home Travel abroad The cave as a natural phenomenon. Cave of the Swallows is an amazing natural phenomenon that you must visit when traveling in Mexico.

The cave as a natural phenomenon. Cave of the Swallows is an amazing natural phenomenon that you must visit when traveling in Mexico.

Karl Walter Claus Carstens (German: Karl Walter Claus Carstens; December 14, 1914, Bremen - May 30, 1992, Meckenheim, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German conservative politician and statesman, a prominent figure in the CDU.
Cave in the rock
On this plateau is located worldwide famous cave Postojnska Pit
Dissolution of sedimentary rocks (limestone, gypsum) by groundwater with the formation of caves, gullies, dips, etc.
Cave as a natural phenomenon
Underground cave with river or lake
Plateau in Yugoslavia, which gave the name to the geological phenomenon
Phenomena arising in water-soluble sedimentary rocks (hollows, dips, caves)
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Rain - atmospheric precipitation falling from clouds in the form of liquid droplets with an average diameter of 0.5 to 6-7 mm.
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weather phenomenon

Hoarfrost - a type of precipitation, is a crystalline or granular ice deposits on thin and long objects (tree branches, wires) in wet frosty weather.
A natural phenomenon
Natural phenomenon, similar to hoarfrost
weather phenomenon

A rainbow is an atmospheric, optical and meteorological phenomenon observed when illuminated by a bright light source (in nature, the Sun or the Moon - see Fig.
natural optical phenomenon
natural seven color phenomenon
A natural phenomenon
optical phenomenon
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atmospheric optical phenomenon
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Natural "arch" in the sky

There is a lot of snow in Kamchatka during the winter. And in some places - catastrophically many, tens of meters deep. Multi-meter deposits of snow overwhelm even warm (with thermal heating) streams. In addition, these layers of snow do not have time to melt during the Kamchatka spring and sometimes even summer. And since some streams are very warm, because. are heated by underground volcanoes, they heat tunnels several meters high that are quite passable for a person in snowdrifts. A person can easily pass through these tunnels.

But one must be careful and attentive, when the ceiling of a cave or tunnel becomes light, this means that the thickness of the snow there is very small, that today or tomorrow this ceiling will fall to the ground.

Snow grottoes, caves and tunnels in Kamchatka are found in different places, but it is very difficult to find the correct, safe entrance (or exit) in them.

The thick ceiling of the caves and tunnels is white, if it turns bluish, this means that the sun is breaking through the thin snow.

The snow in the tunnels is very beautifully painted with different colors of the rainbow, if fireworks are lit to illuminate the path. Thanks to them, the tunnels become magically colorful.

A curious world invites you to see a colorful and bewitching selection of photos snow tunnels and caves of Kamchatka. We wish you pleasant emotions and impressions!

I. Caves are a unique natural phenomenon.

A person is always attracted by the unknown, mysterious, hidden by darkness. The caves are probably the most striking example of the Mystery created by nature. When a person gets into the narrow or wide passages of the “underground palaces”, either anxiety and fear, or indomitable curiosity can take possession of him - both attract, make him return to the solution of this riddle again and again. Moreover, caves are a rather rare geological phenomenon. They allow a person to look deep into the Earth, find out the contents of its bowels, look at the grandiose, impressive work of water.

Yes, it is water that is the creator of caves, more precisely, underground waters. They travel through voids and cracks in the earth's crust and build their paths by penetrating and dissolving rocks. Moreover, some rocks lend themselves to water quite quickly (carbonate, sulfate and chloride), while others remain unchanged. This is how thousands, millions of years pass - caves and multi-storey labyrinths are formed, through which underground rivers often flow. This natural phenomenon is called karst.

Caves attract with their beauty. Drops of water, saturated with calcium bicarbonate, build bizarre sculptures: stalactites “grow” from the ceiling of the cave, and stalagmites “grow” on the floor, when they connect, columns are obtained. The cave turns into underground city or garden.

Throughout the world, people's interest in caves has gone through several stages in time. For primitive people, they were dwellings and temples. From the Age of Enlightenment, caves began to attract the attention of scientists, whose interest was spurred on by findings made in caves of human and animal bones from the “antediluvian” period. In the second half of the 19th century, at the intersection of geology and geography, geomorphology arose, whose representatives paid considerable attention to caves. At the same time, the aesthetic, scientific and educational value of caves as unique natural, historical and cultural objects was realized - speleology was born.

