coba
• Basarbovsky monastery
• Cave churches in Ivanovo

Holy ascetics who lived in caves:

• “And Lot went out of Segor and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he was afraid to dwell in Segor. And he dwelt in a cave, and his two daughters with him” (Genesis 19:30)
• “And the Prophet Elijah went into the cave there and spent the night in it” (1 Kings 19.9)
• Hilarion of Kyiv
• Anthony Pechersky
• Varlaam Pechersky

cave houses

Many peoples made dwellings in caves, as they were easy to keep clean and maintain a constant temperature throughout the year.

• Cappadocia
• Anasazi
• Guadis
• Sassi Di Matera

Healing caves

In many medical institutions there are rooms called "salt caves". The walls are lined with potash salt bricks, and patients spend some time in them, listening to music and getting a healing effect.

Entertaining caves

Horror caves are known as a part of amusement parks, cafes and bars, finished under a cave.

Caves in mythology, mysticism and religion.

V. G. Ivanchenko wrote about the symbolic and mystical meaning of the caves in his article “The Sign of the Cave”, published in the journal “Orientation”.

Caves in art, literature and cinematography

Caves appear in many fantastic works (both in fantasy and science fiction). Caves (more precisely, bunkers) in science fiction mainly serve as shelters after a global catastrophe that made life on the surface impossible. And also the caves in fantasy are inhabited by: gnomes, kobolds, goblins, dragons, and in Russian folk tales, the "Mistress of the Copper Mountain", the Serpent Gorynych, lives there. In northern mythology, Sirte live in caves. One of the most famous literary characters who ended up in the caves were: Tom Sawyer along with Becky Thatcher, Bilbo Baggins.

underground cavities

In addition to caves that have access to the surface and are accessible for direct study by humans, there are closed underground cavities in the earth's crust. The deepest underground cavity (2952 meters) was discovered by drilling on the coast of Cuba. In the Rhodope Mountains, an underground cavity was discovered at a depth of 2400 meters while drilling. On Black Sea coast in Gagra by drilling were discovered underground voids at depths up to 2300 meters.

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Caves are a natural underground cavity accessible to human penetration. They are the object of study of the science of speleology. It is speleologists who make the greatest contribution to the study of caves. Some of the creations of nature amaze with their beauty, others with bizarre shapes, and others with their size.

Top 10 included largest caves in the world by length, volume or area occupied.

(Ukraine) opens the top ten largest caves. It is also the longest gypsum cave in the world. The explored area is 230 kilometers, but the cave itself is much longer. The rest of it has not yet been studied by researchers. The optimistic cave was discovered in 1966 by Lviv speleologists. Initially, it was assumed that its length was not more than 3 meters, but further persistent research showed that the cave is one of the longest in the world. It got its name due to the fact that skeptical speleologists to explore the cave called Lviv residents optimists. Since then, more than 200 expeditions have been made here.

(Abkhazia) is included in the list of the deepest caves in the world, which is located in the Arabica mountain range. It was discovered in 1990 by Sergei Shipitsin. The entrance to it is located at an altitude of 2150 meters above sea level. The maximum known depth of Sarma is 1830 meters. The cave is formed by limestone and gypsum rocks. Many speleologists took part in her research. Among them are Rudko Pavel, Koreshnikov Evgeny, Plotnikov Vladimir, Osintsev Alexander, Sukhachev Vasily, Zakrepa Andrey, Safin Rafail, Bezverchiy Anatoly, Verbitsky Alexander, Kalachev Artem and many others.

(Abkhazia) - the deepest cave in the world, known to speleology. Its depth is 2.2 kilometers, and it is located in the Arabica mountain range in Georgia. The entrance to it is located at an altitude of 2250 meters above sea level. It is a sub-vertical type cave, consisting of a series of wells, which are interconnected by stiles and galleries. Another entrance to Krubera Voronja was opened in 2014 and is located at an altitude of 2253 meters above sea level. At a depth of two hundred meters, the cave branches into the Main and Nekuibyshev branches, which are the main ones. Then there are many not so big branches. Krubera-Voronya was first discovered in 1960 by a speleological expedition of the Institute of Geography. Vakhushti Bagrationi AN GSSR. In 2014, a team of speleologists opened a new entrance, located above the main one, which made it possible to set a new world record for the depth of the cave system, which became equal to 2199 meters.

