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Caves & Abysses

Caves & Abysses photography

Caves & Abysses Gallery

Explore natural caves, underground passages, limestone formations, vertical shafts and abysses shaped by geological processes.

New addition Punkva Cave Limestone Columns

Punkva Cave Limestone Columns

Underground chamber of speleothems
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Punkva Caves, Moravian Karst
A close view of an irregular stalagmite rising from the cave floor. Its rough, layered surface records successive deposits of calcium carbonate carried by dripping water. Variations in water flow can change the shape and thickness of the growing formation.
New addition Punkva Cave Limestone Columns

Punkva Cave Limestone Columns

Underground chamber of speleothems
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Punkva Caves, Moravian Karst
! Some of the thinner deposits grow only fractions of a millimetre annually, meaning that even modest formations may represent thousands of years of development.
An intricate collection of stalactites and stalagmites surrounds a large limestone formation.
New addition The Lovers

The Lovers

Underground chamber of speleothems
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Punkva Caves, Moravian Karst
! The Lovers. Normally, such formations eventually meet to create a limestone column. However, water droplets falling from the high ceiling splash too widely, causing the lower stalagmite to grow outward rather than upward, this giving their name a poetic meaning as these most likely will never join.
A long, slender stalactite descends from the ceiling toward a stalagmite growing upward beneath it.
New addition Punkva Cave Stalactite and Stalagmite

Punkva Cave Stalactite and Stalagmite

Curtains from limestone formations
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Punkva Caves, Moravian Karst
Beautifully illuminated calcite curtains hang from the cave ceiling. Unlike ordinary stalactites, these delicate, folded formations develop as mineral-rich water travels along inclined rock surfaces, gradually creating thin sheets of limestone.
New addition Punkva Cave Draperies

Punkva Cave Draperies

Partially meeting limestone formations
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Punkva Caves, Moravian Karst
! This curtain like Stalactite and Stalagmite already create a column.
Close-up of translucent limestone draperies illuminated from behind.
New addition Punkva Cave Flowstone Art

Punkva Cave Flowstone Art

Art like calcite deposits
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Punkva Caves, Moravian Karst
! Mineral-rich water and Time as artists
This looks like an artist's work, his name is 'Time'
New addition Punkva Cave Stalactite, Stalagmite and Pillers

Punkva Cave Stalactite, Stalagmite and Pillers

Thin columns calcite deposits
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Punkva Caves, Moravian Karst
! The limestone formations are collectively known as speleothems. Their growth rates vary enormously. A useful educational explanation is that a formation measuring only a few centimetres may be thousands of years old, although appearance alone cannot establish its age.
A richly decorated chamber containing numerous slender limestone columns, stalagmites and hanging stalactites. The formations illustrate different stages of growth, from small mineral deposits to fully connected columns.
New addition Punkva Cave Limestone Columns

Punkva Cave Limestone Columns

Underground chamber of speleothems
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Punkva Caves, Moravian Karst
A limestone chamber displaying large hanging stalactites and irregular calcite deposits. Their varied shapes reflect differences in water movement, mineral concentration and the structure of the surrounding limestone.
New addition Cave Bear Skeleton Display

Cave Bear Skeleton Display

Reconstructed prehistoric cave bear
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Catherine Cave, Moravian Karst
! Cave bears (Ursus spelaeus) inhabited Europe during the Ice Age and became extinct approximately 24,000 years ago.
A reconstructed cave-bear skeleton displayed inside Catherine Cave which were considerably larger and more robust than most modern European brown bears.
New addition Catherine Cave Limestone Chamber

Catherine Cave Limestone Chamber

Stalactites, stalagmites and calcite formations
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Catherine Cave, Moravian Karst
A limestone chamber filled with slender stalagmites and columns. These formations develop as mineral-rich water deposits calcite over thousands of years. Their varying thicknesses reflect differences in water supply and growth conditions.
New addition Catherine Cave Limestone Chamber

Catherine Cave Limestone Chamber

Stalactites, stalagmites and calcite formations
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Catherine Cave, Moravian Karst
! Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of prehistoric human activity, including exceptionally old rock markings interpreted by researchers as dating to the Upper Palaeolithic 50.000 - 12.000 BCE.
Thin limestone formations rise from the cave floor beneath a heavily decorated ceiling. The remarkable density of these formations demonstrates the slow accumulation of calcium carbonate through repeated dripping over long geological periods.
New addition Catherine Cave Limestone Chamber

Catherine Cave Limestone Chamber

Stalactites, stalagmites and calcite formations
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Catherine Cave, Moravian Karst
A massive flowstone formation surrounded by stalactites and smaller stalagmites. Flowstone develops when mineral-rich water spreads across rock surfaces, depositing successive layers of calcite that gradually create rounded, curtain-like shapes.
New addition Catherine Cave Limestone Chamber

Catherine Cave Limestone Chamber

Stalactites, stalagmites and calcite formations
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Catherine Cave, Moravian Karst
! Catherine Cave is particularly famous for its enormous Main Dome, approximately 95 metres long, 44 metres wide and 20 metres high, one of the largest accessible underground chambers in the Czech Republic.
An extensive limestone chamber decorated with stalactites, stalagmites and natural columns.
New addition Cave Bone Display

Cave Bone Display

Prehistoric animal remains
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Catherine Cave, Moravian Karst
An exhibit of animal bones in Catherine Cave, recalling the prehistoric fauna and palaeontological discoveries associated with the Moravian Karst.
New addition Witch Formation in Catherine Cave

Witch Formation in Catherine Cave

Distinctive limestone formation
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Catherine Cave, Moravian Karst
! Catherine Cave takes its name from a local legend about a young shepherdess named Catherine, who entered the cave searching for a lost sheep and never returned.
A dramatically illuminated limestone formation resembling a mysterious figure.
New addition Macocha Abyss

Macocha Abyss

Deep limestone collapse sinkhole
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Macocha Abyss, Moravian Karst
! Its upper opening measures approximately 174 by 76 metres, while its depth to the visible floor is about 138.5 metres.
A dramatic view into Macocha Abyss, one of Central Europe's best-known limestone sinkholes. The abyss formed through the collapse of the roof of an enormous underground cavern.
New addition Macocha Abyss Lower Pool

Macocha Abyss Lower Pool

Water at the bottom of the limestone sinkhole
Country: Czech Republic
Date: 2022
Place: Macocha Abyss, Moravian Karst
! The Punkva River passes through the underground cave system associated with Macocha. Visitors can experience parts of this underground landscape by boat on the Punkva River, making the connection between the abyss and surrounding caves particularly interesting.
The lower part of Macocha Abyss, where steep limestone walls surround a small pool. The abyss connects with the underground Punkva River system and contains two lakes, the Upper and Lower Macocha Lakes. Water continues through submerged passages beneath the visible floor.