The most popular among tourists are not the deepest (Jean-Bernard well in the Savoy Alps - 1410 meters) and not the longest (Flint-Mammoth Cave in the USA - 341.1 kilometers), but the most beautiful and accessible caves. The Kungur "ice" cave in the Urals stretches "only" 5.6 kilometers. Amazing coloring and bizarre shapes of stalactites and stalagmites, a complex combination of limestone and ice growths make the cave look like a fabulous underground kingdom. The most famous cave in the Caucasus is Anakopia (New Athos) cave. The natural entrance to it is in a funnel in the middle of the forest on Mount Iverskaya. To penetrate the giant halls of the cave, you need to go down 139 meters vertically. The cave is equipped for tourists to see: a tunnel for an electric train has been punched in the "body" of the mountain. In the USA, at the foot of the Guadalupe Mountains, in the south of New Mexico, there is the famous Karslab Cave (length - 33 kilometers, depth - 313 meters), which has several floors. It is visited by numerous tourists, is electrified, equipped with elevators and eateries.

II. Tavdinsky caves - favorite place tourists.

Within the territory of Altai Territory there are quite a few caves. The most famous of them: Geophysical, Altai, Tavdinsky - these are the favorite places of tourists traveling through the Altai Mountains.

The most accessible to visit are the Tavdinsky caves. Although they are located in sheer cliffs and on the steep slopes of Tavdinskaya Mountain, visiting them is quite simple - an asphalt road leads to them and special steps are made (Fig. 3 and 4), and electricity is even provided to the Tavdinskaya-2 cave for the convenience of tourists. Since the caves are a well-known and popular place among tourists, almost every recreation center in the area provides informational posters informing about the time, duration and cost of excursions to them. The entrance to the natural monument itself has long been turned into a place for a comfortable stay of guests with numerous cafes, kiosks with souvenirs and even holiday houses. It is also attractive that other attractions are located not far from the Tavdinsky caves. Gorny Altai: Lake Aya, Lake Manzherok, Kamyshlinsky waterfall, spring Arzhan-Suu.

The Tavdinsky caves got their name from the name of the village of Tavda (the second name is Talda), which was previously located not far from these places. The local population has a romantic legend about the origin and name of these caves:

“For a long time, no one remembers exactly when, Khansha Tavda lived in the mountains. She was known among people as such a miser, which the world had never seen. And, although she had a myriad of wealth, she came up with new tricks just to rob people to the skin. But where she put the goods taken from people: cattle, harness, poultry, killed game - no one could understand. Everything that was brought to her yurt and piled in heaps disappeared before our eyes, as if it fell into the ground. The hunters knocked out all the sables, goats, marals in the entire district, and Tavda kept increasing the quitrent.

She threatened that if the tribute was not paid on time, then she would take away their children from the unwilling people. He will take his sons into his army, and his daughters into slavery - weaving carpets, milking goats and doing all kinds of menial work. Day and night, hunters rushed about the deserted taiga. Downcast, with empty nets, fishermen wandered into the poor yurts; there had been no fish in the lakes and rivers for a long time. Everything disappeared in the insatiable, bottomless womb of the greedy Tavda.

How long it would last, no one knew. Yes, strangers showed up in those places: husband and wife, young, handsome. Soon good fame went to all the nearest camps about them. Manzherok, that was the name of the man, was strong, dexterous even when hunting or fishing. And he conquered everyone by the fact that he knew how to sculpt any dishes from clay. When he took out his marvelous bowls from the hot oven and gave them to the poor, there was no end to the joy. Katyng, that was the name of his slender green-eyed wife, conquered everyone with her ability to embroider carpets with outlandish birds, animals and flowers, and weave fishing nets, which were not seen in those places.

The fame of the artisan young family soon reached Tavda. Her hands even shook with anger when she saw their creations. Immediately overlaid with such a large quitrent, which even a dozen masters would not have been able to do. What was the surprise of the khan's servants when, by the appointed time, the khanshi Manzherok and Katyng appeared at the yurt almost empty-handed. The master had only one jug in his hands, and the craftswoman had only one fishing net... “Listen to us, mistress, our tribute to you is not simple,” began Manzherok. “Here is my jug, it is without a bottom, you will pour as much koumiss into it as all your subjects prepare it.” “Here is my net,” Kating continued. “With it, your servants will catch all the fish from the rivers and lakes of Altai.” And in the network there were cells of such big size which was clear: no fish will be kept!

Tavda realized that the masters simply laughed at her greed. She struck with the enchanted staff of Manzherok, he immediately turned around beautiful lake. When the staff touched the scythes of the green-eyed Katyng, she managed to run aside, and splashed in a swift run with the white-foaming beauty of the Katun River. And before her death, she managed to shout to her beloved - “Farewell!” And she threw a handful of needles into the water, with which she embroidered her beautiful carpets. These needles scattered along the bottom of the lake and sprouted into a strange nut - chilim.

Tavda, finding herself on the left bank of the river, became furious because they dared to deceive her. And with anger, she stamped her foot so much that she herself, along with her good, fell into the ground. And in the place where it happened, not far from one another, holes are visible. These are the entrances to the Tavdinsky caves. A lot of things people took out of them when they found them. There were fishing nets and pottery - a lot of good stuff! This is the wealth of Khansha Tavda. And the entrances to the Tavdinsky caves are guarded by the Lunar Sable. He was carried on the shoulders of a greedy khansha. He kept an account of her wealth, and now guards them in the Tavdinsky caves.

