Atlantida (cave)

Atlantida (

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

: Атланти́да) is a

karst cave Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

, most famous for its unusual geology, rare formations, and pristine condition. It is located at the bank of the river

Zbruch The Zbruch ( uk, Збруч, pl, Zbrucz) is a river in Western Ukraine, a left tributary of the Dniester.Збруч

in
Kamianets-Podilskyi Raion Kamianets-Podilskyi Raion ( uk, Кам'янець-Подільський район, ) is one of the three administrative raions (a Raions of Ukraine, ''district'') of the Khmelnytskyi Oblast in western Ukraine. Its Administrative centre, administ ...
of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, close to Zavallya village. The cave is 2525 m long and 18 m deep, with 4440 m² area. Subordinated to the Tourism and Excursions Council of Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the cave is a part of the Podilski Tovtry National Nature Park. Atlantida is the only cave with horizontal three-level structure within Ukraine. This structure bases on a system of wide and high galleries of the lower level, formed by powerful localized underground flows. On the same level in the
gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywal ...
stratum lies a labyrinth of downgoing passages called "cellars" (as many of them are deadlock). The second level extends about 9 m above and consists of narrowed to 1-1.5 m cavities. The upper level, which contains two 5 m high passages, is located just at the top of gypsum
bed A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many beds ...
. There are also a number of halls up to 12 m high at the crossings of galleries. The largest are Dynamo, the Hall of the Conquerors of the caves, the Hall of Kyiv speleologists. The morphology of galleries and halls of Atlantida is not much affected by process of destruction. The gypsum
speleothems A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending on ...
like stalactites,
stalagmites A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically co ...
and straws of different colorations create a spectacular sculptural shape of the cave's ceiling and walls. The great variety of crystals from miniature needles to 1.5 m long units makes the cave a unique mineralogical museum. The cave is inhabited by rare species of bats.

History
In 1950s, in Zavallya was set a quarry for gypsum mining. However, it did not work for long because of numerous holes in rock, which made the business unprofitable. The holes attracted young speleologists from Kyiv under the guidance of Valery Rogozhnikov who discovered Atlantida cave in 1969. One of the largest halls in cave is devoted to them – "The Hall of Kyiv speleologists". The cave has become a natural geological monument of national importance since 1975.

Visiting
Now there are provided
caving Caving – also known as spelunking in the United States and Canada and potholing in the United Kingdom and Ireland – is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems (as distinguished from show caves). In contrast, speleology i ...
tours to Atlantida under control of the Khmelnytskyi Speleo Club "Atlantida" based in Zavallya.

References
{{Authority control Karst caves Geography of Khmelnytskyi Oblast Gypsum caves Caves of Ukraine