The Winds' (Vântului) Cave
in Pădurea Craiului Mountains, Romania
THE LARGEST LIMESTONE LABYRINTH IN SOUTH - EAST EUROPE
Introduction-History - Geological
settings - Karst hidrology - Cave
morphology - Climatology and Biology - Perspectives
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INTRODUCTION - HISTORY Up
The Wind Cave (Pestera Vântului) is located near Șuncuiuș mining village
(Bihor County), in the King Forest (Pădurea Craiului) Mountains, North -West Romania. In the
last 30 years, this represents the largest cave in Romania, and now with
the length of almost 50 km, the most extensive limestone labyrinth in South
-East Europe as well. The small and windy entrance of the cavern has been
known for a long time by the local peoples. In 7th of April 1957, the retired
miner Dumitru BODEA showed the cave-entrance to one of the amateur- cavers
from Cluj, Mr. Bela BAGAMERI, known as the father of the exploring speleology
in Transylvania. After a very difficult crawling in the narrow and extremely
drafting entrance passage, in a solitaire exploration he searched 600 m
of active stream gallery. In the very next week, he came back with another
few amateur cavers and alpinists, and in this moment a more than 40 years
long exploration campaign began. Though only one entrance is known in the
lowest (Northern) extremity, the length of the cave is growing fast from
one expedition or weekend-trip to another: in 1958 the first fossil level
and the second active sector was discovered: length = 3.022m; 1959 = 4463m.
In 1960 the second and third fossil levels where partially explored: length
= 5.180m. In 1962 the Great Meanders on the second flour where explored:
length = 6.600m. In 1966 the CSA amateur speleoclub was founded (with more
than 60 cavers at present) the 1st of Mai and the 7th of November passages
were discovered: length = 9.000m; 1967 the upper part of the second active
sector (Moravek terminus pasage) was explored: length = 13.750m. In 1968,
the actual active terminus has been reached in a five days long expedition
with 14 participants: length = 15 km. In the 1970-1971 period the White-
and Red passages were discovered: length = 18.367m. In 1974 the length
of 20 km is exceeded. In 1979 the length is 25.700m, and the 30km barrier
is reached in 1982 during a 175 ours long expedition. 36 km in 1988; 39
km in 1989; 43 km in 1992; 46 km in 1996; 49 km in 1998. The huge exploration
and surveying work is not finished yet. Every year in winter or early spring,
a big souterrain-camp is organized by the CSA speleoclub, in average with
more than 30 participants. There are several exploring and surveying teams,
as well as novice cavers who try to know better the complicate passage-networks.
The weekend trips are quite frequent in the cooler periods of the year,
and approximately one km of new passages are explored every year.
GEOLOGICAL SETTING Up
The geological context of this cave is quite simple to understand: more
than 60% of the surface of King Forest Mountains, are formed by carbonated
formations, mostly Mesozoic limestones and dolostones belonging to the
Bihor autochthon unit. The Recea Hill, which contains the Wind Cave, is
formed by Middle Triassic (Ladinian) massive limestone, slightly folded
and deformed during the Pregosau and Laramian tectogenesis. The 180m thick
limestone is unconformly covered by Lower Jurassic (Gresten facies) clayey
and clastic formations (fireclay, coallyclay, sandstones, orthoconglomerates),
which leads to a peculiar covered karst. The hill represents a well developed
synclinal, with the axis oriented longitudinally on N-S direction, and
slightly fragmented by a series of transversal faults. Along the axis of
the Recea synclinal, an evident parallel joint system is developed, intersected
by many secondary transversal joints and faults. The multileveled Wind
Cave, is developed mostly on this parallel joint system, many of the adjacent
passages being formed on secondary joints or transversal faults.
KARST HIDROLOGY Up
The hydrological network is a tributary system to the Crișul Repede River,
which crosses Șuncuiuș village. The Recea Hill is surrounded by a series
of stream valleys such as the Izbândiș Valley on West, Șesii Valley on
South and Mișid Valley on East. The origin of the water (in average 100
l/s) from the Wind Cave is quite disputed. The dominant quantity comes
from the Șesii Valley through the Recea ponor, 3,2 km South from the exurgence
of the cave, which was marked with radioactive tracer (I131). On the more
than 5 km long main active passage, 18 tributaries were found on both sides.
Part of the streams come from the hill-slopes through the litological contact
between the karstified limestone and the clastic formations, or through
the main joints and faults, such as the majority of the right sided tributaries.