(Mexico) - one of the largest caves in the world, almost completely flooded with water. Also included in the list of the longest caves in the world. Its total length is more than 317 kilometers, of which only 5 kilometers are not flooded. Speleologists began to study it in the second half of the 20th century.

(USA) recognized as the longest in the world. It is located in the US state of Kentucky, in the national park of the same name. Its length is more than 587 kilometers. In fact, the cave is much longer, but researchers have only studied this part so far. Now in this cave system 225 underground passages and about 20 huge halls are known. It got its name because of its impressive size. Pretty flows in one of the passages major river Echo, whose width is 60 meters and the depth is 10 meters. Mammoth Cave was formed about 10 million years ago. The Indians have known about its existence since ancient times. Subsequently, scientists discovered Indian burials in the cave. Its discovery by the Americans took place at the end of the 18th century.

(Russia, Crimea) is one of the longest caves, the length of which is 16 kilometers. Its area is 52 thousand square meters. m., and the volume - 200 thousand cubic meters. m. The Red Cave is located on about 30% of the territory of Crimea, and in terms of length it occupies about 19%.

(Austria) - the world's largest ice cave, where permafrost persists throughout the year. Its length is 42 kilometers and the depth is 407 meters. People have known about its existence for a long time, but in fact it was discovered in 1879 by the naturalist Anton von Posselt-Kzorich. The Salzburg speleologist Alexander von Mörk, who died during the World War (1914) and was buried in one of the Eisreisenwelt niches, took up the most thorough study of it. Currently, this cave is one of the most popular places for recreation. The first excursion here was made in 1920. About 150,000 tourists visit the Eisreisenwelt every year. Excursions are held from May to October, but in the winter season visiting the cave is prohibited due to the danger of avalanches.

(China) is one of the largest caves in the world in terms of volume. It was discovered in 1989 by a Sino-European expedition. Miao is located in the largest Gebihe cave system in China's Ziyun Getu He Chuandong National Park. You can get to Miao only through an underground stream. To determine the boundaries of the cave, the researchers used laser scanning. According to the data obtained during the study, the volume of Miao amounted to 10.78 million cubic meters. m.

(Malaysia) - a cave with the world's largest grotto Sarawak. The grotto is 600 meters long and 415 meters wide. It reaches a height of one hundred meters, and its area is 163 thousand cubic meters. m. The total volume of the grotto is 25 million cubic meters. m. It was discovered in 1981 by three English cavers who explored the karst massif in Gunung Mulu National Park. The British climbed up the river flowing out of the cave and ended up in a grotto, which could not be illuminated by the lanterns available to the researchers. The area of ​​the hall was so huge. Sarawak can accommodate 50 huge aircraft.

(Vietnam) - the largest cave in the world. It is located in the Vietnamese Phong Nha Kebang National Park, Quang Binh Province. Local residents learned about its existence back in 1991, and in 2009 it was discovered by a British group of speleologists. In some places Sondong reaches two hundred meters in height and one hundred and fifty meters in width. It is recognized as the cave with the highest and widest passages. Its volume is approximately equal to 38.5 million cubic meters. m. In places where light penetrates, grass and even trees grow.

The Cave of Crystals was discovered in 2000 by the Sanchez miner brothers, who were digging a new tunnel in the mine complex. It is located at a depth of 300 meters under the city of Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. The cave is unique in the presence of giant crystals of selenite. The largest of the found crystals has a size of 11 m in length and 4 m in width, with a mass of 55 tons. This is one of the largest known crystals. It is very hot in the cave, temperatures reach 58 ° C with a humidity of 90-100%. These factors make it very difficult for people to explore the cave, making it necessary to use special equipment. Even with equipment, being in a cave usually does not exceed 20 minutes.

Waitomo Glowworm Cave, New Zealand:

The Waitomo Caves are truly a masterpiece of nature, over which she has worked for many millions of years. For many centuries, the ocean has ruled here, creating bizarre limestone outgrowths and mysterious intricacies of passages. And then the water receded, forming a system of about 150 caves. The most famous of them is Glowworm Cave. It is inhabited by amazing creatures - Arachnocampa Luminosa. These are fireflies that can only be found in New Zealand. Their green-blue glow makes the roof of the cave look like starry sky on a frosty night.