The Tavdinsky caves are located in the Altai region of the Altai Territory, but they can only be accessed from the Chuisky tract through the territory of the Altai Republic, with which the Altai Territory borders along the Katun River, it can be crossed over a new iron bridge (paid travel), leading to the tourist complex "Turquoise Katun". There are caves on the left bank of the Katun River, 200 meters from it, 10-15 kilometers above the confluence of its left tributary with the Ustyub River; 10-12 kilometers south of the village of Nizhnyaya Kayancha, almost opposite the village of Izvestkovy, located on the Chuisky tract. Them geographical coordinates: 51 0 47' North, 85 0 40' East.

There is a whole complex of karst formations here, which includes about 30 caves: Bolshaya Taldinskaya, Tavdinskaya-2, Bear Hole, Teremok, Pogrebok, Through, Pigeon, Sports, Bad Dreams, Roll Call, Wide Gate, Picturesque, Leaders, Tiny, Snake, Throne, Cuttlefish, Clay, Big Gates, Ichthyander's Grotto, Krotovsky Grotto and others - all of them are of various sizes and degrees of development, and a beautiful karst arch. From the top of the Tavdinsky mountain, an unforgettable view of the Katun River and the Chuisky tract opens up. This view makes everyone stop and think, gives rise to philosophical reflections in the souls of people:

“Nature is a miracle. The real idea that this is Gorny appeared exactly when we went to the Katun. We walked along the left bank, where I would never have even thought to go! Great. Unusual. This is the real Mountain, and not the one that was brought up in me since childhood, that Mountain - Chuisky, which we drove in an air-conditioned car at a speed of 100 km per hour. The distance that we have covered in these ten days, I could cover in 30 minutes by car. But only now I recognized the real Mountain. Maybe it happened when we were climbing the pass, or when I was sitting today on a rock and looking at the Chuysky tract, which was a small strip on the other side of the river, small shiny cars were driving along it, so tiny! Or when I looked at a lake surrounded by mountains. At such moments, you understand that this world is really created by God and all your deeds are so petty and insignificant... Or when I walked through this dark cave created by small drops of water. They are so mysterious and beautiful…”

III. History of development and study of the Tavdinsky caves.

Tavdinsky caves have been known for a long time. They, apparently, began to be visited by tourists and summer residents who stayed in Manzherok from the beginning of the 20th century. In any case, when the first mention of the caves appeared (the first list of natural monuments compiled by N.A. Khrebtov in 1919), they were already popular sightseeing objects. This popularity of the cave has been preserved to this day.

In 1926, an article by geologist M.I. Krot-Donorsky about the Tavdinsky caves, which he explored in 1920, being the director of the Biysk Museum. This is the first, in fact, speleological work in Altai, accompanied by the very first cave plans, quite well executed. M.I. The mole made archaeological finds in two caves, and in the other two he discovered earthworks with masonry. In several caves, he observed traces of recent human habitation. Either someone was hiding in the caves during civil war, or the hermits-Old Believers were hiding there earlier.

Subsequently, the caves and finds in them were mentioned in a number of articles and tourist guides. Since the 1960s, the Tavdinsky caves have attracted the attention of speleologists and karst explorers from all over the country. In 1968, the caves were explored by a joint group of the ZSGU Karst detachment under the leadership of G.P. Sharikhina and the third Altai expedition of the speleological section of TSU under the leadership of V. Chukov. But so far, many caves on the Tavdinsky mountain have been poorly studied.

For a long time, scientists have been looking for inscriptions here. Information that in the Tavdinsky caves or on the rocks next to the caves there are rock paintings made in ocher ancient man, in different years were received by archaeologists A. P. Okladnikov, V. D. Kubarev, museum workers B. Kh. Kadikov and S. S. Zyablitsky. In 1968, these drawings were unsuccessfully searched for by members of the TSU speleological expedition, in the 1970s by Academician A.P. Okladnikov, in 1981 by V.K. Wistinghausen. But all searches in this direction were fruitless.

IV. Geology.

This area was first explored in 1930 by K.V. Radugin. He worked in the basins of the Maima, Kayas, Saydys rivers - as a result, he noted the wide distribution of marbles and quartzites here. In the same year, Kraevskaya studied the basins of the Kamenka, Ustyub and Sema rivers - she pointed to a significant distribution of limestone and marble along the Ustyub River. In 1933, the geologist Nenakhov conducted research in the Chemal River basin, he noted that the area was composed of Proterozoic and Cambrian marbles and limestones, broken through by acid intrusions. In 1942-1944 M.K. Winkman and S.F. Dubinkin investigated geological structure northern part of the Altai Mountains and identified the age units of the Borotal Formation and the Kayachin Formation. In 1948 and 1949 the first geological maps this area.

