Optymistychna Cave

Optymistychna Cave

Coordinates: 48°44′33″N 25°59′37″E / 48.7425°N 25.99361°E / 48.7425; 25.99361

Optymistychna (Ukrainian: Оптимістична; meaning "optimistic") is a gypsum cave located near the Ukrainian village of Korolivka, Borschiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast. As of 2005, it has 230 km of mapped passageways and is the largest cave complex in Eurasia. By some other sources it is referred as having about 133 miles (214 kilometers) of surveyed passageways, that makes it the third-longest cave in the world, after Mammoth Cave and Jewel Cave and the longest gypsum cave in the world.

The entire cave lies under a 2 kilometer square area in a layer of Upper Tertiary gypsum that is less than 20 meters thick. The passages tend to be low and often choked with mud. They comprise a dense network on several levels, making Optymistychna what is known as a "maze cave."

The cave complex was discovered by the speleologists of the Lviv speleological club "Cyclope" in 1966 who already over 40 years study the complex. There have been more than 50 expeditions since then, but exploration has slowed significantly in recent years, and very little surveying is currently being done. The cave is located very close to Ozernaya, the eleventh-longest cave in the world at 75 miles (122 kilometers), but the two caves have not yet been found to be connected.

In 2008 the cave won the special nomination as the Natural Wonder of Ukraine.

Sources

External links



Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cave — For other uses, see Cave (disambiguation). Cavern redirects here. For other uses, see Cavern (disambiguation). Lechuguilla Cave, New Mexico A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to… …   Wikipedia

  • Liste des plus longues cavités naturelles — Les plus longues cavités naturelles dans le monde, répertoriées, ont un développement de plusieurs centaines de kilomètres. La communauté spéléologique considère qu une cavité souterraine naturelle n existe vraiment qu à partir du moment où elle… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • List of caves — The following is a partial list of caves. Africa Algeria * Ain Bird Zaa El Kbira * Anou Achra Lemoun * Anou Boussouil * Anou Ifflis * Anou Timedouine * Aven Yebdar * Grotte Des Ain Beni Add * Kef Al Kaous * Rhar El Kahal * Rivière De La Tafna *… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”