SPELEOLOGY

  What is it?
    Speleology is the study of natural subterranean cavities, being limited its use only to the technical-scientific study, speleological, ethnic-cultural, touristic, recreative and educative activities. It has as principle the cavern's search, exploration, observing and interpretation.

    Importance and protective steps
   Caverns Importance:
    - anthropological, archeological and pre-historical, by the signs that were in the caverns, resulted from paintings, tombs, rests of bonfires etc.;
    - paleonthological, by the existence of animals bones that lived million of years ago, having the caverns conserved bones and fossil tracks of a lot of animals, mainly from big
    - environmental, by the existence of a really different ecosystem, with the development of cavern flora and fauna, studied a lot by biospeleology. Some birds, mainly the migratory ones were used to using caverns for reproduction, as the bats also.
   Protective steps related to caverns:
    - To establish steps which possible the use and empowerment of available resources for speleological subject;
    - To adopt priority action lines which allow minimizing environmental impact in cavern ecosystems and the realizing of studies and researches for identifying and characterizing of speleological heritage;
    - To complete the diagnosis of national speleological heritage situation;
    - To promote protection of significant speleological sites and of critical areas, as studies and researches for growing speleological studies nowadays.
    - To incentive cavern valorization and protection by the planed tourism;

    Some Brazilian Caverns (in Portuguese they are called caverna)
    There are about 2.800 registered caverns in Brazil, but the number of existent caverns is bigger. Just 53 caverns are considered touristic, standing out the following ones:

