Caves of different regions of Karachay-Cherkessia

Unnamed- the cave is located at the mouth of the Bezymyannaya gully, about 17 km east of the village. Hasaut. The cave stretches in the sandstones of Plinsbach and, according to the famous Soviet scientist-karst scientist N.A.Gvozdetsky, who first explored this cave 40 years ago, is quite interesting.

The cave begins with a large elliptical niche and has a length of 30 m and a height of 10 m. From the base of the niche there is a stepped rise. On the left side of the niche there is an entrance to the cave itself, which is 12 m wide and 6 m high. From the entrance there is an ascent along smoothed slabs to a rounded hall. The diameter of the hall is 10 m, the height is 7 m. The rise of the floor continues almost to the very rear wall, where it turns into a flat horizontal platform 2-3 m wide. The rounded hall at the height is bordered by a cornice made of micro-conglomerate, under which a niche with smooth walls and a narrow passage runs in a semicircle. A niche has been worked out under the cornice, which passes into the vault of the hall.

There are many small caves in the Hasaut River valley, for example, a cave excavated in the Plinsbach sandstones along an inclined northeastern crack. The floor and ceiling rise steeply. The length of the cave is 10-11 m. Another cave is up to 20 m long. The maximum width is 7 m. The maximum height is 6-7 m. The entrance is wide, up to 4.5 m. Its height is 3 m. The long axis of the cave is oriented to the northwest. ... The floor is flat, inclined towards the entrance. Above, along the Hasauta Valley, there are small caves and grottoes in the oxford-kimeridt limestones. Limestones here form a structural terrace, standing out in the form of an edge. The thickness of the limestone in the area a. Hasaut about 200 m.

WATER- the cave is located in a small unnamed gully, the stream of which, 15 km from the mouth, flows into the Alikonovka River on the territory of the Malokarachaevsky district on the left. In the mouth of the left side of the gully, Valanginian limestones are exposed, in which two small caves and grottoes have been developed.

Peshera Vodnaya has 2 entrances measuring 3x2 m and 3x6 m. The first entrance is open, the second is half-covered with stone. The entrance leads into a vast rounded cavity up to 12 m in diameter and up to 2.5 m in height. Narrow and low passages 8 and 15 m long stretch from the rear wall along 0 ° and 30 ° cracks. The right passage is limited by the plane of the crack along which dripping is noted. The floor is flat, covered with loose deposits. In the center of the cave, from ceiling to floor, a pipe of the water conduit passing through here is walled up. The cave is dry, temperature 10 °, relative humidity 96%.

Water second- the cave is located above the gully, 300 m from the Vodnaya cave. The cave has an interesting structure. The cavities are spread over three floors. In the upper part of the outcrop there are 2 small inaccessible niches, under them is a larger niche up to 3 m high, 4 m wide, and below it is a cave. The cave was excavated along a crack in the north-western direction, the width of the entrance is up to 6 m, the height is 2.5 m, the deepening is 11 m. The floor is flat, inclined towards the entrance. The cave is dry, ending in a narrow gaping crack that can be traced to the top of the outcrop.

GRISHKIN'S CAVES, or the caves of the Grishkina gully are located in the gully of the same name, which is the right tributary of the Eshkakon River. The caves have an unusual cavity morphology, perhaps the only one of their kind in the North Caucasus. Here, in the right side of the gully, at a height of 15 m from the bottom of the gully, there is a small terrace composed of limestone tuffs (travertines), above it there is an outcrop of heavily karst dolomites and dolomitized limestones. A spring with a flow rate of up to 25 l / sec is confined to the lower part of the outcrop. The spring water is hydrocarbonate-sulphate calcium-magnetic with a mineralization of 0.5 g / l.

Above, on limestones, there are gypsums of Tithonian. to the strongest karstovannye, with numerous funnels. The spring waters are clearly fed by these funnels, which determines the sulfate content in them. The stream, feeding on the waters of this spring, repeatedly changed its course along the slope, thus depositing groups of tuffs. Later, possibly with a decrease in the basis of erosion, the waters began to seep into the depths of the terrace into the underlying layer of limestones, reaching a crack against the slope of the gully, water began to accumulate in it. With a particularly increased inflow of water and filling of cavities, the latter began to look for a way out into the valley of the gully, eroding the front wall of the expanded crack and thus making numerous holes and windows. The most eroded openings represent the modern entrances to the caves. The section of the outcrop, where the caves are located, has a length of up to 100 m. 7 of the most bizarre forms of caves have been worked out here, which stretch along the crack of the southeast direction.

The first, the easternmost cavity has 2 entrances and a length of 18 m, two halls up to 4 m high, connected by a four-meter low (0.7 m) manhole. three organ pipes extending to the surface.

Second cave(10 m west of the first one) opens with a bizarre entrance (2.5 x 3 m) and vent windows. Behind it stretches a cavity 42 m long, where 3 halls 22.7 and 9 m long, up to 8 m wide, 2.5 to 5 m high, connected by two meter manholes, stand out.

Third cave opens with an extensive arch up to 14 m wide. up to 8 m high, with a deepening of up to 2.5 m. from it through the hole (7.3 x 2.5 m) you can go into a cavity 20 m long. 8 m wide. 1.5-7 m high There is a narrow opening from the third cave to the second.

Fourth cave has 2 entrances, between which an outlet opens (up to 0.7 m). From all these holes, passages up to 6 m long extend, which lead to a hall 14 m long, 2.5-4 m wide, up to 6 m high.

Fifth cave is located nearby, it also has two entrances, one of them is laid with a stone, the dimensions of the second are 1.7 x 2 m. Behind the entrance, a cavity can be traced, consisting of two halls connected by an opening (1.7 x 2 m). The sizes of the halls are 5х3х4 and 16х4х6 meters. In the last room you can see organ pipes and vents.

Sixth cave small, represented by one cavity 10 m long, 5 m wide. From it there is a hole into a small chamber (3x3 m). The entrance is an arch, with a cross section of 4x4 m.

Seventh, the westernmost cave is damp and dirty, it is periodically filled with water, as evidenced by sediments - sand and gravel. The length of the cave is 14 m. There are many drip formations in the caves and therefore they are also known as Stalactite.

The Grishkina Balka caves have long been known to local residents. The nearest settlement is with. Uchkeken.

DUGUR-DORBUN- the cave is located in the Katykhina gully, the stream of which is the right tributary of the Alikonovka river. In the upper reaches of the gully, on its starboard side, 400 m from the school a. Elkush (Malokarachaevsky district), Valanginian limestones are exposed. in which there are grottoes and a small cave. The length of the cave, which is confined to the crack in the northeastern direction, is 70 m.

The entrance has a height of 3 m, a width of up to 3 m. From the entrance, a cavity stretches 20 m long, up to 3 m wide, up to 1.7 m high. Further, the height drops sharply, the passage is possible only by crawling. At 35 m from the entrance there is a small hall up to 5 m long, up to 3 m wide, up to 5 m high. A crack is visible in the vault. Lumps were dumped on the floor. At the end, the cave drops to 25 cm, the passage is difficult, the air is stale with an unpleasant odor. Translated from Karachai, the name means "uneven cave".

ZAGON- a cave in the upper reaches of the small Mokraya (or Zamkovaya) ravine, which is the right tributary of the Alikonovka River. The length of the gully is about 4 km, and in its steep, steep slopes, composed of Valanginian limestones, numerous grottoes and a small cave can be traced, conditionally named "Zagon". The entrance to the cave, up to 6 m wide, up to 3 m high, is fenced off by local shepherds with a wattle fence. Behind it is a grotto 7 m long, up to 8 m wide, and up to 3 m high. The floor is flat. The ceilings and walls are stable. The peshera is used as a livestock paddock. In the rear wall along the trash can be seen a passage, which is heaped up from the side of the grotto, obviously, so that the sheep do not go there.

BY THE WAY. The authorship of the terms (1655) "stalactite" and "stalagmite" (from the Greek "stalagm" - a drop) belongs to the Danish scientist Olau Worm. Water droplets are a solution containing various components, and the ongoing chemical processes lead to the precipitation of microscopic particles of calcium carbonate. Thousands of drops that have fallen from the ceiling of the underground cavity leave behind a thin, translucent ring of calcite, which will slowly grow, turning into an elongating tube, falling off the roof, a drop of solution breaks one cavity, where the deposited calcite gives rise to a single stalagmite, slowly growing, it will strive upward, and, connecting with a stalactite, turns into an underground column - a stalagnat.

SNAKE- a karst cave in the upper reaches of the Ak-Suu stream, which flows into the Duut River on the left, about 4 km north of the ancient village of Duut (currently the aul is abandoned). The Ak-suu stream flows from the vokluz of the same name. above which, in an outcrop of marbled limestones, is the entrance to the cave. The diameter of the entrance round opening of the entrance is 2.5 m. The cave extends in the south-west direction along a vertical crack, worked out by the water flow, and is a chain of small halls connected by narrow wells. The cavity has separate sections, where the wells to a depth of more than 10 m are overcome "in the space", and in others, a hinge of special equipment is required. Almost all walls and vaults of the cave are covered with secondary calcite, many interesting drip formations and accumulations of "moon milk"

The cave was first explored by a group of amateur cavers from the RTI plant from Cherkessk (expedition leader A.I. Gofshtein) in 1972, when the cave was covered 500 meters. The name of the cave was given due to the abundance of snakes near the entrance.

ILYASOV- a cave on the left bank of the Chilik River in the Yagodkina Skala area. The entrance to the cave is located at an absolute height of 1765 m in a rocky limestone outcrop. The total length of the cave is 45 meters. The entrance is a horizontal slit up to 25 meters long and up to 5 meters high. The cave contains small drip formations (stalactites up to 10 cm). Drops are observed in the depth. There is a small Karr lake. The bottom of the main hall is covered with a blockage of boulders (the size of individual boulders: 5x7x3 m), the height of the vault is up to 10 m. Small branches of the main hall end in dead ends, their length is no more than 7 m. The cave is named after the person who allegedly hid in it. The same cave is sometimes called Yagodkina, after the name of the surrounding rock.

KOZLINA- a cave in the marbled limestones of the starboard side of the Teberda river valley. The entrance to the cave has a western exposure and is located directly above the quarry for the extraction of gray marbled limestone near the northern outskirts of the resort town of Teberda. The cave is a single cavity up to 3 meters long with a vault height of 1.5 to 7 m. The name of the cave is associated with a legend. It is said that the goat that got into this cave came out of the ground in the Dauta Gorge.

RED- a cave in the left side of the Krasnaya gully of the right tributary of Maly Zelenchuk on the territory of the Khabez district. The gully is small in length, worked out by a stream in gypsum, the latter either flows as an open watercourse, or goes into an underground channel. The cave is part of such a channel through which a stream flows. The channel was opened by a small funnel in the starboard side of the beam. In its walls, a crack is traced, oriented along the slope at an azimuth of 270 °. Below, among the boulders, there is an entrance 2 m wide, up to 1 m high. Through it you can go down into a cavity 6 m long, 4 m wide, up to 2.4 m high. The floor is inclined towards the mouth and is littered with boulders. Through the hole in the steppe, a corridor-channel of the brook can be traced about 30 m long, up to 7 m wide, up to 3 m high.The morphology of the cave shows how difficult it was for the brook to develop cavities, more extensive halls are confined to the areas of gypsum lenses, narrow and low channels correspond to the lintels from clays between lenses, which are difficult to corrode and leach. The cave is damp and muddy, the walls and ceiling are covered with reddish clay, the levels of the flow during the flood are visible. The water in the stream flowing through the cave is sulphate calcium-magnesium, mineralization 0.6 g / l. The name of the cave is due to the color of the clays in this area.

MARBLE- a cave in the marbled limestones of the left side of the Teberda river valley. The cave is located directly in the Agursky quarry. It is confined to the acniclinal fold and developed along a tectonic fracture in the northwestern direction. The cave is small, 35 m long, 1.5 m to 8 m wide, 1.5 to 10 m high. You can drive up to it from a. Upper Teberda, where the road leading to the quarry runs along the left side of the valley. Marbled limestones of the Devonian along the rivers Agur and Gidam (tributaries of the Teberda River) are mined for ornamental stone and marble chips. Limestones in this area are quite widespread on the right and left sides of the Teberda River and its tributaries, where their thickness of horizons reaches 10 m and there is no doubt that new caves will still be found here.

