Draft:Sternes cave

Sternes
LocationGreece
Coordinates35°17′33″N 24°03′35″E / 35.292382°N 24.059806°E / 35.292382; 24.059806
Depth722 metres (2,369 ft)
Length7,900 metres (25,900 ft)
Discovery1991
Entrances1

Sternes (Greek: Στέρνες) is a cave located in the Lefka Ori mountains on the Greek island of Crete. The Sternes cave is the fourth deepest (−722m) and longest (7,900m) cave in Greece (data as of 2024 - cave is still under exploration). It is located on the southern slope of the Sternes peak in the Lefka Ori of the Chania region of Crete, at an elevation of 2,085m. The code name of the cave is GSO 21, as it was first explored by the French group Group Speleo d’Orsay.

The fact that its entrance is 450m higher than the Lion's entrance, which is currently the deepest cave in Greece, could potentially make it the deepest cave in the country. For this reason, over the past 8 years, the Speleological Club of Crete (SPOK) has been organizing international expeditions to explore it, which have led to impressive results.[1] Due to the cave's layout, its exploration requires specialized equipment and experience, and two bivouac camps have been set up inside it. The cave still holds many leads, ensuring that expeditions will continue for many years.

Τhe beautiful fossiled gallery of the Sternes cave. The depicted speleothems include calcites, aragonites and hydromagnisite.