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Optymistychna ( uk, Оптимістична: meaning "optimistic", also known as Peschtschera Optimistitscheskaya) is a gypsum cave located near the
The entire cave lies under a 2 km square area in a layer of Neogene period gypsum that is less than thick. The passages tend to be fairly small, no more than wide and tall for most, although at intersections they can be up to tall. They are often choked with mud. They comprise a dense network on several levels, making Optymistychna known as a "maze cave".
Optymistychna's gypsum bed is topped with a limestone layer, which has seeped through into the cave via erosion and formed into
Official site of Optimistic cave
Chapter II.9, Gypsum Karst in the Western Ukraine by Alexander Klimchouk
article appearing in: International Journal of Speleology, vol. 25, #3-4, 1996, p. 263-278. {{DEFAULTSORT:Optymistychna Geography of Ternopil Oblast Gypsum caves Caves of Ukraine Natural heritage sites in Ternopil Oblast
Ukrainia
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 invas ...
n village of Korolivka, Chortkiv Raion
Chortkiv Raion ( uk, Чортківський район) is a raion in Ternopil Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Chortkiv. It has a population of
History
In the Second Polish Republic, the area belonged t ...
, Ternopil Oblast. Approximately of passageways have been mapped within. As a result, it is the longest cave in Eurasia and the fifth-longest cave in the world, after Mammoth Cave, Sistema Sac Actun
Sistema Sac Actun (from Spanish and Yucatec Maya meaning "White Cave System") is an underwater cave system situated along the Caribbean coast of the Yucatán Peninsula with passages to the north and west of the city of Tulum. Discovery of a connec ...
, Jewel Cave
Jewel Cave National Monument contains Jewel Cave, currently the third longest cave in the world, with of mapped passageways. It is located approximately west of the town of Custer in Black Hills of South Dakota. It became a national monument ...
and Sistema Ox Bel Ha. It is also the longest gypsum cave in the world.
History
Thecave complex
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
was discovered by the speleologists of the Lviv speleological club "Cyclope" in 1966. It was entirely unknown before then. There have been more than 50 expeditions since then, but exploration has slowed significantly in recent years, and very little surveying is currently being done. The cave is located very close to the Priest's Grotto
Priest's Grotto (also known as ''Ozerna'' or ''Blue Lakes'' ua, Озерна, meaning: "lake") is a cave in western Ukraine near the village of Strilkivtsi ( ua, Стрілківці), located within Chortkiv Raion (District) of Ternopil Oblast ...
or Ozerna Cave, the eleventh-longest cave in the world at , but the two caves have not yet been found to be connected.
In 2008, the cave was recognized as a Natural Wonder of Ukraine.
Geology
The entire cave lies under a 2 km square area in a layer of Neogene period gypsum that is less than thick. The passages tend to be fairly small, no more than wide and tall for most, although at intersections they can be up to tall. They are often choked with mud. They comprise a dense network on several levels, making Optymistychna known as a "maze cave".
Optymistychna's gypsum bed is topped with a limestone layer, which has seeped through into the cave via erosion and formed into calcite
Calcite is a Carbonate minerals, carbonate mineral and the most stable Polymorphism (materials science), polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). It is a very common mineral, particularly as a component of limestone. Calcite defines hardness 3 on ...
speleothems. At other places, the gypsum has formed crystals, often tinted a multitude of colors by mineral salts. In some areas, large gypsum rosettes have formed, colored black by Manganese oxide.
Notes
See also
* List of longest cavesReferences
External links
Official site of Optimistic cave
Chapter II.9, Gypsum Karst in the Western Ukraine by Alexander Klimchouk
article appearing in: International Journal of Speleology, vol. 25, #3-4, 1996, p. 263-278. {{DEFAULTSORT:Optymistychna Geography of Ternopil Oblast Gypsum caves Caves of Ukraine Natural heritage sites in Ternopil Oblast