BY THE WAY. On the right bank of Maly Zelenchuk, karst phenomena can be traced in limestones and gypsums of the Tithonian. On the slopes of the massif, gypsum is cut through by shallow beams with gently sloping overgrown sides. Slightly lower, at the border of the Tithonian and Kimmerdzhian rocks, the beams sharply change their profile, become deeply cut, with steep sides, up to 100 m high, exposing a layered strata of limestones and sandstones. The streams flowing along such gullies in the upper reaches have closed karst canals, in places above them there are dips, and the streams in this case flow in open streams in narrow miniature gullies. The wandering position of the streams is characteristic: either they flow in the middle of the beam, or they are pressed against its side. Often there are small funnels in the sides of the beams. revealing an underground canal However, all these canals are poorly developed, mostly low, impassable.In the places where the brook passes into and the testpyaki of the Kimerndzh, high ledges are formed, and the streams do not sharply form waterfalls, and then flow in open streams in a canyon-like gully until they merge with the Maly Zelenchuk River.

IMPOSSIBLE- the cave extends in sandstones on the left side of the Khasaut river gorge, above the mouth of the Sullukol river. An inclined crack leads to the entrance, which has a strike azimuth of 15-18 ° and falls eastward at an angle of 50-60 °. This crack opens out to a niche up to 6 m high, 5 m wide, and up to 4 m deep. A narrow manhole that cannot be passed far extends from the niche. The length of the entire cave is 21 m. The cave was described by local historian P.N. Nikitin in 1953.

EAGLE- a cave in the spurs of rocks higher in the hawse in the area of ​​the pass, which the locals call Ilyasov, along the gorge of the Kyafar-Agur river. The entrance is at an absolute height of 2352 m, next to the Turya cave. Extends in marbled Devonian limestones. The width of the entrance is 7 m. The height is 1.5 m. The cave consists of three tiers.

• 1st tier: length - 3 m, height - 4 m.On the floor of the tier, a stream flows out from under the dam
• 2nd tier: length - 10 m, height - 1.5 m. In the vault there are two wells connecting the first and third tiers of the cave
• 3rd tier: length - 25 m, maximum height up to 5 m. At a distance of 2 m from the entrance, there are two wells up to three meters deep, up to 2 m in diameter. slots go to the day surface. The length of the hall of the third tier is 7 m, the height is up to 4 m. The next hall of the tier is 9 m long, with a height of 4 m, there is a stream. On the floor there are debris of marbled limestone. The name of the cave was given in 1976 by an expedition of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Stavropol State Pedagogical Institute and is associated with an eagle's nest near the entrance.

NORTH- a cave on the right bank of the Kuban River near the village of Chapaevskoe. The cave stretches in the Jurassic sandstones for 25 m. It is the northernmost cave on the map of the republic, which gave rise to its name.

STRAW- the cave is located in the Khabez district at the head of the Kaibuk gully stream (the right tributary of the Maly Zelenchuk river); on its starboard side, almost at the very channel. The slopes of the gully are low, soddy, the bottom is swampy. The slopes are made of plaster. The latter are exposed on the starboard side, where from a distance you can see a huge grotto up to 12 m wide, up to 8 m high, deepened by 5 m. In the back wall there is a wide opening - 5.2 m, 1.5 m high, leading to a large hall. The length of the hall is 32 m, the width is 15 m, and the height is up to 15 m. The cave was excavated along a crack in the north-western direction. From the hall, through a small hole (3 x I m), you can enter the next cavity 17 m long, 7.5 m wide, up to 1.5 m high.From the first hall, from under the heap of blocks, a stream flows out, which flows into the second cavity and goes into the well.

The morphology of the caves of this region, confined to gypsum, is sharply different from the caves in the western regions of the republic. There the gypsum form deep horizons, more homogeneous in composition, and the cavities are of considerable size. Here, the gypsum is represented by lenses of small length and thickness, so even small caves have swelling and pinching. The chemical composition of the water circulating in the Tithonian aquifer is also unusual. Instead of sulphate-calcium, we observe bicarbonate, calcium-magnesium, where the sulfate ion (inherent in these waters). present in small quantities. This indicates the overflow of groundwater from the Valanginian horizon into the Tithonian aquifer.

The name of the cave was given by geologists (led by V.I. Ogorodnikova), who documented this cavity in 1971.

STUDENT- a cave in the pressed limestones of the Uzhum ridge first. The entrance to the cave is located at the headwaters of the Podrovannaya gully system. The nearest settlement is the settlement of Nizhniy Arkhyz. In 1933 - 1938, gold mining was carried out in the gorge of the undermined gully, primitively, but effectively. The prospectors, of course, knew about the caves in the gully and its tributaries, but they were not interested in them. And only a few years ago, amateur cavers of the special astrophysical observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences began to explore the cave in the Polorvannaya gully, and they gave the cave the name "Staratelskaya"

The cave has a total length of about 600 m and extends in three tiers with different directions. The cave is flooded, and in each tier there are small lakes, which are interconnected in a single chain, but the studies carried out have not revealed where the water from them comes to the surface. Almost all forms of cave sediments and formations are found in the cave. The cave is now continuing to be explored, recently speleologists from Stavropol State University were able to pass a previously unknown 42-meter well and found an extension of the cave.

TESHIK- the cave is located in the left wing of the Shijatmaz ravine. whose stream is the left tributary of the Khasaut River. The cave extends into Jurassic sandstone deposits. The entrance corridor of the cave is 8 m long, 5 m wide, 3 m high and leads to the Great Hall of the cave. The length of the hall is 30 m, the width is 7 m, and the height is 6 m. At the end of the hall there is a small niche, with which the cave ends. The entrance to the cavity resembles a large hole, this is the reason for the name of the cave, which in translation from Karachai means “hole”.

TURYA- a cave in the spurs of rocks above the vokluz in the area of ​​the pass, which residents call Ilyasov, along the gorge of the Kefar-Agur river. The entrance is located at an altitude of 2362 m above sea level, next to the Orlinaya cave. The cave extends into marbled Devonian limestones. The width of the entrance is up to 4 m, the height is 4 m. There is a glacier 30 m from the entrance. The glacier is 10 m long, with a width of up to 4 m. 32 m from the entrance to the left, there is a branch with a high, but very narrow hall. Ice streaks on the walls. There is a well in the vault (height - 8 m). The length of the traversed section of the cave is 50 m. In the summer of 1976, ice plugs prevented further progress through the cave. The name of the cavity was given in 1976 by speleologists of the Stavropol State Pedagogical Institute in connection with the habitation of tours in the area of ​​the cave.

KHABEZ- the cave is located on the left side of the Belaya gully (a tributary of the Maly Zelenchuk river), 2 km north-west of the village of Khabez. The cave is confined to a tectonic crack in the Upper Cretaceous limestones. The length of this cave-gap, accessible for passage, is 45 m, width from 0.4 m to 1.5 m, height 7.5 m. The air temperature in the cave is 5 ° C, humidity is 75%, the CO content is 0, 5%. The entrance is difficult to access, it is located in a steep cliff at a height of 7-8 m from the foot.

HAJI DOUT- a cave in the upper reaches of the Belaya River, the left tributary of the Podkumok River. The entrance to the cave is located in the ledge of the Dar'insky ridge and is confined to a small fault in the limestones of the Upper Cretaceous. The fault has a direction to the northwest and is accompanied by a narrow crushing zone, where narrow cavities of the cave have been worked out. The length of the cave is up to 20 m.The width of the mouth is 2.5 m, the cavity narrows down to 40 cm and stretches for another 20 m.The height of the cavity is about 20 m.In the western part there is a well up to 7 m deep, along which you can go down to the lower floor and walk up to 14 m, along a narrow low course. The cave has long been known to the locals and is named after one of them. The nearest settlement is with. May Day.

KHAYMASHI- karst dips 2 km west of the southern outskirts of the village of Khabez. Four dips are located on an area of ​​about 2 hectares on the slope of the massif, which is the watershed of the Bolshoi and Maly Zelenchuk rivers. The sinkholes appear to be collapsed or sagging underground cavities excavated in Jurassic sandstones.

• Failure 1.conical shape, slope angle 35 °, depth 6 m, diameter 35 m, covered with bushes
• Failure 2. cone-shaped, diameter up to 70 m, depth 25 m, angle of incidence of the slope 40 °. Most interesting and impressive failure. In the northern part of the cavity, the rocks that compose the massif are exposed, and the not collapsed part of the vault forms a large grotto. According to local residents, the sinkhole was formed about 60 years ago.
• Failure 3.conical shape, the slopes are rather gentle, the depth in the center is up to 20 m, the diameter is 65 m.
• Failure 4: cone-shaped, depth 3 m, diameter 9 m, incline angle 80 °. The name of the failures is translated from Circassian as "latrine" and is explained by the hostility of the local population in the past to this part of the territory. Karst sinkholes in the Khabez area were first described in scientific literature by R.A.Buraev in 1954.

BY THE WAY. Karst phenomena are related to seismology, for example, any small earthquake can cause the roof of an underground cavity to collapse. At the moment of a collapse, blocks of rock weighing a thousand or more tons, when falling from a height of 10 m, release tremendous energy, commensurate with an already multi-point earthquake. And only due to the small amount of flooding involved, such an earthquake will be felt in a small area. Perhaps something similar happened to the west of the village of Khabez at the beginning of the last century, when an earthquake was registered in Karachay-Cherkessia, and local residents were awakened by tremors, a rumble that came from the place, which later became known as "khanmashm". On the territory of Karachay-Cherkessia, earthquakes began to be registered at the end of the 18th century, precisely from the time when, after the "quake" on the Kavminvol mountain Mashuk, the famous Proval was formed. Experts attribute the territory of the republic to the so-called Cherkessko-Teberda seismic region, where the activity of underground forces is moderate, and the strength of earthquakes can reach 7 points. In the past century, the strongest tremors were noted in the republic in 1904, 1905, 1907, 1918, 1925, "1954, 1963 ... years, these tremors have always frightened residents and harmed their economy.

SHAYTAN-TAMAK(Devil's throat, karach.) - the cave is located in the left steep side of the Kuban River, opposite the village of Vazhnoe. The cave was developed in the upper layer of heterogeneous Jurassic limestones along a crack in the northeastern (up to 70 °) and northwest (up to 320 °) directions. The lateral passages of the cave are confined to cracks in the sub-latitudinal direction. The cave opens in the cliff with a small hole measuring 1.9x1.7 m. Near the entrance there are several niches covered with a mummy coating. Behind the entrance there is a grotto up to 5 m long, 4 m wide, in its right corner there is a hole with a cross section of 0.6 x 0.5 m. Behind which a narrow manhole stretches - a "skinner" up to 9 m long, and then a low corridor runs ( height up to 0.7 m), leading to the Hall of Appointments. The length of this hall is 8 m, the width is 6 m, the height is 1.5-3 m. A narrow and low opening (0.7 x 0.6) can be seen in the front wall of the hall. Behind him is a small ledge, you need to go down and again crawl along the Low Gallery.

The cave as a whole is represented by a low (0.7-0.8 m), but rather wide (3-4 m) corridor. In dense dolomites, the passages are narrower, bounded by the plane of cracks; in places where limestones contain calcite, halls of bizarre shape with siliceous laces, a spongy surface, cauldrons and niches, produced by waters, are noted. The floor is flat, covered with small acute-angled limestone fragments and a lot of dust. There are rare expansions - halls up to 3 m high. For the cave, manholes are quite common - labyrinths closed in rings.

From the Hall of Meetings, two manholes lead to the south and end: one with Vasya's grotto, and the other with the Archaeological Hall, to the north there is a small passage to the grotto of Nightmares, and the main gallery of the cave, bending with a knee, goes to the Crystal Hall. The total length of the cave is about 1800 meters. The cavity ends with not yet passed, very narrow slits. At the western end of the cave, small stalactites appear on the vaults, the floor becomes wet.

The cave was found in 1957 by young tourists-schoolchildren of the city of Cherkessk and still remains a popular extreme underground cavity, narrow labyrinths of which many generations of young speleologists of Karachay-Cherkessia passed through the narrow labyrinths.

SHAYTAN SMALL (or Small Shaitan)- the cave is also located on the left rocky side of the Kuban River, on the opposite of the Vosthnoe village. The entrance and the cave are located and 350 m north of the entrance and the Shaitan-Tamak cave and are confined to the crack and lower layers of heterogeneous Jurassic limestones. The cave is small and consists of two chals, the total length is about 50 m. About 20 years ago, a huge colony of bats lived in the cave. The floor of the cave is covered with a thick layer of guano - bat droppings, which are widely known as the most valuable fertilizer. Guano contains up to 30% compounds of phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium. In many countries of the world, guano is widely mined for use in agriculture and subsidiary agriculture. Bats belong to the order of bats, one of the most numerous among mammals in terms of the number of species. In Karachay-Cherkessia, there are small and giant noctresses, two-colored leather, small and large horseshoe bat, dwarf bat, pointed bat.

Bats are useful to humans, they are big lovers of mosquitoes, and in the South of Russia they destroy representatives of 15 out of 32 known orders of harmful nocturnal insects: moths, silkworms, leaf rollers and others, replacing dangerous toxic chemicals. The populations of bats in the caves of the KCR, including in Maly Shaitan, have now sharply decreased, the animal is included in the Red Book, and it must be remembered that, of course, both sides benefit from the union of man and this flying animal.