In the 50s of the XX century, in connection with the unfolding construction, a large amount of building materials was required in the Altai Territory. In particular, there was a need to prepare the raw material base for facing marbles. That is why in 1955 the Glavgeologiya MPSM - USSR instructed the trust "Sibgeolnerud" to conduct prospecting work in the Maiminsky district, the Gorno-Altai Autonomous Region and the Altai region, the Altai Territory - the so-called Katun marble deposit - in order to prepare marble reserves. To accomplish this task, the West Siberian expedition of the trust "Sibgeolnerud" organized the Maiminsky prospecting and geological party, which began field work in May 1955. In the same year, the party examined six sites, of which Izvestkovy 1 and Tavdinsky were chosen as the most promising for a number of factors, moreover, limestones for the site were recommended as raw materials for air lime, and not as facing stone.

Studies have shown that the Tavdinsky area is composed of limestones of the Kayanchinskaya formation. It is in this part of the Katunskoye deposit that there is an areal distribution of limestones, which make up a number of hills in this area, including the Tavdinskaya mountain. Its maximum height is 882 meters above sea level, the level of the Katun River in this area is at around 320 meters. Therefore, the relative excess is 400-500 meters. Marbles in the form of rock outcrops can be traced along the Katun River for 4 kilometers.

The marble here is gray, light gray with a bluish tinge, dolomite, massive or banded. The strike of the strata of marbles is submeridional, the dip is western at an angle of 40-65 0 . The age of the marbles is Lower Cambrian. The sediment thickness is small, does not exceed 1.5 meters, and they are represented by Quaternary yellow-brown clay with fragments of marble and other rocks.

In the conditions of the modern climate, the formation of local relief forms is influenced by vigorously acting frosty weathering and karst phenomena. Some areas of Altai with the spread of limestone bear clear features of the karst landscape.

Taldinsky karst massif consists of two limestone cliffs. The length of rocks with caves along the coast is about 5 kilometers. The southern cliff (mount Mokhnatukha, 863.1 meters) is monolithic, while the northern one is divided by logs and canyons into separate groups of rocks. The cliffs rise above the second (10-15 meters) above floodplain terrace of the Katun River, overgrown with a pine forest with an admixture of birch. The caves of the massif are located at heights of 40-200 meters above the river. At the junction of the rocks with the second terrace, there are several minor niches. The Grotto of Ichthyander stands apart. Its entrance is located in the south-facing ledge of the Katun cliff at water level, and the other two are represented by funnels on the surface of the 2nd terrace, connected by wells to the lower part of the cave.

V. Monument of nature.

As part of the specially protected natural areas of the Altai Territory, a category is singled out - a natural monument (law of the Altai Territory of December 26, 1996). The status of the monuments is fixed by the resolutions of the regional administration No. 234 of April 13, 1998 and No. 568 of July 21, 2000. Currently, 143 natural monuments of regional and federal significance have been legally registered on the territory of the Altai Territory. Among them, separate groups are distinguished: geological, hydrological, botanical. Some of the monuments are only conditionally assigned to one or another group, but in fact they are complex. The group of geological monuments of nature consists of 63 objects. The vast majority of them are located in the south of the region - in the mountains and foothills of Altai.

Tavdinsky caves are also a geological monument of nature, which has been visited by more than one thousand tourists since the discovery. The “guests” caused enormous damage to the caves: everyone seeks to take away a piece of this “beauty” with them or leave a memory of themselves here in the form of an inscription on the wall. Mining near limestone, scaring away and destroying bats and other inhabitants, unauthorized excavations, destruction of stalactites and stalagmites also cause damage to caves.

The Taldinsky karst massif is a complex (landscape) reserve. The officially registered geological monuments of nature are the Tavdinskaya-1 (Bolshaya Taldinskaya) Cave and the Tavdinskaya-2 Cave. Their profile is geomorphological. They are natural monuments of regional (regional) significance. Their status was confirmed by the Decree of the Administration of the Altai Territory dated April 13, 1998 No. 234 "On natural monuments of regional significance in the territory of the Altai Territory". They were registered with the State Committee for Environmental Protection of the Altai Territory on April 24, 1998, here passports of monuments were drawn up for them nature on April 24, 1998, security obligations were drawn up.

The permitted use of this natural monument is tourism. On its territory and protected zone it is prohibited:

1. Damage to landforms;

2. Excavation of loose and rocky rocks;

3. Damage and destruction of soils;

4. Grazing;

5. Deforestation and shrubs;

6. Waste disposal.

The most visited cave in the Tavdinsky massif is Bolshaya Taldinskaya, its other name is "Girl's Tears". It is a system of two grottoes. The lower entrances to it are located 70-80 meters from the road. The main gallery is quite spacious and gradually rises. The difference from the lowest entrance to the highest one is 23 meters. On the last forty-meter section, in front of the highest entrance, the gallery, rising, twists in a spiral, overlapping its lower part and forming a ledge. The area of natural monuments is 0.2 ha.

