Design by Antonio Saladini
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THE ACQUASANTA TERME CAVES 

The largest karst system in Acquasanta territory is located along the Garrafo River Gorge, where the entrances to the larger cavities are easily recognizable:

  • the New Cave or Sulphur Cave;
  • the Long Cave or Bat Cave;
  • the Cold Cave;
  • the Radicone (“Big Root”) Cave;
  • the Red Labyrinth;
  • the River Cave;
  • the Pichini Well;
  • the Saracens’ Cave;
  • the Blue cave.
This hypogeum complex extends over an area of about 20 km, ranging from the 350 m. of the valley bed of the Tronto River to the 1,500 m of the Monti della Laga mountains to the south, with a maximum depth of 90 m. below the level of the Garrafo stream, in an area that is essentially peri-humid and humid with rainfall spread substantially throughout the year. This characteristic makes it easier for the water to penetrate deeply at the expense of the surface current. The hydrographical network in the area appears therefore fairly consistently developed, a higher ranking is observed corresponding to the marly and political lithology - sandstone (less permeable), whilst a lesser development takes place where the termini of the Umbro-marchigian succession (ranging from Cretaceous to Messinian) are more obviously calcareous and sandstone, permeable mainly because of their high degree of fracturing. Although present with smaller anelal thicknesses and extensions, the superficial deposits make infiltration easier and limit the surface flow. In the area under study termini of the Umbro- Marchigian succession crop out that range from Cretaceous (Cenomanian - Red Scale Formation) to the mid-Messinian (the formation of the della Laga). The older rocks are predominantly calcareous, calcareous-marl and marl (red scale, volcanic scale, Bisciaro, Marl with Cerrone, Marl Pteropodi) while the more recent are formed from sandstone, political sandstone and chalky from the formation of the della Laga. The movement of fluids in general and in particular subsurface water within these formations is governed by a parameter of the ground called permeability. The outcrops in the area have been grouped into four categories according to their degree of permeability:

 

Average permeability comprising Red Scale formations and those that are predominantly marly and chalky - sandstone of the Formation of the della Laga, the Red scale complex (subdivided into white scale, pink scale and varied scale) comprises alternating limestone, marly and mircitic limestone, marl and limestone marl.
  1. Low Permeability groups together the Bisciaro, Schlier, and Pteropodi Marl formations and the predominantly political-sandstone of the Formation of the della Laga;
  2. Low permeability includes the Formation of the Volcanic Scales;
  3. Variable permeability groups together the Quaternary continental deposits, defined as travertine, detrital deposits (of inclines and colluvial), landslide build-up and alluvial deposits. On the first in the area of Acquasanta Terme, and being about (concerning) deposits that are variously vacuole, the porosity and consequently the degree of permeability depend on the fraction of voids actually available for the passage of fluid and on fluid containment.
  4. The original hypogenous development of the Garrafo Caves is linked therefore to a particular hydro-geological structure which sees the presence of an aquifer (red Scale) bounded at the roof by the marly formation of the Volcanic Ash Scale and by the della Laga Formation. This disposition might have favoured the formation of pressurised water tables/stratum with water coming from surface circuits that, combined with the thermal water coming from deep circuits , have contributed to the development of the hypogeum system.
The New Cave or Sulphur Cave

 

The peculiarity that distinguishes the New Grotto is the presence of some sulphurous lakes and the largest bat cemetery in Europe. The Cave is a few meters from a gallery called the delivery room where the bats are born illuminated by acetylene.

The Long Cave or Bats’ Cave

The Cold Cave

 

The cold cave is divided into various branches:
  1. The Cascade Branch: discovered by the Speleological Association of Acquasanta Terme on 7th July 1990. It is named after the waterfall that damps this part of the cavity. It is special for the large number of considerably large sandstone pebbles – a clear sign of the former passage of water - the conduit that connects the fossil area of the cave to the active branch;
  2. The Coal Branch: discovered by the Speleological Association of Acquasanta Terme on the 8th July 1990 in the deepest part of the cavity, at about 45 m deep. The massive layer of pit coal is clearly visible.
  3. The Lakes Branch: discovered by the Speleological Association of Acquasanta Terme on 14th July 1990, it is characterised by the presence of three freshwater lakes located in the environment with the most concretion of the whole cavity.
The Big Root Cave

 

Inside this cave there is an impressive bundle of tentacle-like roots that absorb water from an underground lake.The Red Labyrinth

 

Discovered by the Speleological Association of Acquasanta Terme on 21st August 1988 and found to contain fossilized snakes, which had been killed by arsenic fumes that occurred over a thousand years ago. In addition, towards the bottom of the cavity the remains of a fossilised oak can be seen.The River Cave

The Pichini Well

The Saracens’ Cave

The Blue Cave

 

Discovered by the Speleological Association of Acquasanta Terme in 1988, it was given its name because of the blue - violet reflections of the rocks; of interest are the ancient torches and the human remains found there.

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