Kurgazak Cave (
Russian: Кургазакская пещера) is a
cave in the
Ural Mountains, in the
Ay River valley. Located in the
Chelyabinsk oblast
Chelyabinsk Oblast (russian: Челя́бинская о́бласть, ''Chelyabinskaya oblast'') is a federal subject (an oblast) of Russia in the Ural Mountains region, on the border of Europe and Asia. Its administrative center is the city ...
,
Russia, and between the villages Mezhevoy Alexeevka is a natural monument. The first mention of the cave belongs to the second half of the 18th century, when it was described by
Peter Simon Pallas academician.
The cave entrance is located at an altitude of about 20 meters, 150 meters from the
Ay River. Length - 530 m, depth - 16 m. The cave is formed in the
Devonian
The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...
strata of limestone and
karst
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 ...
cavity represents the main-corridor-type, consisting of three large halls interconnected passageways.
File:Кургазакская пещера у побережья реки Ай.jpg, Kurgazak cave
File:Внутри Кургазакской пещеры.jpg, Inside the Kurgazak cave
Caves of Russia
Landforms of Chelyabinsk Oblast