Motena Cave Natural Monument
Inside Motena Cave
Map showing the location of Motena Cave Natural Monument
Map showing the location of Motena Cave Natural Monument
Map showing the location of Motena Cave Natural Monument
Map showing the location of Motena Cave Natural Monument
Nearest cityMartvili
Coordinates42°28′35.7″N 42°23′28.2″E / 42.476583°N 42.391167°E / 42.476583; 42.391167
Established2007
Governing bodyAgency of Protected Areas
Websiteმოთენას მღვიმის ბუნების ძეგლი

Motena Cave Natural Monument (Georgian: მოთენას მღვიმე) is a karst cave located 0.7 km to the south from village First Balda (Pirveli Baldi [1][2] ) in Martvili Municipality in Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region of Georgia, 437 meters above sea level.[3] Cave is located on left bank of Abasha river. In Middle Ages Motena cave was integral part of the now lost fortress.

Wall protecting Motena Cave

Morphology

Motena Cave is a karst cave, formed in Askhi karst massif.[4] The total length of the cave is 75 m. It has two storey with big hall on each connected by a narrow passage. The first hall is 30 m in length and 24–25 m in height.[2] Cave is naturally decorated with many stalactites, stalagmites, travertine cascades and cave curtains.[5][6] Part of the cave has collapsed and mortared stone wall is protecting cave interior.[7]

Fauna

The inhabitants of the cave are spiders and insects, namely Trachysphaera, Heteromurus, Lepidocyrtus, Tomocerus, Sphaerozetes, Chamobates, Porobelba, Adaugammarus, Parasitus, Pergamasus, Xiphocaridinella,[8] Troglocaridicola, Scutariella, and Tectocepheus. [4]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Motena Cave Natural Monument.
  1. ↑ The root of the name Barda or Balda in Megrelian language means a hill. Residents of the village Barda were named Bardelebi
  2. 1 2 Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti
  3. ↑ Motena Cave in Georgia Protected Planet
  4. 1 2 Barjadze, Sh., Arabuli, T., Mumladze, L., Maghradze, E., Asanidze, Z., Kutalia, T. Motena Cave Cave Biodiversity of Georgia, Open Access Database, 2019. Institute of Zoology at Ilia State University
  5. ↑ (in Georgian) Motena Cave Natural Monument - Martvili
  6. ↑ Motena Cave Natural Monument National Parks of Georgia
  7. ↑ (in Georgian) მოთენას მღვიმის ბუნების ძეგლი
  8. ↑ Marin, Ivan. (2019). A new stygobiotic Xiphocaridinella (Crustacea: Decapoda: Atyidae) from the Motena Cave, Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region of Georgia, Caucasus. Zootaxa. 4648. 592-600. 10.11646/zootaxa.4648.3.12.


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