Gombasecká Cave

It is situated on the western foothill of the Silická Plateau in the Slovak Karst National Park. Cave entrance is located 11 m above the Black Resurgence at elevation of 250 m above the sea.

It is formed in the Middle Triassic pale Wetterstein limestones, dark-grey Gutenstein limestones, pale limestones and dolomitic limestones along the tectonic faults, by corrosive and erosive activities of the Black Brook and its intermittent tributary from the well in the Marble Hall. The Gombasecká Cave and Silická Ice Cave are a part of the Silica-Gombasek underground hydrological system Both the caves are separated by so far unknown section of the Black Brook. It springs to the surface through the Black Resurgence, 11 m above the bottomland of the Slaná River.

The Gombasecká Cave represents a fluviokarst outlet cave, which is 1,525 m long. The two floors consist of oval, river modeled as well as fissure passages, which are in places widened by collapses into domes and halls. The upper floor is situated 5 to 10 above the active riverbed of the Black Brook, which flows in the lower parts of the cave. The Dry Passage, located on the upper floor, was formed by waters of unknown origin, which intermittently rise through the 10 m deep well in the Marble Hall also at present.

The cave is unique by thin sinter straw stalactites, which can reach as much as 3 meters’ length. Also other forms of stalactites, stalagmites, sinter curtains, coatings and crusts can be found here. Air temperature in the cave ranges between 9.0 and 9.4 ºC, and relative humidity between 95 and 97%.

The bats occur here only exceptionally. However, the invertebrate fauna bezstavovcov is very interesting here. Troglobitic springtail Deuteraphorura schoenviszkii is endemic species of the Slovak Karst and Aggtelek Karst in Hungary. The rare multipede of the Typhloiulus genus with body length of 2,6 cm, represents the biggest troglobite in Slovak caves. Other significant invertebrates are crustacean isopod Mesoniscus graniger and troglophilic multipede Polydesmus denticulatus. Frequent visitors of the cave in winter are fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) looking for the entrance parts as refuge from infavourable conditions on the surface.

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