Cave Tavdinskaya-2 is located at an altitude of 100 meters from the foot of the Tavdinsky mountain. Its length is 250 meters, volume is 1200 m 3 . The cave is dry and through, has five entrances, is an arched grottoes, there are no sinter formations. The area of the natural monument is 9 hectares. Protected zone of geological monuments of nature 75 hectares.

Unique and Tavda karst arch. It represents a rare form - the remains of the vault of a karst tunnel or cave, which originally had the appearance of a wide span - a bridge, and later - an arch. The Tavdinsky Arch is located at an altitude of about 80 meters above the water level of the Katun River. The width of the through hole of the arch ranges from 3 to 13 meters, the height - from 3 to 5 meters. The vault of the arch, 5 meters thick, is covered with sparse herbaceous vegetation and pines. Since 1996, it has the status of a natural monument.

The effective protection of caves requires regular inspection and regulation of economic and excursion and tourist activities in their vicinity.

Swallow Cave(Spanish Sótano de las Golondrinas, English Cave of Swallows) - of karst origin in Mexico, in the state of San Luis Potosi. In shape, it is a cone-shaped (or bottle-shaped) karst failure expanding downwards.

The opening of the Swallow Cave on the surface of the earth has an elliptical shape (round in plan, as it is located on a slope) and has dimensions of 49 by 62 meters, the depth of the failure is from 333 to 376 meters (the opening on the surface is located on a slope).

Especially after the rainy season there is faster water, but now it was only in August that we could go a little. The river has relatively big waterfalls on a relatively short stretch, creating "pools" in which you can relax. This can be done on your own by car or even by bus from Ciudad Valles, which will take you off the road right at the entrance. You will save a lot because you will find many certified guides by the river who offer this experience for 150 pesos.

We weren't shy, wearing the mandatory vests and helmets, and they were already climbing the stairs to get to the start of the route. At the initial waterfall, we did a couple of test jumps from a 2 and 4 meter high cliff to prepare for the higher cascades and go on a water trip. The first little adrenaline was the search big waterfall. The water broke and hid my eyes when I was uncomfortable, but for a moment we were behind a white curtain under a rock where water flowed. Then we'll just let it drift.

At the bottom it has an elongated shape close to an oval with one almost even side. The volume of space is estimated at 33110 m³. The bottom and passages to deeper levels, which probably exist, are still poorly explored.

A narrow path leads to the Swallows' Cave. hiking trail and a dirt road on which only SUVs can drive.

The first 4m waterfall is a challenge, a technique, so we know how to jump and jump. Of course, we repeated this from Mir twice. Then it went smoothly, mainly because of the vest. We tossed towels again and again, paid, gave a guide with a dagger and quickly burned south to tankin tuna to take a boat ride to Tamul Falls. They told us that no one else could take us at that hour and that the cost of the boat was 600 pesos, regardless of the number of people, but we didn't let that get discouraged and we got out.

Especially do not let "guided" local guides right in the village that you park and go with them. It's far from the village! You may meet such people along the way, but you can get to a car where you can go. At first we wanted to join the group, but most of them were quite numerous and they fell out of the “losers”. Finally, we were approached by the grandfather, who offered us his services. The contract ended at 300 pesos to the satisfaction of both parties, and we went out with our own boat down the river.

Its dimensions are such that it can easily accommodate the famous New York skyscraper Chrysler Building.

The Cave of the Swallows has been known to people who have inhabited this area since ancient times. The first documentary study was made on December 27, 1966.

AT last years became a favorite place for base jumpers.

It was part of the filming of the film "Sanctum".

The journey was really endless and we had nothing to do, it was raining. We had confidence in Mir's waterproof camera, at least for this moment. Tamul Falls, which measures a hundred meters high and about 300 meters wide, unfortunately cannot approach the boat for safety, so we basically only saw part of this giant. But if you ever get a chance to get here, you can buy skiing to enjoy the waterfall.

In the morning we got up at five o'clock because we recommend local residents get out in time to avoid the swallows of the Sotano de las Golondrinas. This cave, about 400 meters deep in free fall, is one of the largest "holes" in the world and is considered the most beautiful. This karst formation was created by water erosion in a limestone fissure. A typical feature is the diameter of the cave, which extends deeper in direction. As an ordinary observer, you see only a round hole with a diameter of about 60 meters.

The Spanish name of the cave comes from the Mexican name for swallows - Golondrinas. However, it is inhabited by swifts of the Black Swift species and parrots of the Mexican Aratinga species.

Flora and fauna of the Swallow Cave

In the morning, flocks of birds fly in a spiral, gaining altitude until they reach the exit from it. In the evenings, swifts return back, and they dive in flocks of several dozen individuals until they reach the level of their nesting in it. Watching the behavior of birds has become one of the favorite activities of tourists visiting the entrance to it.

