en.infoglobe.cz » Do You Know, That? - The Caves

Do You Know, That? - The Caves

Published: 7.11.2010
From mountains and lakes, we transfer in our next chapter of endless wandering, towards underground. But, we shall not be interested in holllows, excavated by people, galleries or Prague tube. So, our steps will be let this time to the caves.

...do you know that our longest cave is...

Amateur Cave System, 35 kms long, involving Old and New Amateur Caves, Punkva Cave, including Macocha abyss and Punkva-torrent outflow, Třináctka Cave, Spirálka CavPunkva cavese, Piková dáma Cave and Draught-line Cave and New Rasovna Cave.

In general, it is extensive, more-floor system of spacious corridors and domes with powerful chimneys and abyss entries, active flowing through torrents (brooks), with numerous siphons (inundated parts) and many karst and erosive formations. The complex is running from its floating line in New Rasovna, by means of Bílá Voda (White Water) torrent, and from affluent siphon in so called Sloup branch by Sloup brooke, creating Punkva small river, flowing consequently the bottom of Macocha abyss and throughout water domes of Punkva caves into Punkva outflow in Pustý Žleb, forming the longest subterranean flow in Czech Republic. So, actual length of cave system forms incredible 34900 metres! 

The whole system is situated in Punkva outflow National Nature Reservation, Moravian Karst National Countryside Area. Sloup-Šošuvská Caves, including Kulna Cave in Moravian Karst, are our longest caves open and accessible for public, having its total length of 4165 metres. The visitors´ route, arranged in technical way and open for public, is 1230 metres long.

Macocha cave

Inside such rich karst area, you can find much more attractive locality, and it is: Macocha Abyss (precipice). It is big crashed abyss of light hole type, with small lakes and Punkva water flow in its bottom, with entries into Punkva Caves and with siphons to Amateur Cave, mentioned above. The abyss depth makes 139 metres towards lake water level, i.e. totally 168 metres (to the bottom of low lake). This is an important geological and zoological locality (bats´ and non-vertebrates´ winter spot), botanical (endemic sorts of plants) as well as historical (history of speleological investigations). The abyss-bottom is accessible for public from Punkva Caves. The name of this precipice refers to a legend about bad step-mother. She threw down her hateful step-child, and as a punishment, she was also flung down the dark depth. Anyway, several investigations were effected in the course of 20th century. The research was made by Professor Karel Absolon, an important Bohemian investigator and archaeologist.

On the other hand, so called Hranice Abyss (Macuška) is the deepest one. The final depth of this precipice is unknown till now. The abyss is of hydrothermal origin, mostly filled in with weakly mineralized acidulous water, at the temperature of 14-16,5 °C (in deep sections even 20 °C). The Katerinska cavedepth of dry section is 69 metres, (to water level of the lake). Anyway, the divers reached total depth of 224 metres in 1993 (i.e. 155 metres below water level). Hyball automatic sound reached total depth of 273,5 metres, i.e. 204,5 metres below water level, and the bottom was not reached at all. This abyss belongs to an important geological, hydrological as well as historical locality. Local lake is the deepest nature lake of Czech Republic.

Nevertheless, where exactly is to be found the greatest subterranean space, accessible for public? So, this is a main dome of Kateřinská Cave in Moravian Karst. This dome is an extensive, mostly crashed space, 97 metres long, 44 metres wide and 20 metres high. This space is arranged in technical way and accessible for public. Several concert performances are traditionally organized there. The cave is also situated in Punkva Outflow National Nature Reservation, Moravian Karst Preserved Countryside Area.

Text: Jan Chaloupka

Translation. ing. Jan Jonáš

Photo: wiki commons



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