Ochtinská Aragonite Cave (, the Magyar Wikipedia article uses a different title) is a unique
aragonite
Aragonite is a carbonate mineral and one of the three most common naturally occurring crystal forms of calcium carbonate (), the others being calcite and vaterite. It is formed by biological and physical processes, including precipitation fr ...
cave situated in southern
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
, near
Rožňava
Rožňava (, , Latin: ''Rosnavia'') is a town in Slovakia, approximately by road from Košice in the Košice Region, and has a population of 19,182.
The town is an economic and tourist centre of the Gemer. Rožňava is now a popular tourist attr ...
. Although only 300 m long, it is famous for its rare
aragonite
Aragonite is a carbonate mineral and one of the three most common naturally occurring crystal forms of calcium carbonate (), the others being calcite and vaterite. It is formed by biological and physical processes, including precipitation fr ...
formations.
Along with other caves of the
Slovak Karst, it is included in the
UNESCO World Heritage
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty
A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by int ...
list as a component of
Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst site, because of its diversity of aragonite formations and testimony to the cave-forming geologic processes.
Description
The Ochtinská Aragonite Cave is one of only three aragonite caves discovered in the world so far. The cave is located at 642 meters above sea level, with an temperature between 7.2 and 7.8°C.
This stable microclimate, along with dissolved iron, manganese, and magnesium ion is the slowly dripping water, allows for the formation of the ornate aragonite formations. The oldest of these formations are between 120,000 and 130,000 years old, with younger formations being about 14,000 years old.
In the so-called Milky Way Hall, the main attraction of the cave, white branches and clusters of aragonite shine like stars in the
Milky Way
The Milky Way or Milky Way Galaxy is the galaxy that includes the Solar System, with the name describing the #Appearance, galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars in other arms of the galax ...
. The cave was discovered by Martin Cangár and Jiri Prosek in 1954 and opened to the public in 1972.
See also
*
List of caves in Slovakia
Gallery
Image:Ochtina Aragonite Cave 28.jpg, Aragonite inside the cave
References
External links
Official site with pictures, map of the cave, and contact information
Show caves in Slovakia
World Heritage Sites in Slovakia
Geography of Košice Region
Tourist attractions in Košice Region
Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst
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