The North Caucasus is a treasure trove of natural beauty. All regions are great for outdoor activities. The Karachay-Cherkess Republic gives its guests an unforgettable vacation and pleasure.

It is here that you can find unique landscapes, ancient temples, climb Elbrus, visit various tourist complexes, taste the national Caucasian cuisine. Visiting the cultural and natural attractions, it is worth appreciating the traditions of the peoples living in this wonderful place.

In the mountain system of the Greater Caucasus, a mountain of unique beauty stands out, this mountain is the two-peaked volcano Elbrus. You can see him on the border of the Karachay-Cherkess and Kabardino-Balkarian republics.

Elbrus attracts thousands of climbers. After their ascent to the top, their emotions are difficult to express in words. "The whole earth is in full view" - this is how climbers can describe their feelings. Endless snowy expanses, mountain ranges, the brightest sun and blue sky - all this is the summit of Elbrus.

Dzheganskoye gorge of Ust-Dzhegutinsky region

One of the most popular routes in the Ust-Dzhegutinsky region among tourists who prefer active rest is the exploration of the Dzhegonas gorge. This place is attractive in spring and summer. The most interesting place in the gorge is the Jegonas River Canyon, with rocky shores and waterfalls. The view of the river bed is striking in its beauty.

On the way to the waterfalls, you need to overcome a steep descent, and further, at the bend, the river abruptly ends, forming a beautiful waterfall. It is especially good here on hot days, thanks to the freshness and coolness. To view the next waterfall, you need to go downstream, walking along the river bed. By the increasing noise of the water, you can understand how close the waterfall is. The river is surrounded by a wonderful forest, which is also worth a walk.

Here you can find coniferous and deciduous trees, find traces of animals, enjoy the singing of birds. You may also be interested in visiting the Alimkina cave, located on the left side of the Jegonas gully. There are interesting finds in the cave, for example, ceramics, household items of ancient people.

The unique sour springs have been known to the residents and guests of the republic for many years. You can get to them from the village of Phiya, Urupsky district, there is a dirt road.

The journey begins from Bolshaya Polyana, and from it to the springs. Once on this Bolshaya Polyana, you never stop admiring the amazing beauty of nature, its purity and splendor. Around the glade there are mountain slopes with pine forests, and a fast-flowing river flows along it, flowers grow.

There is also a lake called Black. The water is warm, you can swim and sunbathe. Then the "Path of Health" begins, leading to the springs. The springs have a special energy, people visit this place to improve their health. Near each source, and there are 18 of them, there is a stone with the name, for example "Heart", "Lungs". All narzans merge together and fall from the cliff into the river.

Park of culture and rest "Green Island" in Cherkessk

The city of Cherkessk is the capital and pride of the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia. And the pride of Cherkessk is the Green Island culture and recreation park. The name was not given to him by accident, because a huge number of green spaces against the background of a large city looks like an island.

Sports and cultural events are held here, here you can relax for the population and guests of the city. On the territory of the park there are many reservoirs with clean water, and around them there are thickets of trees and bushes. The islands are connected by convenient walkways in the form of bridges. There are various attractions, cafes, a visit to the Lukomorye alley based on the fairy tale of A.S. Pushkin will be very interesting.

Location: Ordzhonikidze Street - 2.

Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in Cherkessk

Going on various journeys, even if the journey is not a pilgrimage, Orthodox believers often want to visit holy places, Christian cathedrals. The current temple in the city of Cherkessk is the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. This is both a holy place for Christians and an architectural decoration of the capital.

The history of the temple is unique, it has existed for 275 years, and during its life it has gone from the Cossack village of Khopra to the Caucasus. The church is wooden and was often moved from place to place, the Cossacks tried to transport it carefully. Now in the church, clergymen deliver sermons, conduct services, and bells made of copper sound. And while the temple stands on this land, the folk path to it will never overgrow.

Location: Lenin Street 156-B.

Monument to the fallen soldiers in the Great Patriotic War in the Malokarachaevsky district

The Great Patriotic War claimed millions of lives. From the village of Krasny Kurgan, which is located in the Malokarachaevsky district, soldiers also went to the front, many of whom never returned home.

In gratitude for their invaluable feat, saving lives at the cost of their own, a monument was erected in this village. This is a large composition in the form of a man and a horse, made in full growth. The material from which the monument is made is bronze. There are trees and benches around. Every year, on the Day of the Great Victory, celebrations are held here, wreaths are laid. You should definitely approach this attraction and pay homage to the soldiers who defended our lives.

Not far from Karachaevsk there is an ancient Christian temple, which was built in the 10th century right in the mountains. Now it is a historical monument. Many people will want to look at it, because the temple on the slopes of the mountains is a real miracle of architecture. The cross-domed temple is made in the Byzantine style, its white walls are visible from afar.

The view of the temple is mesmerizing, it seems that it rests against the firmament. Christians believed that it was more convenient to talk with God from the height of the mountains. And the age of more than a thousand years gives it even greater grandeur. The ancient temple on Mount Shoana holds many mysteries. And in order to solve them, you should go to this beautiful place as soon as possible.

Sentinsky temple in Nizhnyaya Teberda, Karachaevsky region

One of the ledges on the left bank of the Teberda River adorns a Christian church. The Sentin Temple has adorned these picturesque places for over a thousand years.

Its architecture is striking, it is successfully integrated into the surrounding landscape, its forms are impeccable, and the slabs and blocks are carefully fitted. Despite its age, there are no cracks in the temple. A wonderful view of the Teberda Gorge opens from the temple site in winter, the ridges are covered with snow, which creates an impressive sight.

Watchtower Adiyukh Khabez region

In the ancient settlement of Adiyukh, located in the Khabez district, there is the tower "Adiyukh", built of sandstone blocks in the 18th century. It has five floors and is part of a ruined fortress. The tower had a defensive significance, and also served as a storage place for food supplies.

The tower has a rectangular cross-section, the truncated pyramid tapers upward, and its walls thicken. Local residents have a legend about the tower. According to which, there lived a beautiful girl, whose hands shone in the sun and were very white, so that at night they could illuminate the path. And then one day, she quarreled with her husband, and on a dark night did not show him the way, and he died.

The girl grieved about this for a long time, beat against the stones, which soon turned red. Then she married another, but died tragically, never entering his house. The unhappy husband buried her in the rock. Many years later, the burial of a woman was indeed discovered in the rock, and next to the tower there is a mound in which her first husband could rest. Now the Adiyukh tower is a historical monument and the main attraction of the Khabez region.

Recently, tourists have the opportunity to visit the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which has become a popular tourist destination. And, although first of all, this is a scientific object, you can get here on an excursion.

It is located in the village of Nizhny Arkhyz and the village of Zelenchukskaya. There are two types of sightseeing for visitors: daytime and nighttime. During the day's excursion, they are introduced to the work of telescopes, their location, and their distinctive features. And during night excursions, you can gaze at the stars with one of the most powerful telescopes.

Tourist complex "Honey Waterfalls"

The best rest is outdoor recreation. The Karachay-Cherkess Republic has excellent natural resources that everyone must appreciate. On the territory of the tourist complex "Honey Waterfalls" in the Malokarachaevsky district of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic, everyone can have a great rest. Inexpressible feelings and picturesque views await them here.

The rest is comfortable, because there is everything you need - cottages, cafes, a Russian bath. On the territory of the complex there is an ethnographic museum "Karachaevskoe Podvorie", which contains unique exhibits from various historical eras.

There is a gift shop nearby. The tourist complex offers its guests horse rides of various themes - from a simple walk to a horse trek to the foot of Elbrus. Among the active tours there are rafting on mountain rivers, jeep tours and safaris. And at the end of a busy day, it is worth visiting a Russian wood-heated bath or a sauna, this will help to gain strength for new adventures.

Residents of Russia have long known the name "Arkhyz" thanks to the mineral water of the same name. In recent years, the village of Arkhyz, where this mineral water is bottled, is gaining popularity among outdoor enthusiasts.

People come here to practice water sports, which are held on the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River. Among these activities: rafting, kayaking and rafting, passing on catamarans. And four years ago, a ski resort was also opened here. It is located on the slopes of three valleys, has long ski slopes, and excellent lift capacity.

Here in the village of Arkhyz there is an interesting raft base "Neptune". It provides relaxation that is available to everyone. "Neptune" gives extreme emotions, makes the rest unforgettable, here people can easily take a break from the bustle of the city.

During the rafting down the mountain river, travelers admire the amazing beauty of the reserved places, try the dishes of Caucasian cuisine. Professional trainers are always present with the group, and all the necessary equipment is given out right here.

Recreation complex "Pearl of the Caucasus" Prikubansky district

Karachay-Cherkessia is rich in natural water resources. There are large reserves of fresh water, mineral and thermal springs. Therefore, the region attracts many tourists.

The health-improving complex "Pearl of the Caucasus" was opened in the Prikubansky district. It includes pools with healing water. The complex also has saunas, Russian baths, cafes. The "Pearl of the Caucasus" is currently developing rapidly, and it is planned to open an additional zoo here, which will especially appeal to children. And for those who like fishing, a pond is expected.

Location: Stroiteley Street - 1A, Caucasian.

It remains unclear for scientists the appearance of images of saints in various places, be they churches or objects of nature. Believers consider such an appearance a miracle. Being in the village of Nizhniy Arkhyz, it is worth going to Mount Mitseshta to see such a miracle with your own eyes. About 20 years ago, the Face of Christ was discovered in a small sandstone grotto.

The image resembles a Sinai icon. Dimensions: length - 140 cm, width - 80 cm. Getting to this image is quite difficult, but worth it. Moreover, now there is a staircase with railings installed there, and there are also benches. On the way back, you can stop at the viewing platforms and admire the beauty of the mountains.

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Geological and geomorphological features and climatic conditions of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic (KCR) are favorable for the development of karst processes. Four types of caves have been identified on the territory of the republic, differing in composition and age of karst rocks. The caves were formed in the upper hydrostatic zone of the underground hydrosphere. In the KChR cavers and local historians have determined with varying degrees of detail the morphometric parameters of about 100 caves, ten of them are included in the list of natural monuments of republican significance. The vertical amplitude of the hydrostatic zone, favorable for karst formation, reaches 2 km in the morphostructures of the Peredovy Ridge and 1 km of the Rocky Ridge. Objects for priority involvement in the tourism sector are proposed. The use of some of the caves as tourist sites would help preserve their historical value and aesthetic appearance.

hydrostatic zone

groups of karst rocks

natural monuments

1. Yezhov Yu.A., Lysenin G.P., Andreychuk V.N., Dublyansky Yu.V. Karst in the earth's crust: distribution and main types. - Novosibirsk: United. Institute of Geology, Geophysics and Mineralogy, 1992. - 76 p.

2. Kipkeeva P.A. Implementation of the foundations and principles of ecological-geographical education of youth and schoolchildren of Karachay-Cherkessia by means of geoinformation systems abstract dis. ... candidate of geographical sciences: 25.00.36 / Southern Federal University. Rostov-on-Don, 2013.

3. Kipkeeva P.A., Potapenko Yu.Ya. The main factors of ensuring sustainable tourism in Karachay-Cherkessia // Bulletin of the Moscow University. Series 5: Geography. - 2015. - No. 5. - P. 76–81.

4. Kostin P.A. Karst of the Rocky Range to the East of the Kuban // North Caucasus: collection, no. 3. - Stavropol, 1974. - S. 43-50.

5. Lipchenko Yu.S. Karst-speleological zoning of the KChR // Problems of geology, geoecology and mineralogeny of the south of Russia and the Caucasus: materials of the V International scientific conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Professor A.G. Kobilev. - T. 2. Novocherkassk, 2006. [Electr. resource]. - URL: http://abissus.narod.ru/kchr.htm. (date of access: 20.08.15).

6. Maksimovich G.A. Fundamentals of karst studies. - Perm, 1963 .-- 440 p.

7. Mikhailov I.V. Caves of Karachay-Cherkessia. - Stavropol-Cherkessk: Stavropolservice school, 2003 .-- 96 p.

8. Potapenko Yu.Ya. Geology of Karachay-Cherkessia. - Karachaevsk: KChGU, 2004 .-- 150 p.

9. Potapenko Yu.Ya., Kipkeeva P.A. Influence of the structure of river basins on the development of socio-territorial systems (on the example of the Elbrus region). Bulletin of the Dagestan State Pedagogical University. Natural and exact sciences. 2016. No. 1 (34). S. 104-110.

