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Marble Cave (Crimea)

Фото 1
In 1987, the Simferopol speleological section discovered a uniquely beautiful cave near Bin-Bash-Koba (Thousand-Headed) and Suuk-Koba (Cold). This cave, with a complex system of halls and galleries, is located at an altitude of 920 meters above sea level and was named Marble (it was initially also called 'Afghanka'). After thorough research, excursion routes totaling about 1.5 km were established in the cave, and in 1989 it became accessible to visitors.

The cave offers several excursion routes. One of them starts from the Fairy Tale Gallery, adorned with stalactites, stalagmites, and flowstone draperies. The path for excursions winds among amazing stalagmites resembling fairy tale characters.

In the Tiger Passage gallery, the vault descends, allowing a close view of numerous stalactites. This is the oldest part of the cave, discovered a year after the main section, and it formed more than one and a half million years ago, as confirmed by the analysis of the flowstone formations on its walls. The gallery got its name due to the remains of a large predator, presumably a saber-toothed tiger, found here. However, after research, it was revealed that it was a cave lion, but the name of the gallery has already been established in catalogs and remains unchanged.

The Collapse Hall is one of the largest equipped halls in Europe and the largest in Crimea. Its length exceeds 100 meters, and its height is 28 meters. It was formed as a result of the collapse of the stone ceiling of the underground cavity over a million years ago. The walls of the hall are covered with corallites, giant boulders rise from the bottom, and the elegant flowstone columns and variety of stalactites and stalagmites are breathtaking.

In the Pink Hall, the vertical walls are adorned with flowstone formations, and the limestone boulders are covered with calcite. Mysterious animal skeletons can be seen under the stones. In the Hall of Hope, golden flowstones form stone altars along the walls. The Balcony Hall, the largest in the lower gallery, impresses with its size. A twelve-meter step divides it into two richly decorated levels. Tourists enter the Chandelier Hall by passing through the stone Gnomes and a stalactite 'forest' of thin calcite tubes. 'Chandeliers' covered with corallites hang from the ceiling, some of which almost reach the floor.

It is important to remember that touching natural formations in the cave is prohibited, as it can destroy them. Tourists sometimes try to break off a piece of stalagmites or stalactites as a souvenir, but this is pointless, as they do not survive outside the cave.

Geo point

Мраморная пещера (Крым)

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