When you dare to approach, and the volunteers who supply you with a lifeline, you lean towards the edge, amazed as it is deep. Before, paratroopers jumped off. Especially thanks to the average 300m rocky bottom, it was safe, but not for the swallows that stayed in the cave, so this activity was later banned and now you can shell out the bottom for big money.

Our wasta knowledge is not yet complete. In total, the surreal buildings are built in a 32-hectare rainforest that flows through a clear river and forms cascades and natural pools. These are incredible structures that often don't end or begin.

The Cave of the Swallows is also quite densely populated by insects and snakes. Due to the large amount of guano on the floor of the cave, fumes, the presence of a large number of bacteria in the air, and fungi and mold on the walls.

The floor of the pit is covered with the excrement of millions of birds. This excrement, rainwater, and debris from the surface is the food base of the numerous animals on the floor of the cave. There are centipedes and insects, snakes and scorpions. The air is filled with odors, fungi and bacteria. It is possible to be at the bottom without a breathing mask, but cavers who want to explore the far corners should bring additional equipment with them.

In this garden of shapes, you can walk all day and be out of luck. He began to explore Mexico, and on his way to Huastse, he became deeply interested in the orchids that flourished there. The rain through which the river flowed attracted him so much that he decided to dock and create a paradise there. He began growing more orchids and exotic plants, creating terraces and fences for the animals he cared for. He had many exotic birds, deer, small steel, turtles, toucans, ducks, flamingos and many others.

This was awakened in the idea of James, which was the beginning of the magnificent buildings that we can see today. The idea of this project was to create shapes that would fit into natural landscapes. rainforest, to create something as majestic and charming as his orchids, without destroying anything.

In order to protect nature, the Swallow Cave and its unique ecosystem, the researchers agreed to use only one descent point. This place is equipped with rope bolts. Another point is the time of day, the birds fly out of it in the morning and arrive in the evening. Explorers and especially base jumpers should not disturb the peace at this time of the day.

Integral to this project were his friends and artists Plutarco Gastlum, who figured as the building's construction administrator, and Don José Aguilar Camacho, who created the wooden molds for pouring concrete, which later recognized as a critical work for their traditional processing. So, when you pass through this amazing garden, you can see orchids, bowls different colors, shapes reminiscent of mingling flamingos, bamboo clusters, stairways to heaven and many other formations that let your imagination run wild.

In terms of depth, this is the 2nd most deep place in Mexico, and the 11th deepest in the world. It is the depth that attracts many tourists and especially lovers of this extreme sports like base jumping (skydiving from any hills).

Giant beauties discovered thanks to mining

There are many more photos in the gallery. In the Mexican semi-desert, about 100 kilometers southeast of the city of Chihuahua, there are the Naica Mountains. It is literally intertwined with a network of cracks and natural caves. Cracks in the mountains, once in the depths of the Earth, penetrated the surface of mineral mineral springs. The water cooled up the road, causing the minerals to precipitate and crystallize. Stone cavities were filled with ores rich in silver, lead and zinc. These metals have also been mined and some mines are still in operation.

A man without a parachute would fall in about 12 seconds from top to bottom. As a result, many extreme enthusiasts take up the challenge to jump off the edge.

There has also been a case where balloon of medium size were led from the bottom of the cave through its 45-meter entrance.

Swallow Cave is also a popular spot for experienced cavers. The descent to the bottom can take about 20 minutes. They go down there by a rope. But the way back - this is a real challenge to your strength!

The explorer has to climb up a single rope using clamps, which is very tiring. This is at least 40 minutes of tremendous stress, even for extremely trained researchers, this is a serious test. And for normal, physically fit people, the journey takes about two hours.

There is also a psychological point here: the height is not the only problem, the width makes it much lighter and looks smaller than it really is. Our brain cannot accurately estimate real distances. Therefore, the climber forces himself to work hard without any visible progress.

There are many gentle slopes and stepped transitions in the Swallow Cave. So going down, and even more so climbing the slopes, is a difficult task.

The ingenious creations of nature can be admired endlessly. One of these amazing places is Swallow Cave. It is located in Mexican state San Luis Potosi and is considered the deepest cave in Mexico.

The Cave of the Swallows can be reached by bus from Mexico City or Monterey in about 5 hours. The bus ticket costs about $30.

You can get to the cave by a dirt road, which can only be driven by off-road vehicles.

When we first saw the cave, it seemed to us not too big. But really, it's just huge. The shape of the cave resembles a giant bottle: a vertical "neck" with a diameter of 55 meters expands to 140-160 meters. Its depth is 376 meters! For comparison, one of the New York skyscrapers can be hidden in it.

The people who inhabited this area knew about the existence of the cave for a long time, but the first documentary studies here were made only in December 1966.

In the cave of Swallows, there are many colonies of not only swallows, but also other birds, including parrots.

