Vyvieračka Hlbokô

Useful Information

Location:	Jánska dolina, Low Tatras National Park. South of Liptovský Ján, (48.9977615, 19.675795)
Open:	no restrictions. [2020]
Fee:	free. [2014]
Classification:	Karst Spring
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:	n/a
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:
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History

1940s	first exploration by V. Benický.
17-OCT-2015	Divers from Speleoclub Nicolaus and the Czech Speleological Society (ZO 1-09 Niphargus) cleaned the cave of wood and began to map the cave in detail.

Description

The water which rains on the granite mountains to the south and then drains through valleys to the north at some point reaches the zone of Middle Triassic limestones and dolomites. It immediately sinks into the underground, leaving a dry riverbed on the surface. This phenomenon is called contact karst. The waters of Štiavnica flows underground through still unexplored caves for 2.4 km. It reappears at a height of 774 m asl in the massive karst spring Vyvieračka Hlbokô from where it flows on the surface to the inlet to Váh near Uhorská Ves. The drainage area of the Vyvieračka Hlbokô spring and the nearby spring in Medzibrodi contains almost 30 km of mapped caves with a vertical range of 1,000 m. Many more caves are to be expected.

Vyvieračka Hlbokô (Deep spring) is located on the Jánska dolina, south of Stanišovská jaskyňa. It is located right below the road and the immediately flows into the Štiavnica. The karst spring is the resurgence of a cave river, the cave behind is completely filled with water. It is named Jaskyňa Hlbokô (Deep Cave) and was recently explored by cave divers from the local caving club.

The first exploration of the spring cave was made by V. Benický during World War II. Several wooden constructions were built in the cave entrance to allow easier access for divers. After the exploration they were not removed, but were damaged by subsequent floods. The spring was never a tourist attraction, despite ist obvious qualities, and so it was never cleaned. In 2015 the local cavers had the idea to clean the spring and to revive exploration. Divers from Speleoclub Nicolaus and the Czech Speleological Society (ZO 1-09 Niphargus) cleaned the cave of wood and began to map the cave in detail.

The spring is quite interesting for visitors, but it is not possible to enter the cave behind. At the foot of a limestone cliff below the road is a cave portal which is probably 5 m wide and 5 m high. But only a few meters after the cave opening the first sump starts allowing access only for divers. A cave river with clear water, shimmering greenish because of the high limestone content, flows calmly out of the cave. At least during normal weather. After snow melt or heavy rains the spring rises and becomes a maelstrom of opaque brown water. At this point the nearby Štiavnica is dry, from the sinkholes 2.4 km up the valley, but the resurgence fills the riverbed with water. It is not the northern border of the karstified area, but at this point the karst groundwater reaches the surface.