• Caverna do Diabo- Eldorado, São Paulo

• Caverna de Sant'anna Brasil -  Iporanga, São Paulo

• Conjunto Santa Rita Brasil - Iraquara, Bahia

• Conjunto São Mateus/Imbira Brasil - São Domingos, Goiás

• Gruta Cabana Brasil - Iporanga, São Paulo

• Gruta Canabrava Brasil - Santana, Bahia

• Gruta de Centenário Brasil - Santa Bárbara, Minas Gerais

• Gruta de Tapagem Brasil - Eldorado, São Paulo

• Gruta de Ostras- Eldorado, São Paulo

• Gruta do Areado Grande 2 Brasil - Iporanga, São Paulo

• Gruta do Janelo Brasil - Januária, Minas Gerais

• Gruta do Padre Brasil - Santana, Bahia

• Gruta Olhos d' Água Brasil - Itacarambi, Minas Gerais

• Grutas das Areias Brasil - Iporanga, S. Paulo

• Lapa da Mangabeira Brasil -Ituaçu, Bahia

• Lapa do Convento Brasil - Salitre Campo Formosa, Bahia

• Lapa do Salitre Brasil - Campo Formosa, Bahia

• Lapa nova de Vazante Brasil - Vazante, Minas Gerais

• Lapa Terra Ronca Brasil - Terra Ronca Mayada São Domingos, Goiás

• Lapas dos Brejões Brasil -  Irece, Bahia

• Réseau du Corrego Bezerra Brasil - Conjunto Angélica/Bezerra, Goiás

• São Vicente 1 Brasil - São Domingos, Goiás

• Toca da Barriguda Brasil - Campo Formoso, Bahia

• Toca da Boa Vista Brasil - Campo Formoso, Bahia

    The biggest caverns in the world

• Mammoth Cave System- USA -  563.270 m

• Optimisticheskaya- Ukraine - 191.500 m

• Jewel Cave- USA -  179.222 m

• Hölloch- Switzerland -  175.150 m

• Lechuguilla Cave- USA - 154.900 m

• Siebenhengste-hohgant-Höhlensystem- Switzerland- 140.000 m

• Fisher Ridge Cave System- USA - 135.960 m

• Wind Cave- USA -  131.004 m

• Ozernaya Ukraine -  111.000 m

• Gua Air jernih- Malaysia - 109.000 m

• Ojo Guarena- Spain - 97.400 m

• Réseau de la Coumo d'Hyouernedo- France - 94.843 m

• Zolushka Ukr- Moldova -  90.200 m

• Sistema Purificacion- Mexico - 89.927 m

• Hirlatzhöhle- Austria - 84.992 m

• Toca da Boa Vista- Brazil - 71.000 m

• Friars Hole Cave System- USA -  70.329 m

• Raucherkarhöhle- Austria - 70.000 m

• Ease Gill Cave System- UK - 65.000 m

• Nohoch Nah Chich- Mexico -  64.000 m

• Organ (Greenbrier) Cave System- USA - 63.569 m

• Kazumura - Olaa Cave System- USA - 61.437 m

• Réseau de L'Alpe- France -  60.195 m

• Red Del Silencio- Spain -  60.000 m

• Bol'shaya Oreshnaya- Russia - 58.000 m

• Ogof Draenen- UK -  58.000 m

• Bullita Cave System- Australia -  57.300 m

• Kap-Kutan/Promezhutochnaya- Russia: Turkmenistan - 57.000 m

• Dos Ojos system- Mexico - 57.000 m

• Sistema Huautla- Mexico - 56.700 m

• Mamo Kanada- New Guinea -  54.800 m

• La Pierre Saint Martin / Piedra San Martin- France/ Spain-  53.950 m

• Dachstein-Mammuthöhle- Austria - 52.944 m

• Complesso Del Monte Corchia- Italy - 52.300 m

•  Martin Ridge System- USA -  51.872 m

• Blue Spring Cave- USA - 51.359 m

• Réseau de la Dent de Crolles- France -  50.101 m

• Ogof Ffynnon Ddu- UK -  50.000 m

• Carlsbad Cavern- USA -  49.680 m

• Crevice Cave- USA - 45.564 m

• Barenschacht- Switzerland - 45.400 m

• Cumberland Caverns- USA -  44.444 m

• Santo Tomas (gran caverna de)- Cuba -  44.165 m

• Lamprechtsofen--Vogelschacht- Austria - 44.000 m

• Kolkbluser-Monsterhöhle- Austria -  43.426 m

• Pestera Vintului- Romania -  42.165 m

• Eisriesenwelt- Austria -  42.000 m

• Sistema de los Cuatro V.- Spain -  41.079 m

• Trou qui Souffle- France - 41.000 m

• Bulmer Caverns- New Zealand -  40.600 m

Links

• 221.html

• 3rd

• A Arte de Viver - Álbum da Natureza

• A sua agência de aventuras - Vias Naturais - Turismo de Aventura

• A.N.C. - Arte de Marinheiro

• Ad Thamesin

• AEC - Agrupació Excursionista Catalunya

• AER A. E. Ramaliega. caving espeleologia speleologie

• Agrupacion Espeleologica Ramaliega

• AKAKOR Geographical Exploring

• As Cavernas e a Esperologia

• Batfino

• Bobose Page

• Brasil - Environment by Sergio Koreisha

• Brasil 2001 - União Internacional de Espeleologia

• Carlos Sposito

• Cave Page

• Cave Survey Program Archive - vários programas para topografia

• Cavernas

• Caving

• Cecav

• Centro Excursionista Barriga Verde

• CEU - Centro Excursionista Universitário

• Dinomaster

• EDELWEISS - ESPELEOLOGÍA

• EGB - Espeleo Grupo de Brasília

• EnviroGeo

• Equipe de Espeleologia e Montanhismo CAP-HIGOR

• ERE del CEC

• Escuela Andaluza de Espeleología

• ESPELEOLOGIA

• ESPELEOLOGIA OZTOTL DE ZACATECAS

• Esportes e Lazer > Atividades ao Ar Livre > Exploração de Cavernas

• E-Turismo - Turismo Virtual

• F.P.E. - Federação Portuguesa de Espeleologia

• FEDERACION ANDALUZA DE ESPELEOLOGIA

• Galerias - Bocas de Cavernas

• GELS

• GeoCab - Espeleologia

• GPME

• Grupo Bambuí de Pesquisas Espeleológicas - GBPE

• Grupo de Investigaciones Espeleológicas de Jerez

• Grupo Pierre Martin de Espeleologia - GPME

• Half Dome

• Home Page Espeleológica

• home.htm

• http://usuarios.commm.com/TEAXI/INDEX.htm

• http://www.anticipationtours.com/M_camuy.htm

• http://www.belasartes.br/aulas_virtuais/nelsonrodrigues/pre-historia/sld004.htm

