Căpătânii/Parâng Mountains: Polovragi Cave–Oltetului Gorge Karst Area

The Polovragi Cave–Oltețului Gorge karst area is about 3 km2 in size and is traverse by the Olteț River through a spectacular narrow gorge, which represents the natural boundary between Parâng Mountains to the west and Capațânii Mountains in the east. These mountains are part of the Southern Carpathian. Focul Viu Caving Club surveyed the Polovragi Cave between 1975 and 1985. In parallel with the survey activities in the main cave developed on the first level, several smaller caves were identified on both sides of the Oltețului Gorge. These caves are located on the second and third levels, which are interrelated with different peneplanation events that occurred in the Carpathians. In 2000, Focul Viu began working in the cave again, replacing gates, removing trash, digging to open new passages, and performing underwater explorations. By the end of 2011, new passages were found in the Hope Chamber and Costin Gallery, extending the total length of the cave to 10,793 and 92 m in vertical range. The Polovragi Cave along with two other smaller caves is presented in this chapter. The Polovragi Cave is the third longest cave in the Southern Carpathians and the eleventh in Romania. One of the smaller caves hosts an important bat colony, and the other one, with 800 m of passages, hosts Ursus spelaeus bones and deposits of saltpeter. The Bones Cave (Peștera cu Oase) located on the western side of the gorge (opposite side of Polovragi Cave) at a higher elevation is an old meander of the Olteț River.