The government has identified the development of domestic and inbound tourism as one of the priority areas of the Russian economy for the coming years. The main goal of the state program "Development of tourism in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic until 2016" is the formation of a modern, efficient, competitive tourist market that provides ample opportunities to meet the needs of Russian and foreign citizens in tourist services, increase employment and the level of income of the population. When identifying tourist sites at the state level, little attention is paid to karst-speleological objects (caves, sinkholes, etc.), while they are widespread in the territory of the KChR almost everywhere, the morphometric indicators of 97 caves have been documented by speleological expeditions.

Caves are natural objects of scientific and socio-economic importance. In the KCR, they are poorly studied in comparison with other regions of Russia and Western Europe. Currently, the KChR caves are not suitable for tourists. Uncontrolled and poaching visits, especially by ignorant people, lead to the irreversible loss of scientific and cultural components of these ecologically very vulnerable objects. The use of the caves for tourism would contribute to the preservation of their historical and aesthetic value.

The purpose of the study is to determine the vertical amplitude of the hydrostatic zone, favorable for the development of karst in different morphostructures of the KCR; typification of manifestations of surface and underground karst based on modern geological and geomorphological data; recommendations for the use of individual manifestations of karst, as well as unexploited mine workings as tourist facilities.

Materials and research methods

Materials and research methods - publications of domestic and foreign specialists in geology, speleology, karst studies, local history and tourism: (N.A.Gvozdetsky, A.Yu. Yezhov, P.A. as well as regulatory legal acts and methodological documents on the topic under study. In the course of the work, various research methods were used, including: geological and geomorphological, field observations, comparative descriptive, cartographic, GIS technologies were used to construct the scheme.

Research results and their discussion

Relief and geological structure

Orohydrographically, the territory of the KCR belongs to the province of the Greater Caucasus. It is located entirely on the northern macroslope of this mountain structure. Within its limits, several parallel ridges alternate with intermontane depressions separating them. The boundaries and the west-northwest strike of these geomorphological units are determined by the geological structure. Only the southernmost - Vodorazdelny, or the Main Caucasian ridge - forms a continuous mountain range. The rest of the ridges - Peredovoy, Skalisty and Pastbishchny, are cut by numerous transverse (submeridional) river valleys for stretches from 5 to 35 km. According to the totality of geomorphological and geological features, several morphostructures are distinguished on the territory of the KCR, the names of which are similar to the above-mentioned ridges (figure). Since the manifestations of karst are associated mainly with carbonate rocks, we briefly characterize the composition of the morphostructures.

Areas of development of karst rocks in the morphostructures of the KCR: 1 - boundaries of morphostructures (GKh - Glavniy ridge, PKh - Peredovoy ridge, SYuD - North Jurassic depression, SKh - Skalisty ridge, PSKh - Pasture ridge, PG - Predgornaya); 2 - Devonian limestones; 3 - Lower Jurassic sandstones; 4 - Upper Jurassic and Upper Cretaceous limestones separated by a stratum of Lower Cretaceous terrigenous rocks

The morphostructure of the Main Ridge is composed of crystalline schists and Paleozoic granites. In the morphostructure of the Peredovoi Ridge, volcanogenic-sedimentary strata of the Paleozoic are developed. West of the r. Teberda in them there is a stratum of Devonian limestones, the thickness of which increases from east to west from 50 to 300 m. Between the Peredovoye and Skalisty ridges there is a mid-mountain flat-topped North Jurassic depression, represented by terrigenous rocks of the lower and middle sections of the Jurassic system. The morphostructure of the Rocky Ridge is composed of Upper Jurassic limestones and dolomites with interlayers of gypsum, the thickness of carbonate rocks is on average 200 m. The morphostructure of the Pasture Ridge is an area of ​​development of the Cretaceous system rocks. The lower part of the section is mainly represented by sandstones, while the upper part is represented by limestones.

All major rivers of the republic are left tributaries of the Kuban and belong to the Azov basin. From west to east follow: Bolshaya Laba (with tributaries Damkhurts, Mamkhurts and Makera), Bolshoi Zelenchuk (formed at the confluence of the Arkhyz, Psysh and Kyzgych rivers), Maly Zelenchuk (formed at the confluence of the Marukha and Aksaut rivers), the Kuban proper with the sources of Uchkulan and Ullu-Khurzuk and large left tributaries Duut and Teberda.

Conditions and forms of manifestation of karst processes

As you know, the manifestation of karst processes requires two main conditions: an abundance of atmospheric precipitation and the presence of karst (readily soluble) rocks: limestone, dolomite, gypsum, salt. In the mountainous part of the North Caucasus, a combination of such conditions exists to the west of the meridian of Mount Elbrus. Here, the moisture coefficient varies from 1.0 to 2.0 and more, and the karst rocks are represented by four limestone formations of different ages: Devonian, Triassic (developed only on the territory of Krasnodar Territory), Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous.

It is customary to divide the forms of manifestation of karst into surface and underground.

Surface forms are expressed mainly on the gentle northern slopes of the cuesta ridges - Skalisty and Pasture. As a rule, these forms are expressed by depressions in the relief of various sizes. Mesoforms were recorded on the gentle northern slope of the Rocky Ridge: craters, hollows, ponors, dry valleys; on the steep southern slope, microforms are developed in places: karr. The frequency of occurrence of these forms is maximum to the west of the Kuban valley, while to the east they are more rare, which is associated with a decrease in climate humidity.

Karr is found in limited areas where carbonate rocks are not covered by slope sediments and soil. On this basis, they should be classified as bare karst. It is important to recall that back in the 70s of the XX century. Carrs were also recorded in terrigenous rocks, namely, in sandstones and Callovian conglomerates, lying at the base of the carbonate strata of the Rocky Ridge: “Carrs here have the form of trays, shovels, jugs 25-30 cm wide and up to 40 cm deep. The length of horizontal carrs is tens meters ". The emergence of carrs in terrigenous rocks was possible due to the presence of carbonate cement in them. Wind could also participate in the formation of horizontal karrs, but the formation of vertical karrs undoubtedly took place with the leading role of dissolution processes.

Obviously, patterns on the surface of one of the horizons of massive sandstones of the Khumara Formation (lower Jurassic system) have the same origin. These patterns are described in the tourist and local history literature as "cellular weathering". Since the sandstones have a carbonate cement, it is logical to assume that the main agent of cell formation was dissolution.

Underground forms of karst are very diverse - vertical and inclined channels, horizontal channels (galleries), vaulted extensions (halls), wells, "organ pipes", manholes, obstructions, ledges, various labyrinths, underground rivers and lakes, waterfalls. The exits of the canals to the surface are called caves and vaucluses. The caves on the territory of the KCR are widespread, while the voklyuzes are rare. Well-known is only one voklyuz on the left slope of the river valley. Duut in the southern part of the Front Range. It is associated with the Devonian marbled limestone horizon. The Ak-Suu stream flows out of the voklyuz; higher up the slope in limestones is the entrance to the Serpentine cave.

In the underground hydrosphere, three zones are distinguished, differing in baric, temperature, hydrochemical and petrophysical parameters (from top to bottom): hydrostatic, transitional and lithostatic.

The upper hydrostatic zone is favorable for karst formation. It is dominated by non-confined waters, which are characterized by descending and lateral flows. In areas where pressure water is manifested, under certain lithological and tectonic conditions, ascending flows through strata or tectonic faults are possible. All underground karst cavities of the KCR were formed in the hydrostatic zone.

In the lower lithostatic zone, extending to depths of 12-15 km, the pressure is created by the lithostatic load. It is characterized by an upward movement of thermal gas-liquid fluids.

The lithological factor plays an equally important role - the vast majority of manifestations of karst are associated with carbonate rocks. The area occupied by karst rocks on the globe exceeds 40 million km2. Thus, karst is not a unique, but a widespread natural phenomenon.

The dimensions of the karst cavities are limited by the thickness of the soluble rocks and the depth of the erosional incision of the river network - the position of the basis of erosion. According to these parameters, the geological and geomorphological structure of the republic is potentially favorable for the formation of large and extended karst cavities - the maximum thickness of Devonian limestones is 300 m, Upper Jurassic limestones 200-250 m, Cretaceous - 100-150 m. 2000 m (Bol. Laba river), Skalisty ridge - 1000 m. Human factor is also important - caves should be examined by speleologists. In 1971, an ordinary cave in terms of external parameters was discovered in Abkhazia, called "Snezhnaya". And only thanks to the selfless work of several expeditions of cavers, it was surveyed and in terms of depth (1370 m) it turned out to be the second in the world.

Territories of active development of karst in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic are represented by large fragments of speleological regions that are part of the speleo provinces of the Greater Caucasus, the Crimean-Caucasian speleological country. Karst phenomena in the zone of the Rocky Ridge belong to the speleological area of ​​the cuestas of the North Slope. Karst within the Foreground Ridge constitutes the main fragment of the spele area of ​​the Forefront Ridge, which is part of the spele area of ​​the Axial Zone.

For the tourist sphere, of the whole complex of manifestations of karst, caves are of the greatest interest.

Typification of the KChR caves

There are caves karst (corrosion), abrasion, erosion, deflation, suffusion. In the sandstones of the Lower Cretaceous of the North Caucasus, geologists distinguish a "cave" horizon - shallow niches are often formed in them, the origin of which is associated with the effect of wind.

The caves that are the subject of this study are of karst origin. Their further division is advisable according to the composition and age of the karst rocks.

Caves in Devonian rocks. Devonian deposits within the KCR are known in the morphostructure of the Peredovoi Ridge. There are identified caves: Ilyasova, Kozlinaya, Zmeinaya, Staratelskaya, Mramornaya, caves of the Djentu ridge, Zagedan, the headwaters of the river. Kyafar-Agur (picture).

Caves in Jurassic rocks. Jurassic deposits are represented by two complexes. The lower complex - mainly terrigenous strata of the Early-Middle Jurassic age, accumulated in a humid climate; the upper complex - Callovian and Late Jurassic arid carbonate and evaporite formations.

Caves in the Lower Jurassic sandstones: North, caves r. Hasaut and the right bank of the river. Mara (picture), Pregradno grottoes. The formation process of these caves is not typical karst and needs additional research.

Caves in the Upper Jurassic limestones: the Akhmet-Skala massif (Akhmet-Kaya), the interfluve of the Bolshaya Laba and Urup, the interfluve of the Urup and the Bolshoi Zelenchuk, the Nelyubovaya Balka caves and the karst gaps of the village of Khabez, the caves on the left bank of the Kuban River opposite the Vazhnoe village, the caves between the Kuban and Kuma rivers ( Sarytyuz), Grishkin caves (picture).

Cretaceous caves. In the Central Caucasus and Karachay-Cherkessia, Cretaceous deposits are clearly divided into two complexes: mainly terrigenous sandy-clayey (Lower Cretaceous) and carbonate, composed of limestones (Upper Cretaceous).

Caves in the limestones of the Upper Cretaceous: Khabezskaya, Alimkina, Otdushina, Borodina, Khadzhi-Daut, Vodnaya and Vodnaya second, Dugur-Dorbun, Zagon (figure).

Caves are natural monuments and tourism objects. On the territory of the KChR, 74 natural monuments of national importance have been registered (Resolution of the Regional Executive Committee No. 708 dated 08.12.1978), of which 10 are monuments - caves.

"Archaeological" grottoes of the KChR. Caverns with petroglyphs are known in the gorges of Argysh-Dorbunla, Kyzyl-Kol and many other corners of the republic, and although such caves are not of interest to speleologists, they are very valuable natural and historical monuments.

Not all caves of the KChR are suitable for attracting a massive flow of tourists. Some of them are located in hard-to-reach places, others are difficult to pass. For example, in order to get into the most impressive stalactite halls of the Southern Elephant Cave, you have to cross a very narrow hole, the “skinner”, on your bellies.

Involvement of caves in the tourism sector should start with objects located near roads. These are the Alimkina cave in the valley of the river. Jaganas and sandstone caves r. Mara. The Marinsky caves are small, but there are other interesting objects nearby - cellular sandstones and a mineral spring. As a third object of acquaintance with the underworld, we propose not a cave, but an adit of the former Elbrus mine in the Kuban valley. The underground workings of the mine are safe and were used for the practice of students of the Moscow Mining Institute until 1991. One of the authors of the article observed the successful experience of turning mine workings into a popular tourist site in South Saxony (Germany). There, in the foothills of the Harz - a low and modest ridge, but praised by G. Heine and I. Goethe, the Germans together visit the adit of the 19th century. A trained guide can tell no less interestingly about the history and minerals of the Elbrus mine, which is also located in a beautiful gorge on the bank of the fast Kuban. Visiting this adit is physically easier, and cognitively as interesting as visiting the caves. For, as the philosopher Xenophon (4th century BC) said, "only thinking reveals the real world."

On the territory of the Caucasus, carbonate rocks favorable for the development of karst were deposited in the Devonian, in the Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous eras. Geomorphological and climatic conditions for karst processes were created in the Pliocene and in the Quaternary period.