This water has a very low pH level (between 4,5 and 2,9) being extremely
aggressive, and also a very high mineralization contain (max. 591,6 mg/l).
Another part of the water comes from the looses of the Recea stream (left
side), and Mișid Valley (right side). However, one left-sided large-debit
secondary stream (CCA passage) has ambiguous origin, the hidrogeological
link between the Wind Cave and the nearest Izbândiș karstsystem is very
problematic by geological and tectonical reasons.
CAVE MORPHOLOGY Up
The actual length of the cave is very near to 50 km (3 km in airline extension),
but there are many passages, which have never been surveyed. Also in the
far sectors of the system, the exploration work is not finished. The vertical
extension is around 120 m. Comparing with other limestone caves from Romania,
the length/airline-extension ratio in very high - 16,33, being the second
after the Hodobana Cave from Bihor Mountains, which has a ratio of 22,66
with a length of 20400 m. In great line, the Wind Cave is a multileveled
complex system, which has a main active passage and three main fossil flours.
Actually, the number of the fossil levels is higher, in some sectors are
6 or 7 levels in superposition, forming very complicated passage networks.
From typological viewpoint, this cave is a lateral digression type, developed
parallel with the subaerial stream flow, being characterized by a subsequent
descending of the underground flow, controlled by the erosion rate of the
hydrological network. This leads to epiphreatic morphological features,
sometimes with very typical subsequent vadose modifications, well developed
on all of the active and fossil passages. The most important galleries
are: the Northern passage, the First flour passage, the White gallery (on
1st fossil flour); the 1st Mai passage, the 2nd flour passage, the 7th
of November passage, the Red gallery, the P passage, the Lakes passage
(on 2nd fossil flour); the Mikulas gallery, the MP passage (on 3rd fossil
flour). Very characteristic is the water-table type stream passage, with
large meanders and erozional levels on the walls, with extensive sandy
accumulations. In some sectors, extremely complicated meandered galleries
are interconnected, forming huge labyrinthic networks (the Great Meanders,
the Horseshoe sector). The fossil flours and the stream galleries are interconnected
by large pits and vertical shafts, sometimes very wet ones, being washed
by waterfalls. Also some very huge chambers are developed on every level,
without any exception by collapse origin, formed mostly on the intersection
of joints or faults: the Big chamber (Active passage); the Titanic, Amphitheater
chambers (first fossil floor); Iron, Hidden, Black chambers (second fossil
floor); MP chamber (third fossil floor). The cave, being developed on a
typical covered-karst, traditional Calcite formations are represented in
very few places, which are out from the cover, or in the main joint and
fault areas which permit the penetration of percolation water. The characteristic
mineralizations are the aragonite and gypsum formations, very common on
the fossil passages. Also some extensive clay-mineral and manganese-oxide
accumulation are frequent on the active passage and on some fossil galleries
in the far sector of the cave. The origin of the mineralizations (and the
low pH of the karstic waters as well), is on the overlapping clastic deposits,
which in some places contain secondary sulfuric accumulations represented
mostly by pyrite.
CLIMATOLOGY - BIOLOGY Up
The average temperature in the cave is 11,8 o C, being variable in the
entrance area and the main passages of the close sector. The very powerful
draft, which can be sensed in the entrance and in the far corners of the
cave as well, is bi-directional being controlled seasonally. In winter,
the cool air goes in, subsequently on summer erupting. The power of the
draft (sometimes similar to a very strong wind) depends on the weather
conditions, especially temperature. Because of the large temperature variations,
the coleopteran fauna is very poorly represented. Bats are rarely observed
in different sectors of the cave. Also very few bat- and some mice skeletons
were found on the fossil passages. The most interesting findings from this
point of view are some recently discovered footprints and claw-marks on
clayey walls very far from surface, possibly belonging to a marten or fitch.
PERSPECTIVES Up
Because in the past decades, the survey techniques were different and not
very exact, and also some big survey-mistakes were done, in the recent
years the re-surveying of the cave with hi-tech equipment began. First
the proper mapping-method was experimented, then in the last period the
re-survey work started. The much more detailed and exact mapping will show
us the real length of the cave, which in the first sector is in average
with 30 % more than the previous survey results. This could mean that the
explored length of the cave in fact exceeds 70 km. The perspective to find
new passages or even new sectors in the Wind Cave is still high. From this
point of view, the Middle sector which includes some high debit left-sided
streams (CCA, Novisad passages), and also the far sector (the Advanced
Camp-Supco area) has great potential.
Vremir, Matei: The Wind Cave:
The largest limestone labyrinth in South-East Europe.
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