Blue Grotto (Grotto Azzurra), Italy:

This beautiful cave is only accessible from the sea. The name "Blue Grotto" comes from the bright blue color of its waters. The entrance to the cave is very small and lets in a small amount of light, which gives the water its bright color.

Vatnajokull Glacier Cave, Iceland:

Sunlight, scattered over the surface of the Svínafellsjökull glacier, draws amazing pictures on the vaults of the ice cave, creating the illusion of being on sea ​​depth. The depth of the underground passage does not exceed 50 meters, and the width of the cave is only 10 meters. During the winter months, a crackling sound is heard inside, caused by the movement of the glacier.

Such pure azure and blue hues are the result of the absence of air bubbles in the ice. You can see colored ice under certain weather conditions; one of them is the absence or minimum amount of snow on the surface. Intense sky blue ice is best seen in January and February; it is during this period that shades of azure, framed by snow cover, look fantastic.

You can get into the cave only in the winter months: narrow ice passages are accessible to tourists only with the onset of frost. At other times, being here can be dangerous; melting ice vaults often collapse under a mass of snow.

Phraya Nakhon, Thailand

It's not actually a cave, but a huge valley that is 65 meters deep and 50 meters wide, with overhanging walls covered in plants and stalactites. At certain hours of the day, light enters the interior, illuminating the small temple.

Marble Caves of Patagonia, Chile:

Despite their name, they are made of ordinary limestone, but there is an opinion that in the depths of the caves there are the purest deposits of marble. The walls of the Chilean landmark have a surprisingly beautiful bright blue color, and blue water lake doubles the impression of what he saw. It is also worth mentioning that the caves consist of many labyrinths and tunnels, over the creation of which the coastal waves worked hard.

Ice caves near Mutnovsky volcano, Russia:

A small and very beautiful snow cave on the slope of the Mutnovsky volcano.

Dongzhong Cave, China:

Dongzhong Cave (whose name is simply translated as "cave") is located in the village of Mao in the Chinese province of Guizhou. Since 1984, the cave has been equipped as an elementary school.

Fingal's Cave, Scotland

Famed sea cave washed into the rock sea ​​water, on the island of Staffa, which is part of the Inland Hebrides. The walls are made up of vertical hexagonal basalt columns 69 meters deep and 20 meters high. For three centuries it was a place of artistic pilgrimage and inspired the work of many famous artists, musicians and writers.

Reed Flute Cave, China:

Cave reed flute(Ludi Yan) - an amazing creation of nature, located in the city of Guilin (China). A special type of reed grows around the cave, from which in the old days the best flutes in all of China were made, this fact served as the basis for such a beautiful name. Ludi Yan Cave, like Waitomo Cave, has illumination, but not natural, but "artificial" - artificial. With its help, the Chinese successfully emphasize the beauty of the flawless creation of nature. Multi-colored lights playfully paint stalactites, stalactites and other bizarre rock formations, making the cave even brighter and more fabulous.

Fantastic Pit at Ellison's Cave, Georgia, USA:

If you are an extreme, and besides, an amateur speleologist, then Allison Cave is ideal for you, namely its Fancy Mine, 179 meters deep.

Kyaut Sae cave in Myanmar:

Few people know about this cave, but nevertheless it impresses both with its size and the fact that a Buddhist temple is located in it.

Son Doong Cave, Vietnam:

The most large cave in the world. She is in Central Vietnam, in the province of Quang Binh, in the Phong Nha Kebang National Park, 500 kilometers south of Hanoi and 40 km from the center of the province - Dong Hoi. This cave has been known to locals since 1991, in April 2009 it was discovered by a group of British speleologists. The cave has an underground river that floods some parts of the cave during the rainy season.

Eisriesenwelt Ice Cave, Austria:

The Eisriesenwelt caves are the largest system of ice caves on our planet available for viewing. Eisriesenwelt means "giant ice world". The caves are located in the Alps in Austria at an altitude of 1641 meters and consist of 30 thousand cubic meters. meters of ice. These caves were formed by the waters of the Salzach River, which eroded limestone rocks over thousands of years. Currently, the riverbed is below the entrance to the caves.

