Optymistychna Cave

Optymistychna
Locationnear Ukrainian village of Korolivka, Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast
Coordinates48°44′33″N 25°59′37″E / 48.74250°N 25.99361°E / 48.74250; 25.99361
Length230 km (140 mi)[1]
Discovery1966
Geologygypsum

Optymistychna (Ukrainian: Оптимістична; meaning "optimistic")[2] is a gypsum cave located near the Ukrainian village of Korolivka, Chortkiv Raion, Ternopil Oblast.[3] Approximately 264 km (164 mi)[4] of passageways have been mapped within.[1] As a result, it is the longest cave in Europe and the seventh-longest cave in the world,[5] after Mammoth Cave, Sistema Sac Actun, Jewel Cave, Shuanghedong and Sistema Ox Bel Ha. It is also the longest gypsum cave in the world.[1][6]

  1. ^ a b c White, William Blaine; Culver, David C. (2012). Encyclopedia of Caves. Academic Press. p. 830. ISBN 9780123838322.
  2. ^ Herb, Jan Conn (1977). The Jewel Cave Adventure: Fifty Miles of Discovery under South Dakota. p. 230. ISBN 0-914264-20-6.
  3. ^ "Optimistic cave. Speleotourism. Active and extreme tourism. Travel". www.cave-ua.narod.ru. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  4. ^ Guden, Bob. "World's Longest Caves". Caver Bob. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ "OPTYMISTYCHNA IS THE LONGEST CAVE IN UKRAINE - Information Portal Good News". ukrainegoodnews.com. Retrieved 2017-06-28.
  6. ^ Guden, Bob. "World's Longest Caves". Caver Bob. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006. Retrieved 5 November 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)