THE " VERTOLYOTNAYA" CAVE IS SITUATED IN THE "AURGAZINSKI" DISTRICT
OF THE REPUBLIC OF BASHKORTOSTAN, A KILOMETRE TO THE NORTH OF THE
"AKHMEROVO" VILLAGE. THE CAVE LIES IN LIGHT-GREY MASSIVE PERM
GYPSUMS(P1KG). THIS IS THE LONGEST GYPSEOUS CAVE OF BASHKORTOSTAN
EXTENDING TO 1,768 METRES. ITS DEPTH IS 50 METRES, AND THE VOLUME IS
40,000 CUBIC METRES.
     THE CAVE WAS FIRST INSPECTED IN 1996 BY SPELEOLOGISTS
D.V. USENKO., A.G. KUZJMIN AND M.V.EFREMOV M.V. FROM THE TOWN OF UFA.
     THE ENTRANCE IS A DOWNFALL CRATER, 80 METRES IN DIAMETER. THE CAVE
STARTS AS A PIT 20 METRES DEEP WITH OVERHUNG WALLS. ONE WOULD NEED
ALPINIST GEAR TO DESCEND INTO THE CAVE.
     ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PIT THERE IS A HEAP OF LUMPS AND CLAY, WHICH
REACHES 8 METRES IN HEIGHT. IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE CAVE THERE IS
A LAKE, UP TO 2 METRES DEEP.
     THE CAVE INCLUDES TWO PARALLEL, FLAT AND SLOPING GALLERIES OF THE
SOUTH-WEST ORIENTATION, WHICH COME UP TO 100 METRES IN LENGTH AND
REACHING 40 METRES IN WIDTH AND 6 METRES IN HEIGHT. THE WALLS AND
THE CEILINGS OF GALLERIES ARE HEAVILY CORRODED AND CREATE A
FANTASTIC FRINGE OF STONE LACES. THE FLOOR IS COVERED WITH A THICK
LAYER OF PASTRY-LIKE CLAY, WITH A WEB OF DYING-IN CRACKS. WATER
OOZES OUT DOWN CLAY. ON THE WALLS REACHING 4 METRES IN HEIGHT ONE
CAN SEE TRUNKS OF TREES AND OTHER VEGETABLE REMAINS, WHICH MANIFESTS
TO PERIODICAL SLIGHT FLOODING OF THE CAVE WITH THAWED SNOW. A NUMBER
OF EXTENDED PASSAGES OF THE SOUTH-WEST ORIENTATION DIVERGE FROM THE
GALLERIES. THE ABOVE PASSAGES CREATE THE UPPER LEVEL OF THE CAVE,
WHICH STEMS FROM THE WALLS OF THE PIT NEAR THE ENTRANCE, AND FROM
THE CEILINGS OF THE GALLERY. THE SOUTH - EAST PORTION OF THE CAVE
WHICH IS LOCATED UNDERNEATH THE DRY VALLEY, IS IN DANGER OF
COLLAPSE AS BIG LUMPS ARE SLIPPING DOWN THE LIQUID CLAY GREASE.
     IN RESPECT OF A SERIES OF PARAMETERS, NAMELY: EXTRAORDINARY
DIMENSIONS, RARE LANDSCAPE, INTERESTING FLORA AND FAUNA, THE
"VERTOLYOTNAYA" CAVE RANKS AMONG A NUMBER OF THE STATE MEMORIALS OF NATURE.
 THE END