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The landscape in the area of the cave is truly wild, but charming at the same time. At an altitude of 1500 m. the bare beauty of the White Mountains is breathtaking, with rock formations claiming absolute sovereignty in the region, but alternating in hue and shape at the same time. They give form to sharp crevices, imposing ravines, shafts and dolines that stir human imagination inspiring also fear and awe. The secrets of this land are kept deep in its “guts”… A large expanse around Gourgouthakas is dotting with miniature plateaus and flat spots featuring “depressions”, i.e. points where the soil sinks leaving behinds holes gushing cold air. These flat spots concentrate rainwater that seeps through the depressions to disappear in the guts of the earth to produce subterranean karstic effects – holes, wells and galleries… The above provides a concise description of the process that has been shaping the Gourgouthakas shaft cave in this part of Greece for the last two million years… This cave is 1208
m. deep with galleries extending up to 900 m. in length. It was discovered in
1991, while eight years later (1999) Greek speleologists conducted an initial
investigation of the area. The attempt to conquer it two years later was met
with success. Full article in STIGMES issue no 63 Shop securely online books, maps and guides of Crete at CRETA SHOP
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