The Eisriesenwelt caves were discovered by accident as early as 1849. For a long time only hunters and poachers knew about them. Date official opening Eisriesenwelt caves are considered to be 1879, when the Austrian naturalist from Salzburg, Anton von Posselt (Anton von Posselt-Czorich) first penetrated 200 meters deep into the caves. A year later, he published a detailed account of his discovery in a mountaineering magazine, but this information did not arouse due interest.

Orda Cave, Russia:

Orda Cave is the longest underwater gypsum cave in Russia and one of the longest in the world. This place is a real paradise for divers. The cave begins with the Crystal Grotto. In the northwestern corner of this grotto is Lake Ledyanoe. The move on the left will lead to the next grotto - the Ice Palace. Lake Main is located here, and a little further - Lake Teploe. Through these lakes, divers enter the mysterious underwater part of the cave. The water here is extremely clean, transparent, bluish in color and very cold (+ 4 degrees).

Carlsbad Caverns, USA

Under the arches of the mountains of Guadalupe in the state of New Mexico, endless labyrinths of halls, tunnels and corridors are hidden, the main inhabitants of which are bats. The charm of Carlsbad caves becomes more charming and mysterious with the advent of twilight. The park and the caves got their name in honor of the nearby city of Carlsbad.

Barton Creek Cave, Belize:

This cave has not only extraordinary natural beauty, but is also a living witness to the household items of the ancient Maya, who inhabited this territory more than 2000 years ago. In it you can see many grandiose stalactites and stalagmites, ancient jugs and religious bowls of the May Indians, traces of religious human sacrifices.

Jeita Grotto Caves, Lebanon:

a complex of two caves in Lebanon, 20 kilometers north of Beirut. In 1836, the upper cave was discovered by William Thomson, and the lower cave was discovered by Lebanese speleologists in 1958. The length of the Upper Cave is 2200 meters, but only part of it, which is 750 meters long, is open to tourists. There are three halls in the Upper Cave, each of which is 100 meters or more in height. There are unique underground reservoirs, very beautiful crevices, various stalagmites and stalactites. Length lower cave much larger than the Upper and equal to 6900 meters.

Kango Caves, South Africa:

Caves Cango (Cango Caves), tacitly called the wonder of the world. The caves are famous for their "Organ Hall" - stalactites descending along the walls form something resembling a large organ here, which, combined with music and lighting effects, makes an indelible impression on visitors.

Aven Armand Cave, France:

A special funicular lowers visitors 50 meters deep into the tunnel, which is 200 meters long. There suddenly turns out to be a huge hall in which Notre Dame Cathedral could easily fit.

Caves - this mysterious and Magic world dark kingdom, silence and silence. And the caves can rightly be called the cradle of mankind. Indeed, in prehistoric times, primitive people used caves as a refuge from wind and cold. They were the "discoverers" of natural dungeons. The tools and wall paintings of Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons found in caves are proof of this. In ancient times, some caves were considered the dwellings of the gods, others were used to shelter herds and, especially often, for burial. Yes, and in the recent past, there are cases when people who were at odds with society tried to hide in caves.

But even though the cave "cradle" has long been abandoned by man, nevertheless, interest in the dungeons has been preserved for many centuries. From the 18th century, the first expeditions began to explore hard-to-reach caves.

Some historical facts:

In May 1748, the mathematician I. Nagel led an unprecedented descent into the sinkhole of Macocha (Moravia), which was unprecedented for those times. He overcame the steep part of the entrance shaft (50 m) and reached a depth of 138 m. The theoretical ideas of this time were summarized in the book by Cite de la Font "Wonders of Nature" (1788). He believed that the underground voids arose "for the most part through fire-breathing mountains", and the streaks in the caves represent "a kind of underground garden." Much closer to the truth were the views of Russian scientists, which unfortunately remained unknown in Western Europe. Back in 1720, VN Tatishchev visited the vicinity of the city of Kungur and pointed out that the caves were the result of "breeding" (dissolution) and collapse of rocks. In 1732, I. G. Gmelin visited Kungur cave and made her plan. He also made the first measurements of air temperature underground.

Great contribution to the formation of knowledge about underworld introduced by M. V. Lomonosov. He proved that the caves have a physical and chemical nature, explained the formation of "scales" on the walls of the caves by the precipitation of calcite from an aqueous solution, proposed Russian equivalents of the Latin terms "stalactite" and "stalagmite" ("upper drip" and "lower drip"), substantiated causes of air movement underground and the formation of cave ice.

