Frasassi
The Frasassi Caves (Italian: ''Grotte di Frasassi'') are a karst cave system in the municipality of Genga, Italy, in the province of Ancona, Marche. They are among the most famous show caves in Italy. History The caves, discovered by a group of Ancona speleologists led by Giancarlo Cappanera on 25 September 1971, are situated south of Genga, near the civil parish of San Vittore and the Genga-San Vittore railway station ( Rome-Ancona line). Rich in water, the cave system is particularly well endowed with stalactites and stalagmites. Near the entrance to the caves are two sanctuary-chapels: one is the 1029 '' Santuario di Santa Maria infra Saxa'' (Sanctuary of Holy Mary under the Rock) and the second is an 1828 Neoclassical architecture formal temple, known as Tempietto del Valadier. Chambers The Frasassi cave system includes a number of named chambers, including the following: * ''Grotta delle Nottole'', or "Cave of the Bats", named for the large colony of bats that live ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sanctuary Of Santa Maria Infra Saxa, Genga
The Sanctuary of Santa Maria infra Saxa and the so-called Tempio di Valadier are two sanctuaries and chapel located at the entrance of the Frasassi Caves, a remarkable karst cave system in the municipality of Genga, in the province of Ancona, Marche, Italy. The sanctuary and chapel are located within a few dozen meters of each other, on a ledge entrance to the Frasassi cave system. The sanctuary is ancient; it is cited in documents from 1029. It is a simple stone structure built by Benedictine monks to house a burned image of the Madonna. A ''Tempietto'' or small octagonal temple on the site was first proposed in 1817 by the future Pope Leo XII, who was originally from Genga. The white travertine structure, completed in 1827 after Leo had become pope, was long thought to have been designed by Giuseppe Valadier, and is still widely referred to as the "Tempio di Valadier". However, in 2016 a study of previously unexamined archives by Maria Cristina Cavola revealed that Valadier had ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Karst Topography
Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. There is some evidence that karst may occur in more weathering-resistant rocks such as quartzite given the right conditions. Subterranean drainage may limit surface water, with few to no rivers or lakes. In regions where the dissolved bedrock is covered (perhaps by debris) or confined by one or more superimposed non-soluble rock strata, distinctive karst features may occur only at subsurface levels and can be totally missing above ground. The study of ''paleokarst'' (buried karst in the stratigraphic column) is important in petroleum geology because as much as 50% of the world's Oil and gas reserves and resource quantification, hydrocarbon reserves are hosted in carbonate rock, and much of this is found in porous karst systems. Etymology ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Genga, Marche
Genga is a town and ''comune'' of province of Ancona in the Italy, Italian region of the Marche, on the Sentino, Sentino river about downstream and east of Sassoferrato and north of Fabriano. The town is best known as the ancestral home of the noble family of the della Genga, the most famous member of which was Pope Leo XII, Pope Leo XII. Main sights *Grotte di Frasassi, they are a karst caves system most famous show caves in Italy. *the Romanesque abbey at ''S. Vittore alle Chiuse'' (11th century). *the Roman Bridge in the same hamlet, about southeast of town. *Museum of the church of ''San Clemente''. It houses a triptych and a 15th-century banner by Antonio da Fabriano. *Spaelaeo-Palaeontologic Museum, including a famous fossil of an Ichthyosaur known as ''Gengasaurus'' found Camponocecchio fossil site, in the area in 1976. The Frasassi Caves, about south-southeast, are among the most visited natural curiosities in central Italy. References External links * ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Genga, Italy
Genga is a town and ''comune'' of province of Ancona in the Italian region of the Marche, on the Sentino river about downstream and east of Sassoferrato and north of Fabriano. The town is best known as the ancestral home of the noble family of the della Genga, the most famous member of which was Pope Leo XII. Main sights *Grotte di Frasassi, they are a karst caves system most famous show caves in Italy. *the Romanesque abbey at '' S. Vittore alle Chiuse'' (11th century). *the Roman Bridge in the same hamlet, about southeast of town. *Museum of the church of ''San Clemente''. It houses a triptych and a 15th-century banner by Antonio da Fabriano. *Spaelaeo-Palaeontologic Museum, including a famous fossil of an Ichthyosaur known as '' Gengasaurus'' found in the area in 1976. The Frasassi Caves The Frasassi Caves (Italian language, Italian: ''Grotte di Frasassi'') are a Karst topography, karst cave system in the municipality of Genga, Italy, in the province of Anc ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kartchner Caverns State Park
Kartchner Caverns State Park is a state park of Arizona, United States, featuring a show cave with of passages. The park is located south of the town of Benson and west of the north-flowing San Pedro River. Long hidden from view, the caverns were discovered in 1974 by local cavers, assisted by state biologist Erick Campbell who helped in its preservation. The park encompasses most of a down-dropped block of Palaeozoic rocks on the east flank of the Whetstone Mountains. The caverns are carved out of limestone and filled with spectacular speleothems which have been growing for 50,000 years or longer, and are still growing. Careful and technical cave state park development and maintenance, initially established by founder Dr. Bruce Randall "Randy" Tufts, geologist, were designed to protect and preserve the cave system throughout the park's development, and for perpetuity. History The caverns were discovered in 1974, when cavers Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts found a nar ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Marche
Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, and has a population of about 1.5 million people, being the thirteenth largest region in the country by number of inhabitants. The region's capital and largest city is Ancona. The Marche region is bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the north, Tuscany and Umbria to the west, Lazio to the southwest, Abruzzo to the south, and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Except for river valleys and the often very narrow coastal strip, the land is hilly. A railway from Bologna to Brindisi, built in the 19th century, runs along the coast of the entire territory. Inland, the mountainous nature of the region, even today, allows relatively little travel north and south, except by twisting roads over the passes. From the Middle ages t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cave
Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance underground (such as rock shelters). Caves which extend further underground than the opening is wide are called endogene caves. Speleology is the science of exploration and study of all aspects of caves and the cave environment. Visiting or exploring caves for recreation may be called Caving, ''caving'', ''potholing'', or ''spelunking''. Formation types The formation and development of caves is known as ''speleogenesis''; it can occur over the course of millions of years. Caves can range widely in size, and are formed by various geological processes. These may involve a combination of chemical processes, erosion by water, tectonic forces, microorganisms, pressure, and atmospheric influences. Isotopic dating techniques can be applied to cave sedime ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Show Cave
A show cave—also called tourist cave, public cave, and, in the United States, commercial cave—is a cave which has been made accessible to the public for guided visits. Definition A show cave is a cave that has been made accessible to the public for guided visits, where a cave is defined as a natural occurring void beneath the surface of the earth, per the International Show Caves Association. A show cave may be managed by a government or commercial organization and made accessible to the general public, usually for an entrance fee. Unlike wild caves, they may possess regular opening hours, guided group tours, constructed trails and stairs, color artificial illumination and other lighting, musical/video/laser shows and concerts, elevators, small trains, and boats if they contain underground water features. Some caves (mainly in Asia) open to the public have temples, monasteries and religious statues or monuments. Some caves are visited by millions of tourists annually ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Grand Roc
Grand Roc is a mountain of Savoie, France. It lies in the Massif de la Vanoise range. It has an elevation of above sea level. See also * Bochnia Salt Mine, southern Poland, central Europe * Wieliczka Salt Mine, near Kraków in Poland, central Europe * Khewra Salt Mine, in Punjab, Pakistan * Kartchner Caverns State Park in Arizona, the United States * Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, in Zipaquirá, Cundinamarca, Colombia, South America * Chełm Chalk Tunnels, Poland, central Europe * Frasassi Caves, Ancona in Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ..., southern Europe Alpine three-thousanders Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Savoie {{Savoie-geo-stub ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Maurizio Montalbini
Maurizio Montalbini (4 September 1953 – 19 September 2009) was an Italian sociologist and caver who had lived in complete isolation in an underground chamber multiple times since 1986. Early life, family and education Montalbini was born at Senigallia, Italy, from Ancona. Career Although primarily known for his cave experiments, Montalbini's work in sociology involved working with drug addicts. He later treated insomniatic patients with Under-Therapy, a method he developed. Cave dwelling On December 14, 1986, he entered the Frasassi Caves of the Apennine Mountains, near Ancona. A video feed was set up to monitor him from the surface. He emerged on July 12, 1987, breaking the world record for complete isolation. An Ancona interior designer Stefania Follini heard of his exploits and decided to attempt it herself; NASA sponsored her stay in a cave in New Mexico. Both Follini and Montalbini found that time passed quickly underground. Montalbini also worked with "NASA and ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Speleothem
A speleothem (; ) is a geological formation made by mineral deposits that accumulate over time in natural caves. Speleothems most commonly form in calcareous caves due to carbonate dissolution reactions. They can take a variety of forms, depending on their depositional history and environment. Their chemical composition, gradual growth, and preservation in caves make them useful paleoclimatic proxies. Chemical and physical characteristics More than 300 variations of cave mineral deposits have been identified. The vast majority of speleothems are calcareous, composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) minerals (calcite or aragonite). Less commonly, speleothems are made of calcium sulfate ( gypsum or mirabilite) or opal. Speleothems of pure calcium carbonate or calcium sulfate are translucent and colorless. The presence of iron oxide or copper provides a reddish brown color. The presence of manganese oxide can create darker colors such as black or dark brown. Speleothems can also b ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukraine to the east, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south, and Germany to the west. The territory has a varied landscape, diverse ecosystems, and a temperate climate. Poland is composed of Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 million people, and the List of European countries by area, fifth largest EU country by area, covering . The capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city is Warsaw; other major cities include Kraków, Wrocław, Łódź, Poznań, and Gdańsk. Prehistory and protohistory of Poland, Prehistoric human activity on Polish soil dates to the Lower Paleolithic, with continuous settlement since the end of the Last Gla ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |