Spannagel Cave
Encyclopedia
The Spannagel Cave is a show cave
near Hintertux, in the Zillertal Alps
in the Austrian state of Tyrol. Currently about 10 kilometres of cave have been discovered; guided tours enable access to 500 metres of the cave. Its entrance lies below the Spannagelhaus (2531 m), a mountain hut run by the Austrian Tourist Club
(ÖTK). The cave and the hut are named after Dr. Rudolf Spannagel, who was the president of the ÖTK from 1902 to 1904.
s and metamorphite
, that do not support the formation of caves. The only exceptions are pockets of rock capable of karst
ification such as limestone
, dolomite
, gypsum
and other carbonates. These pockets are generally of quite low thickness, and only allow small caves to be formed. The creation of caves also requires water solubility. The Spannagel Cave has arisen in a large vein of Jurassic
calcite marble of the Hochstegen Formation, a marble
with over 90 % total carbonate content, that runs through the slate mantle of the Western Tauern window. The formation of this extensive cave as a result of geological corrosion
(and mixing corrosion) is explained by the tectonics
of the region.
and heavy moisture penetration (even leading to cascades). The various stream passages (Mündungslöcher) form siphons in places that are only accessible by diving. In those cave passages far from daylight there are rare helictite
s. The Spannagel Cave System extends from the Gefrorne-Wand-Kees glacier
to the Lärmstange, 2,686 m, and is the highest large cave in Europe with a measured length to date of 10 kilometres. During guided tours the cave's many features (coloured marble, various calc-sinter formations, speleothem
s, crystals, banded marbles and kolk
s) are explained. In addition, the age of the cave and its formation are described, as are its flora and fauna, climate and cave atmosphere which is beneficial for those suffering from lung ailments. Bats only appear in the vicinity of the cave exits - albeit some get lost in the entrance area. A cave museum has been established in the eastern section of this passageway where several discoveries from the interior of the mountain are displayed.
In 1960 Rudolf Radislovich first explored the front part of the cave with its main entrance (Hauptgang) and "water entrance" (Wassergang), both of which meet in the Hall of Union (Halle der Vereinigung). In the following year, Max H. Fink surveyed the known section of the cave and discovered the Labyrinth. In 1964 the Federal Monuments Office (Bundesdenkmalamt) designated the cave as a natural monument
because of its scientific importance. In 1968 Walter Knezicek and Günther J. Wolf discovered two shafts and the Knesi-Harnisch at the right hand edge of the Halle der Vereinigung, which all led down into a tunnel about 10 metres below. This was the start of what later became known as the Schrauben-Cañon ("Screw Canyon"). In 1970 Hannes Jodl found the Postkastl ("Postbox") at the left hand end of the Halle der Vereinigung, which turned out to be a continuation of the Spannagel Cave. The first person to enter this section was Günther J. Wolf with seven members of his ice course. The research of the Kolkgang passage (ascending to the Elchschädelgang passage and Dirndlkammer chamber, a link with the Wassergang, and descending via the Kolkgang to the Hannes-Jodl-Dom, at whose ceiling the Schrauben-Cañon enters, onwards to the Dr.-Klaus-Karger-Halle and continuing as the Kolkgang to the edge of the ÖTK-Schacht shaft) resulted in a doubling of the hitherto known extent of the cave and offered an incentive for further exploration.
The years 1972 to 1975 saw four survey expeditions by the State Caving Club in Tyrol (Landesverein für Höhlenkunde in Tirol), that advanced as far as the Gneisbach stream. In 1975, as part of a research week by the Groupe Spéléologique Luxembourgeois with E. Jacoby, M. Möller, G. Mutschlechner and B. Schmitz, the course of the Höhlenbach stream was established. By dying the water it was demonstrated that it surfaced at about 1,980 m in the middle of a rock face south of Waldeben. Likewise the Schneefleck Cave (Schneefleckhöhle), which runs parallel to the Spannagel Cave, was discovered and surveyed. In 1976 the Caving Club erected a bivouac in the Umkehrhalle hall. A 50-hour expedition led by E. Jacoby in 1976/77 discovered and researched the Spinnengang passage, the Mutschlechner-Dom cavern and the Schatzkammer chamber. In 1978 F. Maiberger and W. Mayr reached the westernmost point of the cave, the Bauchbad.
