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35-543: First mentioned in 1863 by the Austrian geographer Arnold Schmidl, who made some observations and the first map of the cave, it was later explored by the Romanian scientist and speleologist Emil Racoviță between 1921 and 1923, who mentioned it and its origin in his 1927 work Speologia (Speleology). The ice cave was formed 3,500 years ago, during the glaciations, when these mountains were covered by snow and ice. The exact date when

70-400: A cave. Cave maps, called surveys , can be used to compare caves to each other by length, depth and volume, may reveal clues on speleogenesis , provide a spatial reference for further scientific study, and assist visitors with route-finding. Caves provide a home for many unique biota. Cave ecologies are very diverse, and not sharply distinct from surface habitats. Generally however, the deeper

105-586: A consultation of cavers on 1 June 1963, at the national convention of Millau , the CNS and SSF assembled to form the French Federation of Speleology (FFS). On 3 June 1963, the new board elected the first office of the federation, which was composed of: The FFS then resumed publication of the Spelunca 4th series newsletter with four issues per year. In 1981, printing began on the current (5th) series of Spelunca , with

140-534: A dozen films were presented. In 1957, an amendment was made to the constitution of the CNS making it an association of clubs (not club presidents), to the exclusion of individual members. The financial situation became extremely difficult, firstly because of its intense activity and partly because of the production of numerous publications including the Proceedings of the International Congress of 1953 . At

175-402: A sinkhole, frogs swept into a cave by a flash flood, etc. The two factors that limit cave ecologies are generally energy and nutrients. To some degree moisture is always available in actively forming Karst caves. Cut off from the sunlight and steady deposition of plant detritus, caves are poor habitats in comparison with wet areas on the surface. Most of the energy in cave environments comes from

210-528: Is a French organisation that represents all persons practicing or studying caving and canyoning and promotes the study and conservation of caves . It was formed in 1963 by the amalgamation of two organisations, the Comité national de spéléologie (CNS), or National Committee of Speleology, and the Société spéléologique de France (SSF), or Speleological Society of France. Founded by Édouard-Alfred Martel in 1895,

245-636: Is approximately 108 m (354 ft) long and 78 m (256 ft) wide. The Great Hall includes an ice cliff nearly 18 m (59 ft) tall, which overlooks a pool called the Pool of Ice. From the Great Hall, passages lead into several other named rooms: the Church, which features over 100 ice stalagmites, the Great Reservation, Coman Gallery to the left, and Little Reservation to the right. The ice within

280-426: Is highly favorable for the growth of microbes . Microbial assemblages in caves include archaea , bacteria , fungi and other micro- eukaryotes , these highly adapted microbial communities represent the living-backbone of cave ecosystems and play a key role in shaping structures and sustaining trophic networks. The creation of an accurate, detailed map is one of the most common technical activities undertaken within

315-521: Is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, as well as their composition , structure, physical properties , history, ecology , and the processes by which they form ( speleogenesis ) and change over time (speleomorphology). The term speleology is also sometimes applied to the recreational activity of exploring caves, but this is more properly known as caving , potholing (British English), or spelunking (United States and Canadian English). Speleology and caving are often connected, as

350-593: The Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). On 28 May 1948, Jeannel met in Paris with the presidents of the clubs known to cavers as well as various eminent speleologists, under the auspices of the CNRS. This was the birth of the Comité national de spéléologie (CNS), whose headquarters was established at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris. The CNS consisted of

385-562: The Société de spéléologie was the first organisation of its kind in Europe. Between 1895 and 1900 the society published a journal entitled Spelunca . The society folded in 1914 at the start of World War I. After the First World War, French speleology was represented mainly by Norbert Casteret and Robert de Joly , who continued the interrupted work of Martel's Société de spéléologie . On 18 March 1930, an organisational meeting led to

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420-627: The Spéléo-club de France became the Société spéléologique de France (SSF), residing in Nîmes at the Natural History Museum. The intention was to give national status to a hitherto only regional group. The SSF admitted subsidiaries and affiliates. It also continued the publication of Spelunca . The first national speleological conference took place in Mazamet in 1939. Unlike the First World War,

