Is Zuddas grotto
| Is Zuddas grotto
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| Location: | Santadi , Sardinia , Italy | |
| Height : | 127 m slm | |
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Geographic location: |
39 ° 2 '44 " N , 8 ° 42' 24" E | |
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| Type: | Stalactite cave | |
| Discovery: | Early 1960s | |
| Show cave since: | 1985 | |
| Lighting: | electric | |
| Overall length: | 1650 meters | |
| Website: | www.grotteiszuddas.com | |
The Is Zuddas grotto is a stalactite cave near the southwest coast of the Italian island of Sardinia . It is located in the municipality of Santadi in the province of Sud Sardegna . Since 1985, around 500 meters of the approx. 1650 meters length of the cave can be visited on a tour.
location
The Is Zuddas grotto is located 11.5 kilometers east of the Golfo di Palmas on the southwest coast of Sardinia. Provincial road 70 from Santadi to Teulada passes close to the cave. Between the towns of Su Benatzu and Is Cattas, about 6 kilometers from Santadi and 15 kilometers from Teulada, a driveway branches off to the east to a parking lot in front of the entrance to the cave. A few buildings have been erected here, in which, in addition to catering, tickets are also offered to visit the cave in guided groups at fixed times.
The cave entrance, a little above the buildings and the parking lot, leads from the north into the Is Zuddas grotto . It is part of a complex of several karst caves in Monte Meana, which is up to 237 meters high . To date, seven caves are known, including Is Zuddas, the Grotta del Campanaccio ("Bell Cave "), the Grotta della Capra (" Goat Cave "), the Grotta sacra di Pirosu and the Grotta di Monte Meana named after the mountain . It is believed that several caves are connected by areas that have not yet been discovered.
history
The Is Zuddas grotto runs through dolomite stone from a section of the Cambrian , a time 530 million years ago, which is known as Fortunium . The rock is one of the oldest carbonates in Sardinia and Italy. In the early 1960s, a narrow natural access was discovered that led 20 meters deep into the front of the cave. In 1968, workers from a mining company blew up today's entrance to mine calcareous alabaster in a quarry . After a few months, the project was discontinued because the mineral to be mined was found in too small quantities.
In 1971 cave explorers discovered new passages with a total extension of 1500 meters, which led into previously unknown cavities. In order to prevent further access for mineral collectors, the municipality of Santadi placed the Is Zuddas grotto under protection and closed the entrances. The Monte Meana cooperative , consisting mainly of local cave explorers, was entrusted with the operation of the cave. It opened up a visitor route and opened it to the public in 1985. Since then, Is Zuddas has been visited by thousands of tourists every year.
description
The covered entrance area of the Is Zuddas grotto offers seating to wait for the tours to begin. Information boards can be seen on the walls showing the extent of the cave and the fauna that live in it . Are listed as animal inhabitants rats , lesser horseshoe bats , spiders ( Meta bourneti , Pholcus phalangioides , Dysderidae ), millipedes ( Blaniulus, Callippus ), Centipede ( Himantarium Gabrieli ) pseudoscorpions ( chthoniidae , Roncus puddui ) and isopods ( Catalauniscus, Stenasellus ). On the ceiling behind the entrance are traces of the Sardinian pigeon rabbit ( Prolagus sardus ), an extinct rodent.
The visitor tour runs on secured paths through several electrically illuminated halls and rooms in the cave. It leads through the Sala della Collata ("cast hall") via the Sala della Medusa ("jellyfish hall") and the Sala delle Erosioni ("erosion hall") to the Sala dell'Organo ("organ hall"). From there, both the Sala del Teatro ("theater hall") and the Sala delle Eccentriche ("eccentric hall") can be reached.
The Is Zuddas grotto is known for a rich variety of different stalactites and chemical deposits. In addition to stalactites and stalagmites, there are sinter curtains and falls , tubular sinter , sinter basins , coral- shaped stalactites, moon milk , wall sinter strips and various forms of aragonites . The latter are mainly present in the Sala delle Eccentriche . During the Christmas season, a nativity scene with trachyte sculptures by Giovanni Salidu is set up in the Sala dell'Organo .
Photography and filming without a flash or tripod is allowed in the Is Zuddas grotto (as of 2017). The tours are mostly offered in Italian. From November 1st to November 28th / 29th The cave is closed in February, with the exception of Christmas and the New Year (December 19 to January 7).
- Cave views
Sala del Teatro
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Is Zuddas. Regione Autonoma della Sardegna, 2017, accessed October 15, 2017 .
- ↑ Is Zuddas grotto. SardegnaNatura, accessed October 15, 2017 (Italian).
- ↑ a b c Is Zuddas grotto. Leaflet of the Monte Meana Cooperative, Santadi
Web links
- Is Zuddas grotto. Is Zuddas Grotto, 2014, accessed October 15, 2017 (Italian).