Of the various types of manifestation of karst, caves are of practical interest for the tourist sphere. In the KCR, 10 caves are classified as natural monuments.

According to the composition and age of karst rocks, we subdivided all underground cavities of the republic into 4 groups: Devonian, Lower Jurassic, Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous. The vertical range of the hydrostatic zone is maximum (up to 2 km) in the west of the KCR, to the east it decreases, but in some places (the Eshkakon basin) it increases to 1.5 km. This indicates that not all karst cavities are open.

Currently, the protection of caves is not given due attention, poachers are destroying their pristine beauty and mineral decoration; many unique cave formations are in critical sanitary condition.

It is proposed that the involvement of caves in the sphere of mass tourism should be started with objects located near highways of good and satisfactory quality. The caves and their surroundings need competent environmental management, landscape design, the organization of controlled visits and protection.

Bibliographic reference

Kipkeeva P.A., Potapenko Yu.Ya., Karaketov A.K. TYPES OF KARST-SPELEOLOGICAL OBJECTS OF THE KARACHAYOV-CHERKESS REPUBLIC AND THEIR TOURIST POTENTIAL // Successes of modern natural science. - 2016. - No. 7. - P. 123-127;
URL: http://natural-sciences.ru/ru/article/view?id=36016 (date accessed: June 29, 2019). We bring to your attention the journals published by the "Academy of Natural Sciences"

Karachay-Cherkessia (KChR) is known primarily for the picturesque Caucasus Mountains, turbulent mountain rivers and amazing landscapes.
There are many interesting and mysterious places here.
List of mysterious places of the KChR:
- Mount Elbrus - Shat-tau - heavenly altar;
- ancient megaliths of the KCR;
- Arkhyz settlement;
- Mount Erzog - a place of power;
- Adiyukh tower;
- Zelenchuk temples;
- a clearing of stone mushrooms;
- Lake Black;
- ancient settlements of the KChR;
- Sofia glade.

Dolmens of the KChR
As you know, Karachay-Cherkessia is rich in many unique architectural objects, shrouded in mystery, and therefore inimitable grandeur. Dolmens, which are located in the Zelenchuk region of the republic, are a striking example of this.
In one of the most remote settlements of Karachay-Cherkessia - the Leso-Kyafar farm, this mysterious place, shrouded in mystery and many legends, is located. It is also called the Leso-Kyafar settlement, where, according to one of the versions, there was an Alan settlement many centuries ago.

The mysterious corner of Karachay-Cherkessia does not leave indifferent tourists, residents of the republic, and also arouses great interest among people who are fond of mysticism and esotericism.
The legends associated with the Kyafar Gorge are sometimes very far from reality. People with varying degrees of historical knowledge write books about these places, put forward their theories. Passing from mouth to mouth the history of the gorge, people whine an irresistible desire to visit this mysterious corner.
Tourists, always thirsting for new knowledge and adventure, despite the long and difficult journey to the cherished places, make excursions to the famous dolmens. Once there, many are in awe of the mysterious stones. An unknown, unfamiliar culture has a magical effect on visitors. Many are sure that by touching the stones, they can be charged with strength,
get answers to the questions tormenting them and even make the most secret desires, being sure that they will certainly come true.
Specialists in the field of archeology and history suggest that the predominant part of the Leso-Kyafar settlement arose in the 11th century. However, they date the history of the emergence of the dolmens themselves at a much earlier date. Presumably this is the second millennium BC. Such assumptions allow us to say that once there was one of the most ancient settlements in the entire country. Over the years, each stone has acquired its own history and legend.
Once in this mystical place, many travelers easily believe any completely unimaginable stories and legends, as they themselves feel some detachment of this place from the surrounding world. The remains of the ancient settlement are scattered throughout the gorge and keep their secret for many centuries, moving beyond the boundaries of space and time.
The Leso-Kyafar settlement is one of the most remote settlements in Karachay-Cherkessia, and therefore it is the most sparsely populated gorge of the republic. In this mysterious and enigmatic place, time stops its course. Silence and tranquility help a person to merge with nature. Only the sound of the rivers murmuring below breaks this enchanting and mysterious silence.
Every time travelers, seeing these stones, come up with their own stories of their occurrence. Behind the myths and legends in these places, it is almost impossible to discern real events. Scientists have not yet undertaken to judge the true purpose of the stone tables and the inscriptions on them, so as not to be branded as mystifiers.
There are many versions of what exactly happened here before. Perhaps it was the capital of the Alans, or maybe it was a large cult complex. Or maybe there was a fortress here at all. There are many versions, but there is no exact information. This is the most important mystery of the Leso-Kyafar settlement.

LAKE BLACK

In the North Caucasus, in Karachay-Cherkessia, there is a "dead lake" - Black. It is located high in the mountains and is rather small. It is noteworthy that shrubs, trees do not grow around, even grass for some reason does not grow.
Local residents believe that the mysterious lake is bottomless. If you look at the lake from above, it appears completely black. Locals never bathe in it, and tourists are not taken there.
The most mysterious thing is that the drowned people do not float to the surface there, but stand still at the bottom like candles (well, this is according to legends). Scientists explain the lifelessness of the lake with gas that comes out of the crevices of the bottom. But more detailed studies have not been, and are unlikely to be.

SECRETS AND RIDDLES OF ELBRUS

The fact that in the mountains of Karachay-Cherkessia there is a rock icon of Jesus Christ, I learned in childhood from my grandmother, who saw the divine face in the early twentieth century, while traveling from the village of Batalpashinskaya (now Cherkessk) to the Zelenchuksky monastery, near which I was a rock with an icon - and at that time they went to the mountains only in large carts, under the protection of the Cossacks. "That face was written from the image that appeared on a scarf, with which Christ, going to Golgotha, wiped sweat from his face," the grandmother said. The elder brother of the grandmother argued that the image was not painted from a scarf, but from a shroud (shroud), in which Christ was wrapped after being taken down from the cross and on which this image appeared after his ascension. But they ended their stories with one thing - after writing the image on the rock, the plates, or the veil, mysteriously disappeared.

Most likely, because of this mysterious disappearance, I will remember those legends for the rest of my life. And when in the summer of 2000 I heard that an ancient icon of the Savior had been found in Karachay-Cherkessia, I decided to see it at all costs. But, before I tell you about my pilgrimage, a little about the history of those places.

On the right bank of the Bolshoy Zelenchuk River, two kilometers from the Bukovo village, where the employees of the Special Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) live, there is the Nizhne-Arkhyz settlement. In the 7th-12th centuries, this territory belonged to Western Alania. According to scientists, the first Christian missionaries came here from Byzantium through Abkhazia already in the 7th century. In the next century, their number increased sharply, which was associated with the mass exodus of icon-worshipers from Byzantium.

Among the early Christians, there were many inhabitants of the East, and their traditions forbade portraying a person. Therefore, the Orthodox clergy of Asia Minor sharply opposed the veneration of icons: a weak, insignificant person is not given the right to portray God; the master who paints Jesus in human form is the most evil heretic, for he divides in two the divine-human essence of Christ.

In 730, the Byzantine emperor Leo III the Isaurian issued an edict prohibiting the painting of icons and the veneration of icons. The law caused a storm of popular anger. The iconoclasts, who tried to publicly destroy the most revered image of Christ in Constantinople, were torn to pieces by the crowd. In response, mass executions of icon-worshipers began. The Byzantine fleet tried to defend them, the ships even approached Constantinople, but were burned by "Greek fire". Over the next hundred years, icons, frescoes, mosaics were ruthlessly destroyed in the empire. Monasteries were subjected to the most severe persecution - monks were immured alive in walls, drowned in the sea, burned at the stake. Icon-worshipers were forced to flee. Many of them ended up in the Caucasus.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

SOURCE OF MATERIALS AND PHOTOS:
Team Wandering.
Encyclopedia of anomalous zones in Russia.

MIN1ICTEPCTBO EDUCATION

KARACHAEVO-CHERKESS REPUBLIC

REPUBLICAN CENTER

CHILDREN'S AND YOUTH TOURISM

I. V. MIKHAILOV

KARACHAYEVO-CHERKESIA

This is the first book about the caves of Karachay-Cherkessia. It was written for those who love nature and want to know more about its secrets.

The book belongs to the popular genre of information and local lore and should contribute to the study of natural sciences by students of the republic, as well as the development of tourism in Karachay-Cherkessia.

ABOUT KARSTA, CAVES AND SPELEOLOGY

We have entered a new century by thoroughly studying our planet. Former "white spots" on the maps of the earth's surface have already been thoroughly trampled, and the Earth itself is entangled in networks of triangulation and the Internet, filmed from space, studied by thousands of researchers. We can say that the era of great geographical discoveries is basically over, but there is another part of the planet - it is inaccessible to satellites and all-terrain vehicles, no one knows its true size, it is mysterious and very attractive.

This part of the Earth is a world of caves, a world of absolute darkness, where a dull silence only emphasizes eternity. The age of the caves is commensurate with the scale of the geological periods, when our ancestors mastered fire and metal, created and destroyed states, redrawn the map of the world, the caves were already almost the same as they are now.

It took a man hundreds of millennia to receive, thanks to labor, knowledge and means to begin the conquest of the world. Only about IOOOO years ago, when the last ice age ended, man for the first time managed to turn natural processes to his advantage, overcame the threshold of modern civilization. It was then that mankind parted with the cave, which invariably accompanied him, probably from the first steps of his "childhood", serving as a shelter, and a dwelling, and a place of hunting, and a sanctuary, and a grave. A person returned to the cave and later, sometimes and now, consciously or unconsciously, resurrected

Sharing the long-forgotten feelings of a member of a hunting group, amicably closed around the fire under the smoky arches of their small, closed, unsafe world. However, the return to the cave of modern man is only of an exceptional and temporary nature. His everyday world is no longer there. The joint life of a man and a cave is a complete chapter belonging to the past, but at the same time an interesting topic for future explorers and simply curious people.

“Human fantasy invented the giants to ascribe to them the creation of caves ...” - these lines of Federico García Lorca, the great Spanish poet, make any of us remember everything he knows about caves, and line up in rows of synonyms:

Gloomy, black, wild, dangerous, terrible;

Incomprehensible, inexplicable, mysterious, mysterious, unclear;

Amazing, strange, extraordinary, outlandish, exceptional;

Fabulous, wondrous, fantastic, wonderful, magical and, of course, a wonderful underworld.

Yes, from surprise and admiration for the underground creations of nature to panic fear of the underground, a person can experience before entering a cave.

There are dozens of definitions of the term "cave" in the specialized literature, for example:

| T ____________ ABOUT KARST. CAVES II SPELEOLOGY

Underground space formed in an easily soluble rock as a result of the activity of groundwater;

A cavity in the upper part of the earth's crust, communicating with the surface by one or more inlets;

A natural body within soluble rocks, formed as a result of the expansion and transformation of primary cavities under the chemical and mechanical action of groundwater;

A complex system of limited underground space, all elements of which are linked into an underground landscape;

A natural cavity accessible for human penetration, which has parts not illuminated by sunlight, with a length (depth) greater than the other two dimensions.

The geographical term "cave" (po) is associated with the word "oven" and literally means "like a furnace."

This geographical term sounds differently in the languages ​​of the peoples of Karachay-Cherkessia. Abazins call the caves “x! atshpy ”, the Karachais use the word“ dorbun ”, the Nogays have the word“ oytyk ”, the Circassians designate caves with the word“ bgyenshTag ”. All these geographical terms are involved in the formation of toponyms in the languages ​​of the peoples of the republic and usually represent two-component identifying combinations. The main thing here is usually proper and common nouns, and most of all there are phrases where words are connected by means of

motions without any grammatical means.

The history of the development of caves began in the distant era of the Lower Paleolithic. It was at this time, judging by the small amount of archaeological data that have come down to us, that ancient people began to populate caves, using them as shelters from bad weather, and then as dwellings. Since then, interest in caves has accompanied the entire history of mankind, but literally before our eyes, their scientific research began.

The science of caves with the light hand of the Frenchman Emile Riviera received the name "speleology" in 1890 (from the Greek word "spelaion" - cave). Today, however, it is no longer so easy to figure out what is behind this capacious concept: sport, tourism, science? Everyone finds their own in speleology, but unites everyone, undoubtedly, the desire to search. It was here that there remained a unique opportunity to discover a new world, getting into places where no man's foot has stepped, sometimes gloomy and inhospitable, often fabulously beautiful.

Who was the first speleologist? Apparently, the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III, who in 852 BC. NS. went on a campaign with his court not at all to collect tribute or fight the enemy, but only to find out whether it is true that the Euphrates River flows directly from the other world. There, far from the centers of the Mesopotamian civilization, his expedition discovered one of the sources of the river - a karst spring gushing among the dripstone formations of the cave.