In 1984 German speleologists in the Tyrolean Caving Club under the direction of C. Cavelius surveyed the South System (Südsystem). In 1987 and 1988 the entrance area of the cave was cleared out, and the gallery joining the Trümmerhalle and Gneisbach were discovered and surveyed by W. Mayr and G. Völkl. The Schrauben-Cañon was first negotiated in 1989 by E. Türke and R. Tobitsch.
Show cave
Show caves — also called tourist caves, public caves, and in the United States, commercial caves — are caves that are managed by a government or commercial organization and made accessible to the general public, usually for an entrance fee...
near Hintertux, in the Zillertal Alps
Zillertal Alps
The Zillertal Alps are a mountain range of the Central Eastern Alps on the border of Austria and Italy. The range is named after the Zillertal on its north....
in the Austrian state of Tyrol. Currently about 10 kilometres of cave have been discovered; guided tours enable access to 500 metres of the cave. Its entrance lies below the Spannagelhaus (2531 m), a mountain hut run by the Austrian Tourist Club
Austrian Tourist Club
The Austrian Tourist Club or ÖTK is the second oldest and third largest Alpine club in Austria.The foundation of the club goes back to an initiative by Gustav Jäger, publisher of Der Tourist, the first tourist magazine in Austria...
(ÖTK). The cave and the hut are named after Dr. Rudolf Spannagel, who was the president of the ÖTK from 1902 to 1904.
Formation
The overwhelming part of the Zillertal Alps consists of the crystalline primary rocks, plutonPluton
A pluton in geology is a body of intrusive igneous rock that crystallized from magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Plutons include batholiths, dikes, sills, laccoliths, lopoliths, and other igneous bodies...
s and metamorphite
Metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rock is the transformation of an existing rock type, the protolith, in a process called metamorphism, which means "change in form". The protolith is subjected to heat and pressure causing profound physical and/or chemical change...
, that do not support the formation of caves. The only exceptions are pockets of rock capable of karst
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
ification such as limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, dolomite
Dolostone
Dolostone or dolomite rock is a sedimentary carbonate rock that contains a high percentage of the mineral dolomite. In old U.S.G.S. publications it was referred to as magnesian limestone. Most dolostone formed as a magnesium replacement of limestone or lime mud prior to lithification. It is...
, gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
and other carbonates. These pockets are generally of quite low thickness, and only allow small caves to be formed. The creation of caves also requires water solubility. The Spannagel Cave has arisen in a large vein of Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
calcite marble of the Hochstegen Formation, a marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
with over 90 % total carbonate content, that runs through the slate mantle of the Western Tauern window. The formation of this extensive cave as a result of geological corrosion
Corrosion
Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent atoms due to chemical reactions with its surroundings. In the most common use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as oxygen...
(and mixing corrosion) is explained by the tectonics
Tectonics
Tectonics is a field of study within geology concerned generally with the structures within the lithosphere of the Earth and particularly with the forces and movements that have operated in a region to create these structures.Tectonics is concerned with the orogenies and tectonic development of...
of the region.
Features
The cave is characterised by the strong presence of dampsDamp (mining)
Historically, gases in coal mines in Britain were collectively known as "damps". This comes from the Middle Low German word dampf , and was in use by 1480 .Damps included:...
and heavy moisture penetration (even leading to cascades). The various stream passages (Mündungslöcher) form siphons in places that are only accessible by diving. In those cave passages far from daylight there are rare helictite
Helictite
A helictite is a speleothem found in limestone caves that changes its axis from the vertical at one or more stages during its growth. They have a curving or angular form that looks as if they were grown in zero gravity...
s. The Spannagel Cave System extends from the Gefrorne-Wand-Kees glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
to the Lärmstange, 2,686 m, and is the highest large cave in Europe with a measured length to date of 10 kilometres. During guided tours the cave's many features (coloured marble, various calc-sinter formations, speleothem
Speleothem
A speleothem , commonly known as a cave formation, is a secondary mineral deposit formed in a cave. Speleothems are typically formed in limestone or dolostone solutional caves.-Origin and composition:...
s, crystals, banded marbles and kolk
Kolk
A kolk is an underwater vortex that is created when rapidly rushing water passes an underwater obstacle in boundary areas of high shear. High velocity gradients produce a violently rotating column of water, similar to a tornado. Kolks are capable of plucking multi-ton blocks of rock and...
s) are explained. In addition, the age of the cave and its formation are described, as are its flora and fauna, climate and cave atmosphere which is beneficial for those suffering from lung ailments. Bats only appear in the vicinity of the cave exits - albeit some get lost in the entrance area. A cave museum has been established in the eastern section of this passageway where several discoveries from the interior of the mountain are displayed.
