Search KARSTBASE:
Exploration Spotlight. This page presents the latest discoveries and achievements in the areas of Karst and Cave Research as well as Sport Caving. The underground world is last black spot on the map of the Earth and these are the latest news from there:
Kuzgun Cave and its Context: the first super-deep cave in the Aladaglar Massif, Turkey
Aladaglar Karst & Cave Research Project
The Aladaglar Karst and Cave Research Project has been initiated in 2000 by Dr. Serdar Bayari, Dr. Lutfi Nazik, Koray Tork and Dr. Alexander Klimchouk with the twofold aim: 1) to advance knowledge of evolution and hydrogeology of the Aladaglar karst through a combination of speleological explorations and special geomorphological and hydrogeochemical studies and, 2) to challenge a task to discover and explore super-deep caves in this high-altitude karst. The idea was to combine the special expertise, cave exploration experience and resources of the involved scholars and institutions – General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA), Department of Geological Engineering of the Hacettepe University, Institute of Geological Sciences of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences and the Ukrainian Speleological Association. The challenge to discover and explore super-deep caves in this particularly difficult environment of the high mountain karst could be faced only through systematic speleological investigations in the area. Large and deep caves, if discovered, together with a wealth of regional speleological data, would give indispensable information to advancing key scientific issues of the Aladaglar karst, - its evolution and hydrogeology. In turn, special geomorphological and hydrogeochemical studies would help to develop more efficient strategy and methods for search and exploration of caves. The cave explorations under the Aladaglar project were integrated into the "Call of the Abyss" project searching to overpass the 2000m depth mark in caves.
The field activities under the Aladaglar Karst & Cave Research Project included a reconnaissance trip in October 2000 (10 days, 6 members) and a series of large month-long expeditions in August 2001 (26 members), August 2002 (28 members), July 2003 (26 members) and July 2004 (30 members). The expeditions were composed of cavers from the Ukrainian Speleological Association, MAD and HUMAK speleological clubs of Ankara and karst specialists of MTA and Hacettepe University.
Where the work is in progress:
Kuzgun Cave and its Context: the first super-deep cave in the Aladaglar Massif, Turkey
- Kuzgun Cave and its Context: the first super-deep cave in the Aladaglar Massif, Turkey
- Aladaglar Massif
- Karst Study and Cave Exploration Challenges in the Aladaglar High Mountains
- Aladaglar Karst & Cave Research Project
- Cave Search and Exploration in Aladaglar: Approach, Methods and Progress in 2001-2004
- Expedition of July 2004: Kuzgun Cave
- Preliminary conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
Vladimir Iljukhin Cave System: breakthrough behind the fourth siphon
3N Cave, New World’s Longest Cave in Salt
Krubera (Voronja) Cave: the first 2000m+ cave on Earth
- Krubera Cave : the first 2000m+ cave on Earth
- August 2012 Expedition news
- August-September 2010 Expedition news: The Nekujbyshevskaya Branch has been pushed to -1697 m
- August-September 2009 Expedition news: The Nekujbyshevskaya Branch has been pushed to -1557 m
- August-September 2008 Expedition news
- August-September 2007 expedition news
- August-September 2006 expedition news
- February-March 2005 expedition news
- October 2004 expedition news
- August 2004 expedition news