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Speleologists
say that ten cave pearls are probably the oddest and rarest phenomenon in this
cave. A team of Macedonian and French speleologists who discovered that the
Gališka Cave near Lake Tikveš is more than five million years old, claim that
it can be unconditionally called the most beautiful cave in the country. The
French were not only fascinated by the age of the cave but its beauty and
richness. The Macedonian speleologists, too, say that it is a very beautiful
cave rich in calcium ornaments, which haven’t been seen so far by French and
Macedonian cave admirers. The Gališka Cave is around ten kilometers East of
Lake Tikveš. It is reached by boat, which takes 2,5 hours and two more hours are
needed on foot through Orle Mountain. French speleologists say that the cave is
an extraordinary finding, which has yet to be explored despite the research so
far has been made by the most sophisticated devices and methods.
 According to Nikola Mincorov, Secretary of the
Speleological Section with the Orle Mountaineering Association in
Kavadarci,
the cave exceeds the expectations and is a challenge for scientists. “The cave
has been discovered by the members of Orle Association ten years ago. Then, we
didn’t know that it dated back to five million years ago. We kept it in secret
for a long time fearing that undesirable visitors and illegal gold miners could
destroy it. Unfortunately, a lot of time had to pass for us to present this
beautiful cave. The French speleologists, who were our guests, were left
breathless when they saw the stalagmites and stalactites the cave is rich in.
But, maybe, the oddest and rarest phenomenon's in the cave are ten cave pearls we
discovered, says Mincorov. The speleologists say that the pearls speak of how old the cave is. They are
grains of lime created in places called “patellae”, places where water drips
making them roll around, which contributes to their grainy form. The cave is
around 120 meters long and only the entrance, which is vertical, is 15 meters
long.
The Gališka Cave was created by heavy rains. There used to be two lakes in the
cave, and one of them is dried out today. Bats and a very rare species of ice
ant have been noticed there. The cave also has “bellies” “bushed” with stalactites and stalagmites
which are really magnificent, but unfortunately, the speleologists say, people
cannot visit the cave because of its inaccessibility. It could however become a
tourist Mecca for speleologists from all round the world. Orle speleologists
hope that the Gališka Cave will be pronounced natural rarity of our country and
will be put under the UNESCO protection. |
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