No cave in the world is like another. Huge halls with grottoes, wells, lakes, waterfalls and glaciers.

For millennia, water diligently eroded the stone and created underground labyrinths of the silent world of beauty and mysteries. Seeping into the limestone cracks, rainwater from year to year destroys the stone, increasing the cracks. For centuries, water saturated with minerals, dripping from the ceiling of the caves, forms stalactites and stalagmites, sometimes of such a bizarre shape that they are given their own names.

Calcite in caves can be of the most unusual forms: in the form of flowers, pearls, twigs, sometimes so fragile and thin that they crumble when touched.

To this day, the deep labyrinths of the caves beckon people to plunge into their darkness and uncover underground secrets.

Let us, at least for a while, also plunge into this mysterious world. underworld and get acquainted with its amazing beauties.

Han Son Dung Cave. Vietnam.

Hang Son Dung Cave (Mountain River Cave) is located in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and was discovered in April 2009 by British speleologists. cave system turned out to be huge. British researchers suggest that this cave is the largest in terms of volume in the world!

In the underground hall of the Hang Son Dung cave, there is enough space even for a 40-story skyscraper. The largest hall of the cave has a total length of more than 5000 meters. The total length of the cave is 9000 meters. The halls and corridors are 100 meters wide and 200 meters high. At the same time, the Deer Cave, located in Malaysia, which is one of the largest caves in the world, has a hall height not exceeding 100 meters and a width of 90.

Hang Son Dong Cave - Jungle Cave! There are gaps in the vaults of the cave through which light penetrates, and as a result, plants grow in the cave - limestone ledges are covered with a carpet of delicate greenery. Following the plants, not only insects and snakes descend into the cave, but even monkeys and birds. The Rao Tuong River has carved tunnels through the hard rock over the centuries. During the dry months, the river becomes a small stream, but during the rainy season, the underground river becomes full again, so that in some places it comes to the surface of the earth.

The largest cave in the world. National Geographic film.

Cave of the Swallows (Sotano de las Golondrinas). Mexico.

Sotano de las Golondrinas or Cave of the Swallows is located in Mexican state San Luis Potosi. The entrance to the cave is a huge hole in the mountain with a diameter of 55 meters. When descending into the mouth of the cave, after a few meters, it expands up to 160 meters, which creates difficulties during the descent and ascent. This is what attracts fans of extreme sports here. The cave is one of the deepest caves in Mexico, its depth reaches 376 meters, which is comparable to the height of a 120-story building. The floor in Swallow Cave is sloping and has many narrow tunnels and passages that lead to deeper levels. To date, they are not particularly well researched.

The name of the cave was due to the huge colony of swallows that live here. And not to break quiet life birds, descents into the cave are allowed only at certain times: from 12 to 16 hours, when the birds leave it. In addition, it saves not only the lives of swallows, but also lovers of extreme skydiving. After all, a collision with a flock of birds during a free flight is very dangerous.

Recently, the Swallow Cave has become a real Mecca for cavers and base jumpers.

Cave of giant crystals (Cueva de los Cristales). Mexico.

Crystal Cave (Cueva de los Cristales) is located in the Naica mine complex, in the Mexican desert of Chihuahua (Chihuahua) at a depth of 300 meters. The cave is unique in that it contains giant crystals of selenite (a mineral, a type of gypsum). These are the largest natural crystals ever found on the planet - transparent gypsum rays reach sizes of 11 meters in length and weigh about 55 tons.

The cave was discovered in 2000 when a tunnel was being dug in a mine complex. The climate in the cave is unusual - it is very hot in the cave! Temperatures reach 50-60°C with a humidity of more than 90%, a person can stay in such conditions without a special suit for no more than ten minutes. Access to the cave is open only to scientists who explore it in special equipment.

In the cave of crystals. National Geographic film.

The Singing Cave of Fingal. Scotland.

Fingal's Cave is located on the southwestern coast of the Isle of Staffa (one of the Hybrid Islands). The island is only 1 kilometer long and half a kilometer wide. Over many millennia, the surf and rains have carved out a whole system of caves, the largest of which is the singing cave of Fingal, which received its name in honor of the hero of the Irish and Gaelic epic giant Fingal.

