Karst caves of Russia: what they are

Karst caves are natural mines, cavities and wells that arise in partially soluble rocks. They have clear boundaries, and thanks to chalk and limestone, strong arches are formed. In regions where winters are cold, Frosty air penetrates into the caves and stagnates there, so the air temperature there even in summer is close to zero. And on the walls and ceiling, ice crusts, stalactites and stalagmites are formed. Kungur ice cave, located in the Perm region, is one of the most famous and largest caves in Russia, its length is almost six kilometers. It is located inside the ice mountain, on the right bank of the Sylva river.

Where karst caves are formed, there are such rocks as limestone and gypsum, chalk, dolomite, marble and salt. There is a sufficient amount of rainwater and altitude differences. Karst caves consist of vertical dips, wells, mines, inclined passages, cracks, halls and labyrinths. On the walls and ceilings there are stalagmites, stalagmites, Stalactites formed by the drip-drop method, and capillary-film heliktites, crystallites and corallites. In the depths of the caves underground rivers flow , waterfalls, lakes with picturesque "banks" are formed. Caves are characterized by a special microclimate. The so-called speleofauna is due to the lack of sunlight and increased concentration of carbon dioxide. The air temperature inside is constant and equal to the average annual temperature of the terrain to which they are adjacent.

In the southern part of the Ural Mountains, on the territory of Bashkortostan, there is the Shulgan-Tash cave. In 1950, the Soviet archaeologist A.V. Ryumin studied this cave. He discovered the rock paintings on the length of about a mile. Images of rhinoceroses, mammoths, horses and bisons were made ocher. The remains of people, animal bones, charcoal found during excavations prove that people lived there more than fourteen and a half thousand years ago. Now inside the cave a museum has been created.

Karst caves in Russia are numerous. They can be found in the Eastern Sayans and in the suburbs. All caves near Moscow have an artificial origin. In the middle of the eighteenth century, stone was used in these places for the construction of Moscow. Over time, some moves collapsed, others formed from faults and cracks. Currently, near Moscow karst caves significantly exceed the length of the Caucasus. They attract scientists and tourists. People, trying to brighten up the gray routine, holidays there birthdays, weddings and other holidays. Incorrect behavior in the dungeon sometimes leads to disastrous consequences. Because of this, the entrances to the quarries fall asleep on the orders of the authorities.

Since recently, karst caves have been used for medicinal purposes. Their microclimate has curative properties for patients with bronchial asthma. A high degree of radioactivity and ionization of air in caves have a beneficial effect on the nervous and cardiovascular systems. The first speleoclimatic chambers are equipped in sanatoriums "Prikamye" and "Malachite" in the resort of Ust-Kachka.