Much water flowed under the bridge in the Euphrates before scientific speleology was born. The earliest essay, opening an endless stream of scientific. publications about caves, consider the work of Jacques Gaffrel.

entitled quite in the spirit of the Baroque: "The Underworld, or the historical and philosophical description of all the most beautiful caves and the most outlandish underground cavities in the world ..."

Speleology emerged at the crossroads of interests in geological, geographical, biological and historical sciences. Through such supporting disciplines as: hydrology, geomorphology, paleogeography, paleontology, archeology, anthropology and many others, speleology has become a universal science, but the most important and close connection between speleology and karst science.

The term "karst" comes from the name of the waterless rocky highlands of Kras, located in the vicinity of the small Slovenian town of Sezana. In the middle of the 19th century, Croatian geographers introduced the term “kras / (in German karst) into scientific literature. From a proper name, it has turned into a geographical concept denoting any area where surface forms of erosion and dissolution of rocks are developed, similar to the classical forms of karst on the Kras plateau. In the XX century, karst began to be called the processes leading to the formation of specific surface and underground landforms not only in limestones, but also in any other rocks that are soluble in water: in dolomites, gypsum, anhydrites, rock salt. It is estimated that the area occupied by karsting rocks on the globe exceeds 40 million square kilometers. Thus, karst is not a unique, but a widespread natural phenomenon.

Karst phenomena are dispersed in the territories rather intermittently, in accordance with interrupted

_________ CAVES OF DIFFERENT AREAS_KCHR_ 2.

The widespread distribution of the karsting rocks themselves, which are separated by non-karsting rocks, is the specificity of the zoning of karst. Scientists have created a zoning model, according to which the territories of active development of karst in Karachay-Cherkessia are represented by large fragments of two speleorionrv, which are part of two speleological areas of the spele province of the Greater Caucasus, the Crimean-Caucasian speleological country.

So. karst phenomena in the zone of the Pasture and Skalisty Ridges belong to the spele area of ​​the Western strip of the cuest speleo area of ​​the Northern Slope, karst within the Foreground Ridge constitutes the main fragment of the spele area of ​​the Front Range, which is part of the spele area of ​​the Axial Zone.

There are several types of karst. If soluble rocks come out directly to the surface of the earth, then this naked karst, where rain and melt waters, containing a large amount of carbon dioxide, act on limestones as a weak acid. Depressions of various sizes are formed on the surface of mountain ranges - hollows, sinkholes and hollows. Cracks widened by water turn into ponors, cylindrical or slot-like channels, leading water from the surface of the earth into the depths of the massif.

Turfed karst is characterized by the fact that a soil cover is developed on the surface of karst rocks. Karr fields typical of bare karst are absent here, but all other karst forms are very well developed, since the soils

H About KLGSTE. CAVES II SPELEOLOGY

produce a large amount of biogenic carbon dioxide, which activates karst processes.

Coated karst is characterized by the fact that karst rocks are covered with insoluble (sandstones) or water-resistant rocks. Karst processes here at first develop hidden, in the depths of the massif, manifesting themselves on the surface in the form of sinkholes, and on the sides of the valleys - in the form of entrances to the labyrinths of caves.

Karst can be flat and mountainous. Plain karst is formed at the same level of groundwater, the action of which leads to the appearance of horizontal cavities. First, the cavities expand, then their roof collapses and a river valley forms on the site of the cave. In mountain karst, where the thickness of the rock layers is significant, and the action of water is multidirectional, vertical cavities are most common.

The caves are the most famous and interesting of the many karst forms, representing a variety of underground cavities. There are hundreds of thousands of caves in the world, and they are all very different: short, long, pipe-like different, with branches and labyrinths, one - and multi-storey, dry, watered, narrow, wide, with low and high galleries, with halls, with blocky obstructions , warm and cold, desert and habitable.

As of 1998, the longest cave on Earth is located in the United States of America, near the city of Looswyville. Rather, it is even a whole system of interconnected caves, laid in

limestones, of which the largest are Mamontova and Flint Ridge. The total length of their cavities is about 570 km.

More than 50 caves in different parts of the Earth are about 40 kilometers long. In the caves, such elements as halls, galleries, wells, "organ pipes" (vertical trunks extending upward from the gallery), manholes, obstructions, ledges, meanders (narrow, winding passages), and various labyrinths are distinguished. Many caves are flooded, they have underground rivers and lakes, waterfalls, siphons. Very interesting and the most difficult to access are vertical karst cavities (wells, mines, abysses), most often they are found in the highlands and there. where there are large differences in elevation between the level of the river and the karst massif.

Wells- these are vertical or oblique depressions in the rock, where the depth of the cavity exceeds its width.

Mines - these are wells connected by small horizontal galleries. Several mines that are part of a single underground hydraulic system usually designate abyss.

There is no consensus among scientists on the origin of vertical cavities. Like most natural karst undergrounds, they are. undoubtedly, arose with the leading role of the leaching of rocks, as well as the joint action of dissolution, erosion of them by underground water flows and subsequent collapses.

Almost all wells, mines and abysses are located in areas of ancient or modern high snow accumulation and heavy rainfall during the warm period. Melt water

with low salinity and high carbon dioxide content (up to 20 mg / l), it perfectly dissolves carbonate rocks. Cracks in rocks slowly expand, turn into wells, etc. It would seem that everything is simple, but it is known that water is already sufficiently saturated, for example, with calcite, it can no longer dissolve the limestone of the mountain range. And the numerous hypotheses arising here are only confirmation that any underground cavities are complex polygenetic systems of different ages, formed in different ways during geological time, which is tens of millions of years. It is possible to determine the origin of each, rather complex in morphology, cavity only by understanding the "mosaic" of its constituent elements, comparing the development of surface and underground relief and many more factors.

Any of us, finding ourselves in a cave, finds ourselves not only in the interweaving of underground passages, but also in the real jungle of hypotheses about their origin, to get out of them is much, perhaps, more difficult than from a stone labyrinth.

Erosion and dissolution of rocks, leading to the formation of caves and mines, is one side of the karst process. Under certain conditions: air temperature, atmospheric pressure, carbon dioxide content, microscopically small particles of calcite begin to evolve from the water and settle on the vaults, walls and floors of the caves. A small ring of calcium carbonate forms around each drop that hangs on the roof. It gradually increases, turning into a stone icicle - stalactite.

Tearing off its end and splashing

LESHERS OF DIFFERENT AREAS KCH1 *

__Stalactites ..

nodding on the floor of the cave, a drop of water loses dissolved minerals, which, accumulating, form stone icicles rising from the floor - stalagmites. Over hundreds of thousands of years, billions of drops have created a unique cave landscape: thin sheer stalactites-tubes and fancifully curved helictites. huge streaky columns and openwork drapes

_____________0 k. VI "CTE. CAVES AND SPELEOLOGY

lines, graceful calcite flowers and lace edging of the shores of underground lakes.

The drip formations cement slabs of limestone that have fallen from the vaults of the cave, and the sandy-clay deposits of cave rivers and lakes are covered with armor. Their "thickets" are divided by once united galleries of caves into halls and grottoes. A mineralogist or geochemist can see a lot behind the outward exoticism of the decayed decoration. For example, the accumulations of carbonate caves, which are considered to be almost 100% calcite, can contain as impurities more than 20 different minerals belonging to the groups of carbonates, sulfates, phosphates, arsenates, oxides, halogenides and silicates. The brownish-brown crust on the walls of the cave galleries, periodically heated by water, consists of 30-35% manganese oxides. The amazing cave pearls that form at the bottom of weakly flowing baths consist of several hundred concentric layers of calcite. The study of the thickness and structure of these layers makes it possible to establish how the air temperature and humidity of the cave changed. The mysterious light yellow, blue or bluish glow of cave drips that appears after irradiation with a flash lamp indicates the presence of impurities - ions or manganese atoms that violate the correct crystal lattice of calcite.

The mineralogy of the caves has a very short history and therefore interesting finds await specialists here, like all cavers, of course, new undiscovered caves await.

What are people doing in caves, what are they looking for there? Sport, science, invention, communication, love - everything has a place here, except, as they say, politics. Although there is such an example: in 1923, in a deep grotto not far from Kislovodsk, a secret meeting of prominent leaders of the Communist Party took place. In narrow party circles, this meeting was then called "cave". A number of party leaders who were on vacation were invited to participate in it, and some were summoned from Rostov. Among the participants in the meeting were Zinoviev, Bukharin, Frunze, Voroshilov, Ordzhonikidze, Evdokimov and others. Trotsky and Stalin were absent.

As stated by Zinoviev, at the meeting they discussed how to organize the work of the Secretariat of the Central Committee until the restoration of health of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin. It was clear to everyone that the Secretariat without Lenin should acquire absolutely decisive importance, and Stalin stood at the head of the Secretariat. It was rfa that this "cave" meeting discussed the plan to limit power, and if this plan succeeded, then, perhaps, the history of our country would have been somewhat different.

Who suggested the place for their meeting to the party conspirators is unknown today, and it doesn't matter, because many caves and grottoes of our region have been known since ancient times.

The archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences contains a volume with instructions for participants in the expeditions of the Academy, organized around the empire, starting in 1733. One of the documents says: “Ezheli what caves of the earth there are, these should be investigated and as far as possible to inspect their inner parts, whether water comes out of the sides, whether it makes stones in it, but does it.

what and how. are not there springs in these caves and what kind of water do they have, salt or sulfur? " One of the detachments of the academic expeditions - "Astrakhan" - was led by -stedt, it was he who gave in 1791 the first description of the Failure on Mount Mashuk near Pyatigorsk.

In 1877, the materials of the famous researcher-naturalist were published, who gives a natural-scientific assessment of karst phenomena, mentioning in his works the cave of Gun'ka Balka. Scientists of other specialties were also interested in the caves of our region. For example, a famous Russian archaeologist in 1895 wrote in a report: "In Zelenchuk gorge, in large and small caves of natural and artificial origin, there are numerous burials ...".

Four years later, the archaeologist discovered and explored small caves along the gorge to the south of the Sentin temple (Lower Teberda). He described in detail the finds made in the caves, gave characteristics to the caves themselves.

In 1914, the collection "Agriculture" published an article by I. Shchukin, a young scientist-geomorphologist, "From trips to the upper Kuban".

Collecting material for this article. Ivan Semenovich Shchukin (in 1935 he became a professor at Moscow State University) described a small cave in gypsum near the village of Krasnogorskaya. In 1926 he summed up the results of karst research in the Caucasus in his monograph "Essays on the Geomorphology of the Caucasus", which summarizes the information that existed by that time on the karst of the Greater Caucasus. By, the karst of the described area is morphologically represented

CAVES OF DIFFERENT AREAS K "ll" J

flax with funnels, sinkholes, natural wells, mines, caves. There are sinkhole lakes disappearing from the surface and flowing from the lakes of the river. The author also points to the territorial variability of the intensity of karst occurrences.

For the first time, back in 1896, a local historian, a teacher of the Yekaterinograd male gymnasium A.M.Dyachkov-Tarasov, came to the mountains of the North Caucasus, and in 1927, on behalf of the North Caucasian Mining Research Institute, he explored the Teberda River valley. where in the gorge of the Amgata River, among the rocks, a cave was found.

In the pre-war period, many scientific expeditions of various profiles worked on the territory of Karachay-Cherkessia, at the same time, amateur local history teams appeared, which began to show great interest in natural monuments. This first collective was the Circassian Society of Soviet Local Lore, organized in 1932 by teachers and others. During a geological campaign along the Bolshoy Zelenchuk river valley, members of the society found a cave in the Bashkirka gully and put it on their map.

In August 1937, a teacher from the Voronezh Pedagogical Institute studied karst phenomena in gypsum on the Northern slope of the Western Caucasus, a year later his publication “Karst phenomena in the Upper Jurassic gypsum on the northern slope of the Western Caucasus” appeared. The work gives a detailed morphological characteristics of surface and underground karst,

ABOUT KARSTA, CAVES AND SPELEOLOGY

before descending into the cave _Yuzhny Elephant-----

stages and cycles of development of underground cavities are divided.

In 1940, a well-known ethnographer writes in the report of his expedition: “... On August 14 we moved to the Abaza village. Elburgan. It is said that there are two natural caves 5-6 km away. The larger one is inhabited by wild pigeons and is called "Pigeon Place", and the smaller one is called "The Place of Skulls", since human bones and skulls were found in it. " Materials are, perhaps, a typical informational communication

information about the caves of Karachay-Cherkessia of that time, which today have more local history and bibliographic significance for us.

In 1941, the journal "Nasha Strana" published the material of the famous geographer and karst scientist "Rocky Range", in 1948 he also published the work "Observations of modern and physical-geographical processes in the basin of p. p. Hasauta and Eshkakona ". According to the author, the formation of the valleys of these rivers was significantly influenced by the processes of karst formation.