The walls of Fingal's cave are made up of vertical hexagonal basalt columns. The cave is 75 meters long, 20 meters high and 14 meters wide. In the Gaelic language, the cave is called Uamh-Binn, which can be translated as "cave of melody". Indeed, thanks to the domed vault, this place has a unique acoustics. In calm weather, the waves of the sea produce peculiar melodious sounds in the cave, in storms and during sea tides - a strong noise that can be heard for several miles.

The cave has a large arched entrance; you can get into it along a narrow path lined with fragments of basalt columns.

Gouffre Berger cave is located on the Sornin plateau in the French Alps. The name of the cave comes from the Latin word "gufr", which means "abyss", and the name of the scientist Joseph Berger, who discovered it in 1953. This is the first cave that has been explored to a depth of more than one kilometer and until 1963 was considered the deepest cave in the world. Its depth is 1271 meters, which is comparable to the height of two Ostankino towers stacked on top of each other, and the length of the passages is over 30 kilometers. To date, the cave is the 23rd deepest in the world and the 4th deepest in France. However, to this day it is popular place for speleologists who want to test their skills at a depth of several hundred meters. This cave is technically very difficult. For example, it may take 15 to 30 hours to rise from the very bottom to the surface. In addition, floods often occur here. During the past few years, 6 people have died in Berg, five of whom drowned.

The abyss of the Three Bridges (Three Bridge Chasm) is a limestone cave of the Jurassic period. Into its abyss, from a height of 255 meters, the Baatara waterfall will fall. This unusual place located in Lebanon. It was discovered by the French bio-speleologist Henri Coiffait in 1952. The cave owes its name to the fact that when falling into the valley, the stream passes through three natural bridges, each of which hangs over the other. The age of the cave reaches 160 million years! For thousands of years, the water from the stream slowly washed the limestone and gradually destroyed the vaults of the cave. After the appearance of the upper bridge, it was destroyed for a long time by vertical and ring erosion, which, in combination with a series of collapses, created the middle and lower bridges.

Even today, the formation of the cave is not complete - and it will not be completed as long as the water flows.

Volcanic cave Cueva de los Verdes. Canary Islands (Spain).

Cueva de los Verdes cave was formed about five thousand years ago as a result of the eruption of the Corona volcano. When the lava rushed to the ocean, forming the so-called "lava tube" - a tunnel with a length of more than 6 kilometers, one of the longest on the planet.

The lava flow outside was cooled by the air and solidified, creating the walls and roof of the tunnel, while molten magma continued to flow inside. So it turned out volcanic Cueva de los Verdes cave. The hot gases released from the lava, mixing with air, ignited; under the influence of high temperature, melting the vault, furrows and influxes similar to stalactites appeared on the ceiling of the cave. The remains of the lava, solidifying, formed many folds and wrinkles, decorating the floor of the cave with intricate patterns.

The cave stretched in the form of a tunnel for 6.1 kilometers from the crater of the volcano to the seashore; the difference is 230 meters. The width of the cave reaches 24 meters, the height - up to 15 meters. The air temperature in the cave during the year is kept constant: 19°C.

The cave has two tiers - the upper, more spacious, which has concert hall with excellent natural acoustics, periodically used for its intended purpose.

At the bottom of the cave, called Jameos del Agua, there is an underground lake.

Ice cave Skaftafell. Iceland.

Ice caves are temporary structures that appear at the edge of glaciers. Such caves live for a relatively short time and can be destroyed at any time. Ice caves are only tens of years old. But they look amazing from the inside. One of these caves is located in nature park Skaftafell in Iceland.

Skaftafell Cave was formed in a glacier by melting ice. Melt water, together with rain, collected on the surface of the glacier, rushed into the cracks in streams, penetrating inside and forming peculiar tunnels. Sunlight, penetrating through the thickness of the ice, gives the cave an unusual blue color.

A seven-meter entrance leads to the Skaftafell cave through an ice tunnel, which gradually narrows to 1 meter.

Ice caves are in a state of constant transformation and can be destroyed at any moment. It is safe to visit them only in winter, when strong sub-zero temperatures harden the ice. And even in this case, while inside the cave, you can hear a very frequent crackling sound. This sound does not arise from the fact that the cave is ready to collapse, but because the cave moves along with the glacier itself at a certain speed, sometimes reaching 1 meter per day. Every time the glacier moves in contact with solid rock, you can hear this loud, frightening rattle.