455-584: The Big Reservation a Rupicapra skeleton was discovered. The portion of the cave open to tourists includes the entrance shaft, The Big Hall and The Church. Access to the other chambers is reserved for scientific research by the agreement of the Speological Institute of Cluj-Napoca . Speleologist Speleology (from Ancient Greek σπήλαιον ( spḗlaion )  'cave' and -λογία ( -logía )  'study of')

490-553: The CNRS began producing its own edition of the Annales de spéléologie , which became the publication of the Laboratoire de Moulis until 1976. The title Spelunca remained the property of the SSF and the Comité national de spéléologie . In 1948 after the end of World War II, René Jeannel, known for his research in biospeleology with Emil Racoviţă , founded a commission of speleology within

525-497: The Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports. This dual sponsorship was intended to mark the recognition of both scientific and recreational caving. The conference consisted of seven sections of work: hydrogeology and karst morphology, physical chemistry , meteorology and crystallography , biology , human habitat , surveying and topography , photo and film and equipment and techniques of exploration. More than one hundred papers and

560-512: The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. From 1953, Guy Lavaur organised cave diving activities. In conjunction with the Fédération nationale de sauvetage (National Rescue Federation), a certificate of first degree fitness was created in 1954. The first International Congress of Speleology was held in Paris from 7–12 September 1953 under the patronage of the Minister of National Education, as well as

595-418: The cave becomes, the more rarefied the ecology. Cave environments fall into three general categories: Cave organisms fall into three basic classes: There are also so-called accidental trogloxenes which are surface organisms that enter caves for no survival reason. Some may even be troglophobes (“cave haters”), which cannot survive in caves for any extended period. Examples include deer which fell through

630-404: The cave has an estimated volume of 75,000 cubic metres (98,000 cubic yards) and in some places can be as thick as 20 m (66 ft). The temperature is up to +1 °C in the summer and down to -7 °C in the winter. In the part for tourists the average temperature is around 0 °C. Bats live in the ice cave, as do small bugs (2–3 mm long) called Pholeuon prozerpinae glaciale . In

665-404: The cave was first discovered by humans is unknown. The cave is located at an altitude of approximately 1,150 m (3,770 ft) above sea level. It is 120 m (390 ft) deep and 720 m (2,360 ft) long. The entrance shaft, which is 60 m (200 ft) in diameter and 50 m (160 ft) in depth, gives access through metal stairs to a large chamber, the Great Hall, which

700-407: The chairpersons of speleological organisations and some exceptional personalities who had "contributed in particular, for their work in the development of French caving". The inaugural committee comprised 21 organisation representatives or individuals, most of whom were scientists. Among the members was Robert de Joly, as well as the then Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports , Pierre Bourdan. Members

735-564: The concept of speleology as a distinct area of study. In 1895 Martel founded the Société de Spéléologie , the first organization devoted to cave science in the world. Other early speleologists include Herbert E. Balch . An international speleological congress was proposed at a meeting in Valence-sur-Rhone , France in 1949 and first held in 1953 in Paris . The International Union of Speleology (UIS)

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770-459: The creation of the Spéléo-club de France , whose headquarters were set up at Montpellier , in the headquarters of the Department of Agriculture. Members of the organisation included: Martel (Honorary Chairman), de Joly (Chairman), Degrully (Vice President), Casteret, Bernard Gèze, l'Abbé Giry, Guy de Lavaur  [ fr ] , Fournier, Milhau and Contejean, among others. The goal of the club

805-652: The decomposition of the materials can happen as well. A speleothem is a geological formation 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. Caves have an absence of stable temperature , high relative humidity , low rates of evaporation and limited supply of organic material , which help in creating an environment which

840-509: The disasters that can devastate or destroy underground biological communities. Speleologists also work with archaeologists in studying underground ruins, tunnels, sewers and aqueducts, such as the various inlets and outlets of the Cloaca Maxima in Rome . Soci%C3%A9t%C3%A9 de Sp%C3%A9l%C3%A9ologie The French Federation of Speleology ( Fédération Française de Spéléologie , FFS ),