In 1966, at Moscow State University, the teacher of the Stavropol State Pedagogical Institute, Petr Averyanovich Kostin, brilliantly defended his Ph.D. Collecting material for a dissertation. For many years, together with a group of students of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, he organized expeditions along the Abishir-Akhu-ba ridge, along the massifs of the Rocky Range. It was he who for the first time, following the scheme of the main zoning of the karst of the USSR, compiled by vich (), and according to the zoning scheme of the karst of the Greater Caucasus, proposed by -kim in 1952, singled out the Abishir-Akhuba ridge into the karst region, this made the first step in zoning the karst of Karachay-Cherkessia ... Until the last days of his life, Petr Averyanovich Kostin, a resident of Stavropol, remained deeply devoted to the mountains and caves of Karachay-Cherkessia.

There were many such wonderful people and researchers. Since 1971, the underground cavities of Karachay-Cherkessia have been studied by Kavminvody geologists - spouses and

Who, having started exploring the caves according to a special program, literally fell in love with the underworld of Karachay-Cherkessia and until their last days, already being retired, continued to collect material for a book about the caves of the North Caucasus.

The years passed. Speleological tourism became more and more confident in the USSR, and fascinating books and articles by talented local historians VA, VT unwittingly became its popularizers in Karachay-Cherkessia. Gnilovsky,. and others, who, in their inherent scientific and journalistic genre, opened many of the mysteries of the dungeons to readers. Especially the caves have always attracted boys and girls, because even before the revolution, a teacher from the village of Zelenskaya took the kids to Alimkina's cave. And here is a short information from the Leninskoe Znamya newspaper for September 6, 1957: “18 students of the Staro-Kuva school, led by a physical education instructor, visited a cave near the Shchelkanka farm. Walking through the cave with torches and flashlights left an indelible impression on the children of visiting the halls and labyrinths. "

A special place among the speleologists of Karachay-Cherkessia is occupied by Lev

CAVES OF DIFFERENT AREAS KCH1 " ___________11

Bogumilovich Dolechek (). Geological technician by profession, by vocation - Teacher. For more than forty years of his life, Lev Bogumilovich, by means of speleotourism, youthful geological movement and love for nature, raised the youth of Cherkessk as patriots, romantics, humanists and just decent people. Until the last minutes of his life, Lev Bogumilovich remained a speleologist and teacher-mentor of the Karachay-Cherkess Republican Center for Children and Youth Tourism.

The Czech archaeologist K. Sklenarz called the caves the "fossilized memory" of mankind. " Speleology is also not an invention of the last century. People exploring the caves out of curiosity have been around at all times. Cavers are, first of all, romantics. They must know a lot so as not to harm the caves and be able to do a lot so as not to harm themselves.

In any science, in any research, in any camping trip, in any life there is a path. More or less definite, but the path. In the caves, this path is hidden by darkness, perhaps this is the attraction of speleology, remember, as Lev Oshanin wrote:

You happened to enter the dungeon Straight from the dusty, sultry din. To make your hands go numb from damp, To blind your eyes without fire?

Let us also visit, if only for a short time, purely informational, the most famous caves of Karachay-Cherkessia.

The Karachay-Cherkess Republic is a subject of the Russian Federation. Formed on January 12, 1922. The area is 14.3 thousand square kilometers. Located in the north-west of the Caucasus; sky mountains, territory

republics an 42 * mine tochi of the same races practically i nature republic Karachayevo - Cher

pQnOjlbCK. ll.

cross napa. Lie. th 44 "North latitude and meridian/ longitude. Karachay-Cherkessia is located almost on the belt between the North Pole and the equator, as well as at the junction of Europe and Asia, which determines the peculiarities of the fabric and plays a major role in the development of the territory. The European Republic borders on Krasnodar and Stav-Krai, Kabardino-Balkaria, Abkhazia and Georgia.

RELIEF AND GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF KARACHAYOV-CHERKESIA

More than 200 million years ago, on the site of the Caucasus, there was the bottom of the Tethys ocean, which included the modern Aral, Caspian and Black seas, and the huge ocean itself then connected the modern seas: the Mediterranean and the Okhotsk.

Tens of millions of years have passed, the waters of the Tethys Ocean retreated as a result of the movement of the earth's crust, and about 20-25 million years ago the Caucasus was formed and acquired modern forms of relief.

The relief of Karachay-Cherkessia, like the entire Caucasus, is distinguished by a variety of forms, which is due to the complex geological and tectonic structure of the territory. All points on the surface of the republic lie above 400 meters above sea level, gradually rising to the south and southeast to 5642 meters. By the nature of the surface, three zones can be distinguished: plain-hilly, foothill and mountain.

A small area in the northern part of the republic with heights from 400 to 800 meters is referred to a flat-hilly area, where hills of different altitudes rise among the relatively flat terrain.

The main underlying bedrock is here

sandstones and conglomerates serve, and the river valleys are covered mainly with Quaternary alluvium, formed due to the products of erosion of mountain slopes by water flows.

The highest part of the zone is the Sychevy Mountains, which are up to 888 m high.

The border between the plain-hilly zone and the foothill zone can be considered the main line running south of the Beslenei aul to the city of Cherkessk, north of the Nikolaevsky village and further to the east. To the south of this line, the foothill zone stretches out in a wide strip up to 160 kilometers long. Its southern border can be conditionally drawn from the settlement, Kurdzhino-vo to the station. Zelenchukskaya, then to the Upper Mara and the Biychesyn plateau.

In the foothill zone, watershed areas are clearly expressed, the heights here grow to the south, the surface is crossed by gullies and short river gorges. Within this zone, there are two large orographic objects: the Pasture (Melovoy) and Skalisty ridges.

The pasture ridge got its name from the abundance of pasture lands here, it is located north of the Rocky Ridge, it is lower

ny, its average height is meters, and in the east it reaches 1500 meters. The ridge is composed mainly of limestones and marls of the Upper Cretaceous; the sandstones cutting through them play an important role in the formation of the relief of the entire zone. They contribute to the anti-erosion stability of slopes, form the so-called table ridges and separate elevations with flat tops.

The rocky ridge stretches over the territory of the republic for 160 kilometers from west to east. The average height of the ridge is 1200-1600 meters. The rocky ridge, like the Pasture and Sychevy mountains, is a cuest ridge in shape. Its northern slopes are flat, and the southern ones are steep and in places form walls up to 200 meters in relative height.

The northern slope of the ridge is composed of limestones and dolomites almost along its entire length, and in the south, in depressions, there are clay shales, sandstones, granites, andesites, and basalts.

The Lateral (or Advanced) ridge with its ridges stretches south of the Skalisty and parallel to the Main Caucasian ridge. The Bokovaya is separated from the Rocky Ridge by longitudinal depressions with heights of up to 1000 meters (they stretch from Kurdzhinovo to Kumysh), and to the east these ridges are separated by the Biychesyn plateau.

The lateral ridge begins in the Arkhyz region, where one of its massifs is ridge. Abishira - Akhuba rises to a height of 3223 meters. In the east of the republic, at the western summit of Elbrus. The lateral ridge reaches the highest heights, here a 10-12 km mountain ridge separates the western summit of Elbrus from the Main Caucasian ridge.

____________CAVES OF DIFFERENT AREAS OF PRC __________\ J

To the south of the Lateral Ridge, the Main Caucasian Ridge rises like a giant wall. This is the most elevated and picturesque part of Karachay-Cherkessia, here many peaks exceed 3000 m, and the highest point, Mount Dombai-Yolgen, has a height of 4046 m.

The territory of Karachay-Cherkessia is very interesting and geologically diverse. There are deposits of all geological ages: from Precambrian to Neogene and Quaternary inclusive (Appendix 1). The latter are represented by normal, weakly compacted sediments; ancient formations are recrystallized, dissected, transformed into gneisses and crystalline schists.

All igneous and sedimentary rocks are distributed zonally, stretching in strips of the general Caucasian direction, and when moving from south to north, more and more young geological formations come to the surface.

In the pre-Upper Proterozoic time, this entire territory retained a stable platform regime, without mountain-forming processes. In the Late Proterozoic and early Cambrian geosynclinal conditions prevailed, when, along with the deposition of marine sediments, volcanism took place. This stage ended with the era of folding with the introduction of magma into the earth's crust, as well as general uplift.

Until the end of the Carboniferous period, there was a process of new stages of submersion of the territory and the accumulation of marine sediments.

In the Jurassic period, almost the entire territory of the Main Ridge was still under water. Dominant

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at this time, the immersion regime was sometimes violated by short-term uplifts. By the beginning of the Late Jurassic era, the final uplift of the modern zone of the Main Caucasian ridge took place, and it was never again covered by the sea. The rest of the modern territory of the republic was covered by the sea with short interruptions until the end of the scene, after which a gradual retreat of the sea to the north began. In the Miocene, the sea remained only in the northern part of the territory (north of the latitude of Adyge-Khablya), and at the beginning of the Upper Miocene, the entire territory of Karachay-Cherkessia became stable land.

Geologically, in Karachay-Cherkessia, three zones are conditionally distinguished, almost coinciding with the zones distinguished by the nature of the surface: 1) the northern one is flat-hilly, where Tertiary or very young deposits are mainly developed; 2) middle - foothill (mid-mountain), where a rather wide strip of Cretaceous and Jurassic rocks occurs; 3) southern - the area of ​​the Lateral and Main Caucasian ridges, where predominantly ancient Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks are widespread. However, in the northern and middle parts of this zone, there are also deposits of the Jurassic period, they are known in two depressions located to the north and south of the Lateral Ridge and received their names, respectively - the North Jurassic and South Jurassic depressions.

The most ancient rocks - Paleozoic, whose age is determined in the limit of 600 million - 1 billion years, emerge on the day surface as in the axial part of the Main Caucasus -

sky ridge and on its northern slopes. These are mainly various crystalline shales formed over many millions of years under the influence of high temperatures and pressures from sedimentary, volcanic and igneous rocks. Crystalline schists are cut by numerous granite intrusions, much younger (their age is determined at 310-330 Ma); they are found from the headwaters of the Bol. Labas in the west to the upper reaches of the Kuban in the east, as well as in the valleys of the Khasaut and Musht rivers in the southeast of the republic.

Rocks of the Silurian period are represented by sandstones, argillaceous and siliceous-argillaceous shales, less often lavas of various compositions, in the valley of the river. Hasaut - limestones and phyllites.

A rather narrow strip stretching along the latitude of Zagedan - Ar-khyz - Verkh. Teberda - Uchkulan, volcanic formations of the Lower and Middle Devonian emerge on the day surface, represented by various lavas and their tuffs with interlayers of jasper-like rocks of various colors.

Lower Carboniferous rocks, represented by shales, sandstones, limestones, small lava beds, are developed mainly along the river. Bol. Zelenchuk (in the area of ​​Bogoslovka), r. Marukha (area of ​​Pastukhov) and stretch in a narrow strip from the sources of the river. Guides in the west to the right sources of the river. Kol-Tyubu in the east.

Permian rocks are predominantly red-colored conglomerates, sandstones and siltstones, lavas of various compositions and their tuffs. These deposits are most widespread on the watershed of the Aksaut and Teberda rivers. In addition, the Permian rocks are

are along the river. Bol. Zelenchuk north of Bogoslovka and in a narrow strip adjacent to the zone of the Main Caucasian ridge from Arkhyz to Uchkulan.

A wide and continuous strip north of the latitude of the Asiatic - Nizh. Arkhyz - Marukha - Nizh. Teberda - Thinner and up to the foothills of the Rocky Range, rocks of the Lower and Middle Jurassic emerge on the surface, represented by sandstones, siltstones, mudstones, with horizons of effusive rocks and limestone. Lower and Middle Jurassic deposits are developed in the zone of the Main Caucasian Ridge and are traced in the form of a narrow strip from the headwaters of the river. Small. Laba to the sources of the river. Teberda. The youngest are Quaternary deposits, mainly river, alluvial-deluvial and glacial, represented by pebbles, loams, sands, clays, etc. Glacial deposits are found mainly in the zone of the Main Caucasian ridge, the rest are widespread.

Karst processes developed most actively during the last epoch of the continental regime. Here's how it happened:

Oligocene(Application!). The Caucasus is gradually rising and expanding. The Kuban Valley is laid down, the mantle of sedimentary rocks of the Lower Papeogen erodes, and limestones of the Upper Jurassic are partially exposed.

Miocene. The Caucasus continues to rise, its relief is declining, which leads to a decrease in erosion-de-nudation processes. Paleozoic and Triassic carbonate rocks are exposed, forming the Lateral Ridge. Oxford-Kimmeridgian limestones begin to karst.