In the morning, millions of birds fly out of the cave and rapidly rise to the sky. And with the onset of evening, you can watch the birds return to the cave and fall like a stone inside. This is a very impressive and unforgettable sight - to watch how the birds, like stones, fall right into the abyss of the cave and stop near their nests.

You can go down inside the cave with the help of climbing equipment or by parachute. Near the cave there is a special platform for attaching equipment. The descent into the cave with a parachute takes only about 10-15 seconds. In order not to disturb the usual life of birds, as well as for the safety of people, descents are allowed strictly from 12 to 16 hours, at this time the birds fly away to feed.

Jumping or going down the cave is one thing, but climbing up the almost sheer wall is quite another. The way up on average takes a couple of hours and requires excellent physical fitness.

The cave itself is quite cold. Vegetation is only near the entrance to it. After heavy rains, streams appear that cascade into the cave. Inside the cave, in addition to birds, many other living creatures live: various insects, including scorpions, snakes. So inside you need to be extremely careful.

It smells inside, to put it mildly, not very much. The air is filled with the smell of decay and mold, so staying in a cave for a long time without oxygen equipment or special filters is not only unpleasant, but also dangerous.

At the bottom of the cave lies a thick layer of stones and bird droppings. The bottom is sloping and has many small tunnels and splits leading to lower levels. Now they have not yet been fully studied by scientists.

It is noteworthy that part of the filming of the famous film Sanctum took place here.

The size of the cave is really impressive. For the descent and subsequent ascent to the top, you need good physical (I repeat) and moral preparation. If you doubt your abilities, then you can not go down, but just look at the huge flocks of birds returning to their nests in the evening.

I. Caves are a unique natural phenomenon.

^ II. Tavdinsky caves are a favorite place for tourists.

There are quite a lot of caves on the territory of the Altai Territory. The most famous of them: Geophysical, Altai, Tavdinsky - these are the favorite places of tourists traveling through the Altai Mountains.

The most accessible to visit are the Tavdinsky caves. Despite the fact that they are located in sheer cliffs and on the steep slopes of the Tavdinskaya Mountain, it is quite easy to visit them - an asphalt road leads to them and special steps are made (Fig. 3 and 4), and electricity is even supplied to the Tavdinskaya-2 cave for convenience. tourists. Since the caves are a well-known and popular place among tourists, almost every recreation center in the area provides informational posters informing about the time, duration and cost of excursions to them. The entrance to the natural monument itself has long been turned into a place for a comfortable stay of guests with numerous cafes, kiosks with souvenirs and even holiday houses. It is also attractive that other sights of the Altai Mountains are located not far from the Tavdinsky caves: Lake Aya, Lake Manzherok, Kamyshlinsky waterfall, Arzhan-Suu spring.

The fame of the artisan young family soon reached Tavda. Her hands even shook with anger when she saw their creations. Immediately overlaid with such a large quitrent, which even a dozen masters would not have been able to do. What was the surprise of the khan's servants when, by the appointed time, the khanshi Manzherok and Katyng appeared at the yurt almost empty-handed. The master had only one jug in his hands, and the craftswoman had only one fishing net ... “Listen to us, mistress, our tribute to you is not simple,” began Manzherok. “Here is my jug, it is without a bottom, you will pour as much koumiss into it as all your subjects prepare it.” “Here is my net,” Kating continued. “With it, your servants will catch all the fish from the rivers and lakes of Altai.” And in the net there were cells of such a large size that it was clear: they would not hold any fish!

Tavda realized that the masters simply laughed at her greed. She struck with the enchanted staff of Manzherok, he immediately turned into a beautiful lake. When the staff touched the scythes of the green-eyed Katyng, she managed to run aside, and splashed in a swift run with the white-foaming beauty of the Katun River. And before her death, she managed to shout to her beloved - “Farewell!” And she threw a handful of needles into the water, with which she embroidered her beautiful carpets. These needles scattered along the bottom of the lake and sprouted into a strange nut - chilim.

The Tavdinsky caves are located in the Altai region of the Altai Territory, but they can only be accessed from the Chuisky tract through the territory of the Altai Republic, with which the Altai Territory borders along the Katun River, it can be crossed over a new iron bridge (paid travel), leading to the tourist complex "Turquoise Katun". There are caves on the left bank of the Katun River, 200 meters from it, 10-15 kilometers above the confluence of its left tributary with the Ustyub River; 10-12 kilometers south of the village of Nizhnyaya Kayancha, almost opposite the village of Izvestkovy, located on the Chuisky tract. Their geographical coordinates are: 51 0 47 'north latitude, 85 0 40 ' east longitude.