875-475: The first committee and the first office: Since the body's inception, members of the CNS knew that they needed to produce a publication in which to express their developments. In 1948, the newsletter Grottes et gouffres appeared in three issues. Facing difficulties, the publication was stopped in favour of the Bulletin de la Société spéléologique de France ( SSF ), which was produced between 1949 and 1950. Finally,

910-459: The general meeting of the CNS appointed 10 May 1958, Geo Marchand was designated to organise the 2nd National Congress of Speleology in Cahors in 1959, with the group Spéléologique du Quercy , of which he was President. Three hundred cavers from the CNS and the SSF took part in the event, from 6–10 September 1959. It gave rise to the presentation of 26 papers and five different films and inspired in

945-526: The organisation established contact with the CAF and the SSF, which were publishing the Annales de spéléologie , and organised a quarterly liaison from 1951 and for the following 10 years, named the Bulletin of the CNS . Simultaneously, the SSF ceased publication of its periodical bulletin to provide its official information bulletin in the new CNS . From 1952, cave training courses were organised in partnership with

980-451: The participants a desire for unification. The year 1961 was particularly active, and saw the first Bulletin of the CNS take the name of Spelunca (4th series), under the double patronage CNS-SSF. After their respective general assemblies on 25 and 26 November 1961, the Comité national de spéléologie (CNS) and the Société spéléologique de France (SSF), decided to create a joint commission covering all of caving and speleology. After

1015-416: The physical skills required for in situ study are the same. Speleology is a cross-disciplinary field that combines the knowledge of chemistry , biology , geology , physics , meteorology , and cartography to develop portraits of caves as complex, evolving systems. Before modern speleology developed, John Beaumont wrote detailed descriptions of some Mendip caves in the 1680s. The term speleology

1050-419: The surplus of the ecosystems outside. One major source of energy and nutrients in caves is dung from trogloxenes, most of which is deposited by bats. Other sources are mentioned above. Cave ecosystems are very fragile. Because of their rarity and position in the ecosystem they are threatened by a large number of human activities. Dam construction, limestone quarrying, water pollution and logging are just some of

1085-480: The value of groundwater studies: With the help of these organisations and with support from well-known names such as Bernard Gèze, in 1946 the Annales de spéléologie began publication, under the double label of the SSF and the CAF. This was the 3rd series of Spelunca . In 1948, the headquarters of the SSF were transferred to those of the BRGG. The CNRS provided financial support for publications from 1947 to 1956, when

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1120-619: The war of 1939–1945 saw no cessation of underground exploration. However, in 1944, the caves served as refuges for members of the French Resistance . Volume X of the Spelunca 2nd series was published during German occupation. After the war, the face of French caving had completely changed. The SSF was no longer the only national association: the Club alpin français (CAF) had also begun speleological exploration and had made many significant discoveries. In 1945, various government agencies recognised

1155-559: Was coined by Émile Rivière in 1890. Prior to the mid-nineteenth century the scientific value of caves was considered only in its contribution to other branches of science, and cave studies were considered part of the larger disciplines of geography , geology or archaeology . Very little cave-specific study was undertaken prior to the work of Édouard-Alfred Martel (1859–1938), the 'father of modern speleology', who through his extensive and well-publicised cave explorations introduced in France

1190-608: Was founded in 1965. The growth of speleology is directly linked with that of the sport of caving , both because of the stimulation of public interest and awareness, and the fact that most speleological field-work has been conducted by sport cavers . Karst is a landscape that has limestone underneath which has been eroded. Caves are usually formed through chemical corrosion via a process of dissolution . Corrosion has several ways of doing this, it can be on carbonate rocks through chemical reactions, in gypsum and rock salt it can happen physically, and in silicate rocks and warm climate

1225-484: Was to liaise between cavers and help develop the activities of miners underground. The association offered assistance (including financial) to cavers and prepared special legislation for the exploration, discovery and exploitation of underground systems. The Spéléo-club de France published a quarterly newsletter and a Spelunca journal (2nd series) for the publication of scientific papers and detailed accounts of exploration. On 1 March 1936, proposed by Bernard Gèze,

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