• http://www.cubanet.org/links.html

• http://www.es.voila.com/Guide/Deportes/Espeleologia/index_2.html

• http://www.grade6.com.br/petar.htm

• http://www.hispavista.com.ec/Deportes/Espeleologia/

• http://www.ibama.gov.br/online/notamb/Cavernas.htm

• http://www.igc.usp.br/ggeo/index.html

• http://www.mty.itesm.mx/dae/de/grupos/montanismo/espel.htm

• http://www.naturalsul.com.br/caverna1.htm

• http://www.sbe.com.br/

• http://www.servicenet.com.ar/mpetter/gea/pcu.htm

• http://www.tjdivers.com.br/caverna.htm

• http://www.uescba.com.br/espeleo.htm

• http://www.xaver.net/cgi-local/piclink.pl

• IBAMA - LINHAS DE ATUAÇÃO

• Ibiti Equipamentos Esportivos

• III European Speleological Congress

• index

• K2 - Equipamentos para sua Aventura

• Karst Link Page

• La Caverna

• Labirintos Subterrâneos: Misteriosas Cavernas do Paraná

• Lagunas de Montebello

• Licenciamento ambiental de empreendimentos turísticos em cavernas

• Links2Go: Slovakia Cave Server Home Page

• Mailinglists

• Maré Náuticas - GPS e rádio

• Menu

• Mis programas

• Mochila Br

• Mountain Voices informe brasileiro de excursionismo

• museo

• Natural Bridge Caverns, San Antonio, TX - A Naturally Inc...

• NEC - Núcleo de Espeleologia de Condeixa

• NEUA - Núcleo de Espeleologia da Associação Académica

• NOTICIAS

• Página de espeleologia

• Página de la Secció d'Espeleologia del G.I.M.

• Paraíso do Peixe Ecológico

• Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira

• Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto Ribeira

• PASSEIOS PEDESTRES - ESPELEOLOGIA

• PETAR - Atividades Pedagógicas

• PETAR - Cavernas

• PETARESPELEO BRASIL 2001

• Petzl - Online Product & Technical Catalog

• PETZL (TECHNICAL SPORT and WORK EQUIPMENT) - www.petzl.com

• Pisa Trekking

• Polos de Desenvolvimento de Ecoturismo

• portada

• Pousada Casa de Pedra

• Pousada Colina Verde

• Pousada do Quiririm - PETAR

• PRESENTACIÓN

• QuatáEGB - Espeleo Grupo de Brasília

• R_Clubes

• Rayovac Cave's Page

• Rei

• SA - Biospeleology

• Sandra Zuba Web Site

• SBE - Sociedade Brasileira de Espeleologia

• SEE

• Server WWW Speleologici nel mondo

• SPE - Sociedade Portuguesa de Espeleologia

• SPELEO Link Page

• Tablao de Flamenco. Reina Mora Granada Spain

• TerraSub Exploração de Cavernas - Espeleologia

• Trilha Brazil

• UIS - Union International de Espéléologie

• UPE - União Paulista de Espeleologia - Home Page

• WEBventure esportes de aventura

• World-wide Cave-Related Links\

• Yahoo Speleology - Links do mundo todo

    Curiosities

• In the last 15 years there were discovered 100 caverns by year in Brazil;

• Brazilian cavern fauna is the richest in South America, having more than 600 classified species;

• The higher cavern entrance has 215 meters, and it is located in Brazil, São Paulo State, in Gruta Casa de Pedra.