Discovery
In 1919 Alois Hotter, the proprietor of the Spannagelhaus, discovered the cave entrance. He called the cave the Grausliches Loch and used it, as did several other tenants after him, as a rubbish pit.In 1960 Rudolf Radislovich first explored the front part of the cave with its main entrance (Hauptgang) and "water entrance" (Wassergang), both of which meet in the Hall of Union (Halle der Vereinigung). In the following year, Max H. Fink surveyed the known section of the cave and discovered the Labyrinth. In 1964 the Federal Monuments Office (Bundesdenkmalamt) designated the cave as a natural monument
Natural Monument
A natural monument is a natural or natural/cultural feature of outstanding or unique value because of its inherent rarity, representative of aesthetic qualities or cultural significance....
because of its scientific importance. In 1968 Walter Knezicek and Günther J. Wolf discovered two shafts and the Knesi-Harnisch at the right hand edge of the Halle der Vereinigung, which all led down into a tunnel about 10 metres below. This was the start of what later became known as the Schrauben-Cañon ("Screw Canyon"). In 1970 Hannes Jodl found the Postkastl ("Postbox") at the left hand end of the Halle der Vereinigung, which turned out to be a continuation of the Spannagel Cave. The first person to enter this section was Günther J. Wolf with seven members of his ice course. The research of the Kolkgang passage (ascending to the Elchschädelgang passage and Dirndlkammer chamber, a link with the Wassergang, and descending via the Kolkgang to the Hannes-Jodl-Dom, at whose ceiling the Schrauben-Cañon enters, onwards to the Dr.-Klaus-Karger-Halle and continuing as the Kolkgang to the edge of the ÖTK-Schacht shaft) resulted in a doubling of the hitherto known extent of the cave and offered an incentive for further exploration.
The years 1972 to 1975 saw four survey expeditions by the State Caving Club in Tyrol (Landesverein für Höhlenkunde in Tirol), that advanced as far as the Gneisbach stream. In 1975, as part of a research week by the Groupe Spéléologique Luxembourgeois with E. Jacoby, M. Möller, G. Mutschlechner and B. Schmitz, the course of the Höhlenbach stream was established. By dying the water it was demonstrated that it surfaced at about 1,980 m in the middle of a rock face south of Waldeben. Likewise the Schneefleck Cave (Schneefleckhöhle), which runs parallel to the Spannagel Cave, was discovered and surveyed. In 1976 the Caving Club erected a bivouac in the Umkehrhalle hall. A 50-hour expedition led by E. Jacoby in 1976/77 discovered and researched the Spinnengang passage, the Mutschlechner-Dom cavern and the Schatzkammer chamber. In 1978 F. Maiberger and W. Mayr reached the westernmost point of the cave, the Bauchbad.
In 1984 German speleologists in the Tyrolean Caving Club under the direction of C. Cavelius surveyed the South System (Südsystem). In 1987 and 1988 the entrance area of the cave was cleared out, and the gallery joining the Trümmerhalle and Gneisbach were discovered and surveyed by W. Mayr and G. Völkl. The Schrauben-Cañon was first negotiated in 1989 by E. Türke and R. Tobitsch.
Sources
- Max H. Fink (1961): Die Höhle unter dem Spannagelhaus. – Österr. Touristenzeitung (Vienna) 74 (6): 70
- Günther J. Wolf (1971): Bergfahrt in die Unterwelt. – Österr. Touristenzeitung (Vienna) 84 (2): 24-25
- Gerhard Schirmer (1976): Die Höhle beim Spannagelhaus. – Österr. Touristenzeitung (Vienna) 88 (9): 109-111
- Heinz Ilming, Hans Mrkos (1979): Höhlenforschung in Österreich seit 1961. – Wissenschaftliche Beihefte zur Zeitschrift "Die Höhle" (Vienna) 13: 67-81
- Gerhard Schirmer (1979): Die Höhle unter dem Spannagelhaus. – Festschrift "50 Jahre Bergsteigergruppe im Österr. Touristenklub" (Vienna) 123-125
- Ernest Jacoby, Günter Krejci (1992): Die Höhle beim Spannagelhaus und ihre Umgebung. – Wissenschaftliche Beihefte zur Zeitschrift "Die Höhle" 26