Photos

  • Икская пещера. Photography 1
  • Икская пещера. Photography 2
  • Икская пещера. Photography 3
  • Икская пещера. Photography 4

Description

The Ik caves are a unique natural site located in the western part of the Republic of Bashkortostan, in the Ik River valley, between the villages of Moskovka and Maksyutovo in the Tuymazinsky District. They are located at the fork of asphalt roads leading from the village of Turkmenevo to the city of Tuymazy and the village of Starye-Tuymazy. These caves were formed in the thickness of the gypsum of the Kungurian stage, which forms the right-bank terrace of the river.

The caves are karst cavities through which surface water passes, rushing into the thickness of karsting rocks. The gypsum layers, among which there are gray, grayish-white and pink, lie mainly horizontally and form underground passages of various shapes and sizes.

Main caves

  1. New Cave — has an entrance in the form of a crevice measuring 0.6 x 0.9 meters, located in the slope of a karst sinkhole. Underground passages extend for 120 meters and form several small halls. The width of the passages reaches 15 meters, and the height of the ceilings varies from 1 to 5 meters.

  2. Water Cave — also begins with a karst sinkhole, and its entrance is located under a 6-meter layer of gypsum. The length of the cave is about 100 meters, and at the entrance there is a small lake. The depth of the cave is at least 5 meters from the surface of the earth, and even on a hot summer day the temperature in the cave does not exceed 5 ° C.

  3. Ice Cave — the longest among the Iksky caves (about 200 meters). Its entrance is located above the level of the other caves, which helps to maintain low temperatures and form ice on the floor and walls. The main cave hall is 45 meters long and up to 12 meters wide.

Surrounding flora and terrain

The caves are surrounded by hilly steppe, typical for this region. Various dry-loving herbaceous plants grow here, including feather grass, yarrow, wormwood, bluegrass and other species. However, the caves and adjacent areas suffer from anthropogenic impact - employees of the oil reservoir park have been dumping paraffin, waste water and dirt into the caves for years, which has led to littering of the area.

The route to the caves starts from Ufa by train or bus to the city of Tuymazy, from where you can walk to the village of Maksyutovo.

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