Marble caves. Chile.

marble caves(Marble Caves) - one of the most beautiful places in Patagonia. They are bright blue grottoes filled with water from Lake Carrera (lago Carrera). The lake is

Partially flooded by the turquoise water of the lake, the caves can be explored by small boat or kayak. Three main grottoes can be distinguished in the caves: the Chapel (La capillaries), the Cathedral (El Catedral) and the Cave (Cueva).

Today, this rare and amazing natural wonder is under threat due to plans to build five major dams in the region.

Video. Marble Caves, Patagonia, Chile.

Vardzia is a cave monastery complex of the XII-XIII centuries, located in the south of Georgia, on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Vardzia is a real underground city with many tunnels, stairs and alleys. It is located in the valley of the Kura River (Mtkvari) in the sheer tuff wall of Mount Erusheti (Bear). Inside the rock, there was a place not only for the monastery, but also for several libraries, baths and many residential buildings. A total of 13 levels were built, with natural caves expanded to accommodate 6,000 monks and refugees. There are over 600 different rooms that stretched along the mountain for a distance of more than a kilometer, and the entire underground complex goes into the depth of the rock by 50 meters. Secret passages have been preserved that connected the premises, the remains of the water supply system and the irrigation system.

A bit of history:

The ensemble of the Vardzia monastery was created mainly in 1156-1205, during the reign of George III and his daughter Queen Tamara. Located on the southwestern border of Georgia, the monastery-fortress blocked the gorge of the Kura River for the invasion of Iranians and Turks from the south. At that time, all the premises of the monastery were hidden by a rock, only three underground passages connected them to the surface, through which large detachments of soldiers could appear quite unexpectedly for the enemy. In 1193-1195, during the war with the Seljuk Turks, Queen Tamara was with her court in Vardzia.

The cave city did not last long - a year after construction, an earthquake in 1283 almost completely destroyed it. It was so powerful that it damaged the cave system, causing it to collapse and cascade down Mount Erusheli. Two-thirds of the secret city was destroyed, revealing secret world inside the mountain. However, the monastery did not give up. It functioned until 1551, but then it was attacked by the Persian Khan Sash Tahmasp, who killed all the monks. It was then that Vardzia became empty.

For a long time the cave city was abandoned, but at the end of the last century Vardzia was restored again, and the monastic life resumed in it. On this moment in the monastery ancient city about 10-15 monks live.

When compiling the review, photographs from the Internet were used, descriptions were translated from local sites where the photographs were found.

The underground world has long attracted the attention of people. In ancient times it was inhabited by gods. Nowadays, they have taken up the study of the deep bowels of the planet, which are unique labyrinths of underground galleries, halls and mines.

Today, the caves are of interest to both speleologists and ordinary tourists. Scientists use them to study the history of the development of the Earth, explore various mineral formations, and discover new biological species. Tourists tend to caves - for adventure. Decorated with stalactites and stalagmites, underground galleries captivate the imagination, excite the imagination and fill even the hardest hearts with horror and romance.

On any continent, in any country, you can find underground passages, formed, most often, by water, which erodes the soil and rocks century after century. Most modern caves are classified as "dry", but there are some among them that still flow underground rivers.

Almost all caves are actively studied, but the longer the underground formation, the more difficult and longer this process takes.

Each of the caves has its own unique structure and system of natural entrances: somewhere there may be several, somewhere only one, and somewhere more than a hundred. Artificial passages are made to caves with limited access.

Many famous caves equipped with underground camps for scientists and specially designed tourist sites for ordinary visitors. Often, national parks are formed around the caves, allowing to preserve the unique natural heritage intact.

Planet Earth caves – VIDEO

Caves of the world - PHOTO

1. Mammoth Cave

The longest cave in the world was discovered in 1797 in the Appalachian mountain range, located in the US state of Kentucky. Its underground passages and halls go deep into the earth for six hundred and fifty-one kilometers. The cave was formed about ten million years ago as a result of the dissolution of rocks by water. It got its name due to its size: in translation from English “mammoth” means “huge”. The cave has a special microclimate. It contains amazing eyeless creatures that look like fish.

