For ten days, a group of scientists from the French Federation of Speleology (FFS), including karstologists and speleobiologists, worked in Turkmenistan and explored the caves called “Kapkutan”, “Gulshirin”, “Hoshimoyik” and “Intermediate”, the Neutral Turkmenistan newspaper reports.
These karst labyrinths are located on the territory of the Koytendag State Nature Reserve, Lebap province.
Speleologists researched the cave’s invertebrate species, took pictures of stalactites, stalagmites, and aragonites, and used laser technology to take topographic measurements based on the Gulshirin cave, according to Shaniyaz Menliev, head of the reserve’s scientific division.
The research covered 70% of the cave area in order to compile its virtual 3D map.
A map will help geologists in conducting seasonal measurements in stone caverns and tourists in planning routes and practising simulated ascents inside the cave.
In the future, French speleologists intend to draw up similar maps for all the karst formations of the Koitendag. ///nCa, 15 June 2023
#Koitendag, #Turkmenistan, #French_Federation_of_Speleology