“Nature is a miracle. The real idea that this is Gorny appeared exactly when we went to the Katun. We walked along the left bank, where I would never have even thought to go! Great. Unusual. This is the real Mountain, and not the one that was brought up in me since childhood, that Mountain - Chuisky, which we drove in an air-conditioned car at a speed of 100 km per hour. The distance that we have covered in these ten days, I could have covered in 30 minutes by car. But only now I recognized the real Mountain. Maybe it happened when we were climbing the pass, or when I was sitting today on a rock and looking at the Chuysky tract, which was a small strip on the other side of the river, small shiny cars were driving along it, so tiny! Or when I looked at a lake surrounded by mountains. At such moments, you understand that this world is really created by God and all your deeds are so petty and insignificant... Or when I walked through this dark cave created by small drops of water. They are so mysterious and beautiful…”

^ III. History of development and study of the Tavdinsky caves.

In 1926, an article by geologist M.I. Krot-Donorsky about the Tavdinsky caves, which he explored in 1920, being the director of the Biysk Museum. This is the first, in fact, speleological work in Altai, accompanied by the very first cave plans, quite well executed. M.I. The mole made archaeological finds in two caves, and in two others he discovered earthworks with masonry. In several caves, he observed traces of recent human habitation. Either someone took refuge in the caves during the civil war, or the hermit Old Believers previously hid there.

For a long time, scientists have been looking for inscriptions here. The information that in the Tavdinsky caves or on the rocks next to the caves there are rock paintings of an ancient person made with ocher, in different years were received by archaeologists A. P. Okladnikov, V. D. Kubarev, museum workers B. Kh. Kadikov and S. S. Zyablitsky . In 1968, these drawings were unsuccessfully searched for by members of the TSU speleological expedition, in the 1970s by Academician A.P. Okladnikov, in 1981 by V.K. Wistinghausen. But all searches in this direction were fruitless.

IV. Geology.

This area was first explored in 1930 by K.V. Radugin. He worked in the basins of the Maima, Kayas, Saydys rivers - as a result, he noted the wide distribution of marbles and quartzites here. In the same year, Kraevskaya studied the basins of the Kamenka, Ustyub and Sema rivers - she pointed to a significant distribution of limestone and marble along the Ustyub River. In 1933, the geologist Nenakhov conducted research in the Chemal River basin, he noted that the area was composed of Proterozoic and Cambrian marbles and limestones, broken through by acid intrusions. In 1942-1944 M.K. Winkman and S.F. Dubinkin studied the geological structure of the northern part of the Altai Mountains and identified the age units of the Borotal Formation and the Kayachin Formation. In 1948 and 1949 the first geological maps of the area were drawn up.

The marble here is gray, light gray with a bluish tint, dolomite, massive or striped. The strike of the strata of marbles is submeridional, the dip is western at an angle of 40-65 0 . The age of the marbles is Lower Cambrian. The sediment thickness is small, does not exceed 1.5 meters, and they are represented by Quaternary yellow-brown clay with fragments of marble and other rocks.

V. Monument of nature.

Tavdinsky caves are also a geological monument of nature, which has been visited by more than one thousand tourists since the discovery. The “guests” caused enormous damage to the caves: everyone seeks to take away a piece of this “beauty” with them or leave a memory of themselves here in the form of an inscription on the wall. Mining near limestone, scaring away and destroying bats and other inhabitants, unauthorized excavations, and the destruction of stalactites and stalagmites also cause damage to caves.

The permitted use of this natural monument is tourism. On its territory and protected zone it is prohibited:

1. Damage to landforms;

2. Excavation of loose and rocky rocks;

3. Damage and destruction of soils;

4. Grazing;

5. Deforestation and shrubs;

6. Waste disposal.

The most visited cave in the Tavdinsky massif is Bolshaya Taldinskaya, its other name is "Girl's Tears". It is a system of two grottoes. The lower entrances to it are located 70-80 meters from the road. The main gallery is quite spacious and gradually rises. The difference from the lowest entrance to the highest one is 23 meters. On the last forty-meter section, in front of the highest entrance, the gallery, rising, twists in a spiral, overlapping its lower part and forming a ledge. The area of natural monuments is 0.2 ha.

^ Cave Tavdinskaya-2 is located at an altitude of 100 meters from the foot of the Tavdinsky mountain. Its length is 250 meters, volume is 1200 m 3 . The cave is dry and through, has five entrances, is an arched grottoes, there are no sinter formations. The area of the natural monument is 9 hectares. Protected zone of geological monuments of nature 75 hectares.

Unique and ^ Tavda karst arch . It represents a rare form - the remains of the vault of a karst tunnel or cave, which originally had the appearance of a wide span - a bridge, and later - an arch. The Tavdinsky Arch is located at an altitude of about 80 meters above the water level of the Katun River. The width of the through hole of the arch ranges from 3 to 13 meters, the height - from 3 to 5 meters. The vault of the arch, 5 meters thick, is covered with sparse herbaceous vegetation and pines. Since 1996, it has the status of a natural monument.

The effective protection of caves requires regular inspection and regulation of economic and excursion and tourist activities in their vicinity.

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