Zeytintaşı Cave

Zeytintaşı Cave (Turkish: Zeytintaşı Mağarası) is a show cave in Antalya Province, southwestern Turkey. It is a registered natural monument of the country.

Zeytintaşı Cave
Zeytintaşı Mağarası
Location of Zeytintaşı Cave in Turkey
LocationAkbaş village, Serik, Antalya Province, Turkey
Coordinates37°02′49″N 31°06′38″E
Depth14 m (46 ft)
Length97 m (318 ft) and 136 m (446 ft)
Elevation225 m (738 ft)
Discovery1997
GeologyLimestone
Show cave opened2002

The cave is located at Akbaş village in Serik district of Antalya Province. It is at an elevation of 225 m (738 ft) above main sea level on the slope of a hill.[1] Its distance to Serik town is 16 km (9.9 mi) and to Antalya city is 54 km (34 mi). Tourist attraction Aspendos is 10 km (6.2 mi) far from the cave.[2]

The cave is enclosed in impermeable limestone formation of Jurassic-Cretaceous period. It was formed on a distinct fault line in northwest-southeast direction. The cave has two interconnected levels with a depth of 14 m (46 ft). The lower gallery is 97 m (318 ft) long and the upper gallery is 136 m (446 ft) long. It features still active stalactites, stalagmites and columns. as well as soda straws of 3 cm (1.2 in) thickness and 70 cm (28 in) length. There are pools between columns.[1][2]

The cave was discovered by the Turkish Highway Administration during preliminary works for road construction in 1997.[1][3] The upper gallery was opened to public visit as a show cave in 2002.[1] The soda straws inside the cave make it a rare example.[3] Zeytintaşı Cave with its surrounding area of 45.895 ha (113.41 acres) was registered a natural monument on June 27, 2013.[4][5]

References
  1. Ceylan, Salih. "Zeytintaşı Mağarası (Serik – Antalya)" (in Turkish). Atatürk University. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  2. "Zeytintaşı Mağarası – Antalya" (in Turkish). Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı – Yatırım ve İşleymeler Genel Müdürlüğü. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  3. "Bu mağara görenleri hayrete düşürüyor". TRT Haber (in Turkish). 2013-09-16. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  4. "Türkiye'nin Tabiat Anıtları" (PDF) (in Turkish). Milli Parklar. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  5. "Antalya - Son 13 Yılda 19 Milyar Lira'lık Yatırım" (PDF) (in Turkish). Orman ve Su İşleri Bakanlığı. April 2016. Retrieved 2017-01-25.


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