2. Sak-Aktun

Mexican cave Sak-Aktun is the longest in the country and the second longest in the world. It was opened in 1987 in the north of Yucatan, near the city of Tulum. Of the three hundred and seventeen kilometers of underground passages, only six are not flooded with water. The “White Cave” (this is how its name is translated from the Mayan language) is of meteorite origin: scientists believe that it was formed about sixty-five million years ago as a result of the fall of a celestial body. The river of the same name flowing through the cave is distinguished by perfectly clean and transparent water.

American Jewel Cave, located in South Dakota, near the town of Custer, boasts a length of two hundred and fifty-seven kilometers. The height difference between its underground galleries is one hundred and thirty-five meters, that is, four floors. The cave was discovered in 1900. Jewel has one natural (in the northwest) and one artificial (in the center) entrance. All of its galleries, except for the top one, are covered with a thick layer of calcite, a transparent or white calcareous mineral. An interesting feature cave is the presence in it of strong, up to fifteen meters per second, winds.

4. Ox Bel Ha

"Three Ways of Water" is only a kilometer inferior in length to Jewel. The cave, located not far from Sak-Aktun, has not yet been fully explored, and more than one hundred and forty natural entrances have already been discovered in it. Ox Bel Ha was formed eighteen thousand years ago by the waters of the world's oceans, which exceeded their level due to climate change and eroded the nearby limestone rocks. The Mexican cave reaches a depth of thirty-seven meters and has about eighty branches, flooded by the waters of the Caribbean Sea.

5. Optimistic

Located in the Ternopil region, near the village of Korolevka, the Ukrainian Optimistic Cave reaches a length of two hundred and thirty-six kilometers, but is notable for its shallow depth - no more than fifteen to twenty meters. The fifth longest among all the caves in the world, it is the first among gypsum formations. Optimistic Cave was discovered in 1966. Currently, the underground passages of the village of Korolevka are being actively studied: fifteen underground camps have been set up in the cave for scientists from around the world.

American Wind Cave is Jewel's neighbor. It is inferior to it in size by forty-five kilometers and is just as deep. Wind has been known to people since 1881. Since 1903, it, along with the adjacent territory, received the status of a National Park. The cave was formed by thermal waters. Now a large number of minerals are found on its walls. Geographically, the Wind is a labyrinth filled with a dense, sprawling network of underground galleries. The cave is equipped for excursions. Every year it is visited by about five hundred thousand tourists.

7. Lechugia

The American cave of Lechugia stretches underground for two hundred and twenty kilometers and goes deep into about five hundred meters. It was opened in 1914, but until 1986 no one was interested, because everyone saw in it the “Dreary Hole” (the first name of Lechugia) and nothing more. Today, a unique mountain formation is part of the National Park carlsbad caves. Speleologists consider Lechugia the most beautiful cave world, thanks to the finest lace of gypsum crystals that cover its walls.

The longest European cave is located in swiss alps. It was opened in 1875. With a length of two hundred kilometers, its depth reaches a thousand meters with a fluctuation amplitude of more than eight hundred meters. Two entrances lead to Hölloch: the first is located in the valley of the Muota River, the second is at an altitude of more than a thousand meters. The cave consists of a complex, multi-storey system of halls and galleries, decorated with numerous stalactites and stalagmites. In summer, floods are observed on its watercourses. The lower part of Hölloch is open for tourist visits.

9. Gua-Eir-Jernich

The longest Asian cave is located in the north of the Malaysian island of Kalimantan. Opened relatively recently, in 1978, it has a length of one hundred and ninety-seven kilometers. The amplitude of Gua-Eir-Jernih is three hundred and fifty-five meters. The cave has five levels of galleries and many entrances. The main entrance is in the river. You can get to it by boat. The lower level of Gua-Eir-Jernih is filled with water. The cave is part of the Gunung Mulu National Park, which includes other karst formations and tropical forests.

10. Fisher Ridge

Located in the west of the Appalachians, the Fisher Ridge karst cave reaches a length of one hundred and ninety-four kilometers. Underground labyrinths, going a hundred meters deep into the earth, were discovered in Kentucky in 1914, although they have been known to the natives of the United States for the past thousand years. Fisher Ridge is in close proximity to mammoth cave. It has three entrances leading to a multi-level complex of galleries and shafts. The Green River flows through the cave. The walls of Fisher Ridge contain rock art.