Pliocene. The modern transverse valleys of the Laba, Kuban and other rivers are specifically designated. Depressions begin to form, isolating

11В1CERES OF DIFFERENT AREAS OF KCHR

- Skalisty site ridge.

parallel ridges of the Greater Caucasus. Cuesta ridges of the Rocky and Pasture ridges are formed, where intensive processes of karsting of Mesozoic carbonate deposits begin.

Pleistocene. The Greater Caucasus is becoming a country of mountain glaciation, the area of ​​glaciers is about 8 times larger than the present day. The Rocky and Pasture Ridges were not exposed to glaciation and continued to intensively karst.

Many caves formed in that distant period, perhaps, have hardly changed by our time. The question of determining the age of karst cavities is a complex and debatable one.

We can get an idea of ​​the lower age limit of karst undergrounds based on the entire body of knowledge on the geology and geomorphology of the cavity in question. Even a careful study of organic remains and other sediments preserved in caves (fossil bones of Pleistocene animals, pollen and spores of extinct plants, drip formations, etc.) by physicochemical, radiological

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geological (determination of the absolute and relative age by the carbon isotope Cu, by the isotopes of uranium and radium, by spectral analysis, etc.) make it possible to approximately judge only the upper age limit of the formation of karst cavities, and, in particular, the age of the deposits themselves.

Conditions for the accumulation of cultural layers are created in caves devoid of constant streams of water. At the same time, the time separating the final cessation of water inflow into the karst cavities from the beginning of the accumulation of sediments in them can cover a significant segment of the geological epoch. Therefore, caves are always much older than their paleontological and archaeological deposits.

CAVES OF DIFFERENT AREAS OF KARACHAYEVO-CHERKESIA

Nameless - the cave is located at the mouth of the Bezymyannaya gully, about 17 km east of the village. Hasaut.

The cave extends in the sandstones of Plinsbach and, according to the famous Soviet scientist, karst scholar. , who first explored this cave 40 years ago, is quite interesting.

The cave begins with a large elliptical niche and has a length of 30 m and a height of Yum. There is a stepped rise from the base of the niche. On the left side of the niche there is an entrance to the cave itself, which is 12 m wide and 6 m high. From the entrance there is an ascent along smoothed slabs to a rounded hall. The diameter of the hall is 10 m, the height is 7 m. The rise of the floor continues almost to the very rear wall, where it turns into a flat horizontal platform 2-3 m wide. The rounded hall at a height is bordered by a cornice made of micro-conglomerate, under which a niche with smooth walls and a narrow passage runs in a semicircle. A niche has been worked out under the cornice, which passes into the vault of the hall.

In the valley of the river. Hasaut has many small caves, for example, a cave excavated in the sandstones of the plin-

sway along an inclined northeastern crack. The floor and ceiling rise steeply. The length of the cave is 10-11 m. Another cave has a length of up to 20 m, a maximum width of 7 m, a maximum height of 6-7 m. The entrance is wide, up to 4.5 m. its height is 3 m. The long axis of the cave is oriented to the northwest. The floor is flat, inclined towards the entrance. Above, along the Hasauta Valley, there are small caves and grottoes in the oxford-kimeridt limestones. Limestones here form a structural terrace, standing out in the form of an edge. The thickness of the limestone in the area a. Hasaut about 200 m.

VODNAYA - the cave is located in a small unnamed gully, the stream of which, 15 km from the mouth on the left, flows into the Alikonovka river on the territory of the Malokarachaevsky district.

In the near-mouth part of the left side of the gully, Valanginian limestones are exposed, in which two small caves and grottoes have been worked out.

Vodnaya Cave has 2 entrances measuring 3 x 2 m and 3 NS 6 m. The first entrance is open, the second is half-covered with stone. The entrance leads to a vast

a rounded cavity with a diameter of up to 12 m, a height of up to 2.5 m. From the rear wall along cracks 0 "and 30" narrow and low passages with a length of 8 and 15 m stretch. The right course is limited by the plane of the crack, along which dripping is noted. The floor is flat, covered with loose deposits. In the center of the cave, from ceiling to floor, the pipe of the water conduit passing through here is walled up. The cave is dry, temperature 10 °, relative humidity 96%.

VODNAYA second - the cave is located above the beam, 300 m from the Vodnaya cave. The cave has an interesting structure. The cavities are spread over three floors. In the upper part of the outcrop there are 2 small inaccessible niches, under them is a larger pisch up to 3 m high, 4 m wide, and below it is a cave. The cave was excavated along a crack in the northwest direction, the width of the entrance is up to 6 m, the height is 2.5 m, the deepening is 11 m. The floor is flat, inclined towards the entrance. The cave is dry, ending in a narrow gaping crack that can be traced to the top of the outcrop.

GRISHKINA caves, or Trishkina gully caves are located in the gully of the same name, which is the right tributary of the river. Eshkakon.

The caves have an unusual cavity morphology, and are perhaps the only ones of their kind in the North Caucasus so far. Here, in the right side of the gully, at a height of 15 m from the bottom of the gully, there is a small terrace composed of limestone tuffs (travertines), above it there is an outcrop of heavily karst dolomites and dolomitized limestones. A spring with a flow rate of up to 25 l / sec is confined to the lower part of the outcrop. The spring water is hydrocarbonate-sulphate kalydevo-magnetic with a mineralization of 0.5 g / l.

Above. the limestones are covered with titon plaster. are highly karst, with numerous craters. The spring waters are clearly fed by these funnels, which determines the sulfate content in them. The stream, feeding on the waters of this spring, repeatedly changed its course along the slope, thus depositing groups of tuffs.

Later, possibly with a decrease in the basis of erosion, the waters began to seep into the depths of the terrace into the underlying layer of limestones, reaching a crack against the slope of the gully, water began to accumulate in it. With a particularly increased inflow of water and filling of cavities, the latter began to look for a way out into the valley of the gully, eroding the front wall of the expanded crack and thus making numerous holes and windows. The most eroded openings represent the modern entrances to the caves.

The section of the outcrop, where the caves are located, has a length of up to 100 m. 1 the most bizarre form of caves, which stretch along the crack of the resistance of the southeast direction.

First, the easternmost cavity has 2 entrances and a length of 18 m. two halls up to 4 m high, connected by a four-meter low (0.7 m) manhole, three organ pipes extending to the surface.

Second cave(10 m west of the first one) opens with a bizarre entrance (2.5 x h m) and vent windows. Behind it stretches a cavity 42 m long, where there are 3 halls 22.7 and 9 m long, up to 8 m wide, 2.5 to 5 m high, connected by two-meter manholes.

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Third cave opens with an extensive arch up to 14 m wide, up to 8 m high, with a deepening of up to 2.5 m, from it through the hole (7.3 x 2.5 m) you can go into a cavity 20 m long, 8 m wide, 1.5- 7 m. From the third cave to the second there is a narrow manhole.

Fourth cave has 2 entrances, between which an outlet opens (up to 0.7 m). From all these holes, passages up to 6 m long extend, which lead to a hall 14 m long, 2.5-4 m wide, up to 6 m high.

Fifth cave is located nearby, it also has two entrances, one of them is laid with a stone, the dimensions of the second are 1.7 x 2 m. Behind the entrance, a cavity can be traced, consisting of two halls connected by an opening (1.7 x 2 m). The sizes of the halls are 5хЗх4 and 16х4х6 meters. In the last room you can see organ pipes and vents.

Sixth cave small, represented by one cavity 10 m long, 5 m wide, from it there is a hole into a small chamber (3 x 3 m). The entrance is an arch, with a cross section of 4 x 4 m.

Seventh, the westernmost cave is damp and dirty, it is periodically filled with water, as evidenced by sediments - sand and gravel. The length of the cave is 14 m. There are many drip formations in the caves and therefore they are also known as Stalactite *.

The caves of Trishkina Balka have long been known to local residents. Bli-zhai "shy settlement - the village of Uch-

DUGUR-DORBUN- the cave is located in the Katykhina gully, the stream of which is the right tributary of the Alikonovka river.

In the upper reaches of the gully, on its starboard side, 400 m from the school a. Elkush (Malokarachaevsky district), Valanginian limestones are exposed, in which grottoes and a small cave stretch. The length of the cave, which is confined to the crack in the northeastern direction, is 70 m.

The entrance has a height of 3 m, a width of up to 3 m. A cavity 20 m long, up to 3 m wide, and up to 1.7 m high extends from the entrance, further the height drops sharply, the passage is possible only by crawling. At 35 m from the entrance there is a small hall up to 5 m long, up to 3 m wide, up to 5 m high. A crack is visible in the vault. Lumps were dumped on the floor. At the end, the cave drops to 25 cm, the passage is difficult, the air is stale with an unpleasant odor. Translated from Karachai, the name means "uneven cave".

ZAGON- a cave in the upper reaches of the small ravine Mokraya (or Zamkovaya), which is the right tributary of the Alikonovka River. The length of the gully is about 4 km, and in its steep, steep slopes, composed of Valanginian limestones, numerous grottoes can be traced

"BTW The authorship of the terms (1655)" stalactite "and" stalagmite "(from the Greek" stapagma "- a drop) belongs to the Danish scientist Olao Worm. Drops of water are a solution containing various components, and the ongoing chemical processes lead to the precipitation of microscopic particles of carbonate calcium.

Thousands of drops that have fallen from the ceiling of the underground cavity leave behind a thin, translucent ring of calcite, which will slowly grow, turning into an elongating tube, falling off the roof, a drop of solution breaks one cavity, where the deposited calcite gives rise to a single stalagmite, slowly growing, it will strive upward, and, connecting with the stalactite, turns into an underground

Column - stalagnat ._____________________________________________________________

and a small cave, conventionally named "Zagon".

The entrance to the cave, up to 6 m wide, up to 3 m high, is fenced off by local shepherds with a wattle fence. Behind it is a grotto 7 m long, up to 8 m wide, and up to 3 m high. The floor is flat. The ceilings and walls are stable. The cave is used as a corral for livestock. In the rear wall, along a crack, a passage is visible, which is heaped up from the side of the grotto, obviously, so that the sheep do not go there.

SNAKE- a karst cave in the upper reaches of the Ak-Suu stream, which flows into the river on the left. Duut is about 4 km north of the ancient village of Duut (currently the village is abandoned).

The Ak-Suu stream flows from the vokluz of the same name, above which, in an outcrop of marbled limestones, is the entrance to the cave.

The diameter of the entrance round opening of the entrance is 2.5 m. The cave stretches in the south-west direction along a vertical crack, worked out by the water flow, and is a chain of small halls connected by narrow wells. The cavity has separate sections, where the wells to a depth of more than 10 m are overcome "in the space", and in others, a hinge of special equipment is required.

Almost all walls and vaults of the cave are covered with secondary calcite, there are many interesting drift formations and accumulations of "moon milk" *

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The cave was first explored by a group of amateur cavers from the RTI plant from Cherkessk (expedition leader Gofshtein A, I.) in 1972, when the cave was covered 500 meters.

The name of the cave was given due to the abundance of snakes near the entrance.

ILYASOV- a cave on the left bank of the Chilik River in the Yagod-Kina Skala area.

The entrance to the cave is located at an absolute height of 1765 m in a rocky limestone outcrop.

The total length of the cave is 45 meters. The entrance is a horizontal slit up to 25 meters long and up to 5 meters high. There are small drip formations in the cave (stalactites up to 10 cm). Drops are observed in the depth. There is a small Karr lake. The bottom of the main hall is covered with a blockage of boulders (the size of individual boulders: 5 x 7 x 3 m), the height of the vault is up to 10 m. Small branches of the main hall end in dead ends, their length is no more than 7 m.

The cave is named after the person who was allegedly hiding in it. The same cave is sometimes called Yagodkina, after the name of the surrounding rock.

KOZLINA- cave in marble

BTW "Moon milk" (mondmilh) has dozens of synonyms, there are dozens of hypotheses about its origin. "Moon milk", being a mineralogical riddle, is found in caves as loose and semi-liquid, dense and creamy. It is generally accepted that calcium carbonates do not form colloidal solutions, a moiutmikh - typical colloid. In addition, Polish biologists suggest that this "milk" also contains bacteria unknown to science, whose nutrient medium is limestone. Samples of white plastic mass, ie, "moon milk", from the caves of Karachay-Cherkessia were analyzed by the X-ray method, which showed that "milk" consists of hydromagnesite, cristobatite. aragonite and dolomite. The chemical composition of the samples showed an insignificant content of aluminum, silicon, titanium, and a high sodium content .__

0 KAl "CTK. CAVES AND SPELEOLOGY

lined limestones on the right side of the Teberda river valley.

The entrance to the cave has a western exposure and is located directly above the quarry for the extraction of gray marbled limestone near the northern outskirts of the resort town of Teberda.

The cave is a single cavity up to 3 meters long with a vault height of 1.5 to 7 m.