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Psychro Cave [Earthcache]

by Kakaocacher Greece

N 35° 09.773' E 025° 26.708' (WGS84)
Convert coordinates Size: no container Status: Available Time required: 1:00 h Route: 1.5 km Hidden on: 08 October 2015 Published on: 28 May 2020 Last update: 06 November 2020 Listing: https://opencaching.de/OC161DF Also listed at: geocaching.com	10 Found 0 Not found 1 Note 0 Watchers 0 Ignorers 70 Page visits 10 Log pictures Geokrety history 2 Recommendations

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Description Deutsch · English

I discovered this admirable place during my summer holidays. In Crete are more than 5,000 caves. They are a unique and vulnerable part of our natural heritage and have always had a fascination to humans. Where to meet present and past, are important archives of Earth history. Caves contain valuable information about the development of human cultures, wildlife, and provide information about the origins of the landscape and the effects of climate and environmental changes.

General advice
From the parking lot to the entrance of the cave it is about 600m walk. There is also the possibility to ride with mules high, but the prices for it are unreasonably high. It is recommended to wear resistant non-slip shoes.
To log this earthcache it is necessary to pay the entrance and visit the cave.

Costs:
Parking: 2,50 €
Adults: 6,00 €
Free entry: children under 18 years, journalists, blind or disabled persons, students origin the EU.

Opening times:
November-March: 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
April-October: 8:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Last admission: One hour before closing

Because this cave is so special, please pay attention, that you only take picture without any flashes. Also very important is that you don’t touch anything. It is easily damaging the dripstones when they get touched several times a day.

For further information see: http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/2/eh251.jsp?obj_id=1628

Psychro Cave - The cave of Zeus

The cave is located in Psychro above the Lasithi Plateau and is 1,025 m above sea level. It is one of the most important cultural places in Crete where you can watch the beautiful dripstone formations and sintering.
In the last decades of the previous century inhabitants of the area have found ancient and historical objects in the cave, what the archaeologists Joseph Hatzidakis moved to carry out excavations in 1886. In the years 1897 - 1899 A. Evans, J. and G. Hogarth Demargne took further excavations place; this but all on a small scale. In 1961 some legal and illegal excavations of J. Boardman were published, whose numerous finds are on display as exhibits in the Heraklion Museum and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

History of Crete
Geology

The history of Crete depends on the tectonic processes between the European and the African continent. Both were united about 300 to 150 million years ago in the supercontinent Pangea. Then slowly Pangaea broke into today's continents, and the ancient sea-Tethys began to close. In the Tertiary (beginning 65 million years ago) Africa drifted closer and closer to Europe. It led to the Alps, the Dinaric Mountains in Yugoslavia, the island of Crete, and other, this was called the "alpidic fold." Crete, including the Aegean Sea in the north, lies on the Anatolian micro-plate, which still is squeezed between Europe and Africa, and drifts slowly westward. With such operations earthquakes and volcanism are connected. Thus the largest earthquake of modern times was in 438 AD, the island of Crete on the east side lowered about 4 meters below the sea level and on the west side raised up to 8.5 meters. On the southern coast of Crete goes up to 5000 m deep. Here lies the Hellenic subduction zone, a 1000 km long tectonic rift between European and African plates, where the African plate is pushed under the European.

Legends

The Dictaean cave is famous in Greek mythology as the place where Amalthea, perhaps known in Crete as Dikte, nurtured the infant Zeus with her goat's milk, the mythic connection to the long use as a site of cult attested here by its archaeology. The nurse of Zeus, who was charged by Rhea to raise the infant Zeus in secret here, to protect him from his father Cronus (Krónos) is also called the nymph Adrasteia in some contexts. It is one of a number of caves believed to have been the birthplace or hiding place of Zeus.

Formation of stalactites
Precipitation absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, seeping into the ground, where it absorbs organic acids. This can be solved in the water from the limestone calcium carbonate (lime). This dissolved limestone combines with the carbon dioxide to calcium hydrogen carbonate, which is soluble in water. Upon reaching the cave ceiling, this solution drips through existing rocks. For following the entry of atmospheric carbon dioxide escapes, the calcium hydrogen carbonate transforms itself back into the poorly water-soluble calcium carbonate (lime). The water evaporates, leaving behind the lime, which forms during the course of millennia, the stalactites and stalagmites.

What you need to log this Earthcache
To log this earthcache you need visit the cave and answer the following questions.
The first question can be answered with the help of this cache description.
The second, third and fourth question will be answered by yourself in the cave.

What kind of cave is the Psychro Cave (read the text below)?
Estimate how large is the biggest stalagmite?
What does the tourists left in the back part of the cave?
Look at the information board (see coordinates at additional waypoints):
"The excavation started from the so-called Upper Cave, which rather resembles a rock-shelter and has no stalactites..."
Question: How wide and how deep is it and how many chambers consists it?
It is not allowed anymore to demand a photo when you want to log. However, I would be delighted, if you would upload a photo of yourself in your log.

Please send your answers including you OC/GC-nickname in the subject to "psychrocave [at] gmail.com".
You are instant allowed to log. If your answers are wrong, I'll speak up if necessary with you.
Logs without PRIOR mail to this address will be deleted without any comment!

Background informations for answering the questions:
Primary and secondary caves

Primary caves: Those caves are formed at the same time as the surrounding rock. Basically it is all about lava caves which come into existence when gases are locked in the solidified lava. Most of the time those caves get opened by a coincidence. Also lava caves which are longer than a few kilometers exist. Those lava canals are formed because the surface solidified and the lava below the surface continued flowing until the eruption came to an end. You can find such caves in Hawaii, Iceland and the Canary Island.
Secondary caves: Those caves developed later than their surrounding rock. This category of caves evolved from corrosion (chemical decomposition), erosion (mechanical decomposition), tectonics (movements of the lithosphere) or a combination of all those influences. Secondary caves can be found in rocks, which are water soluble as for example different types of limestone.

Additional waypoints Convert coordinates

Parking

N 35° 09.894'
E 025° 26.850'

Stage or reference point

N 35° 09.777'
E 025° 26.717'

Informationstafel / Information board

The additional waypoints are shown on the map when the cache is selected, are included in GPX file downloads and will be sent to the GPS device.

Utilities

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Log entries for Psychro Cave [Earthcache] 10x 0x 1x

05 October 2024, 17:43 Max 03 found the geocache

Eine schweißtreibendeTour führte uns in diese wunderschönen Landschaft wo ich nach kurzer Suche im Fotobuch stand:-)
Vielen Dank für's herloggen und zeigen und immer virenfreie Koords auf euren Touren

Pictures for this log entry:
Bild 1 Bild 1

Bild 2

Bild 3

Bild 4

03 May 2024, 17:00 3Stubenhocker found the geocache

We had a really good time at this cave. Wir kamen zwar erst gegen 15:30 Uhr nachmittags an, traten aber dennoch mutig den Aufstieg an und schafften es auch, noch sehr rechtzeitig für eine ausführliche Runde dort anzukommen. The journey to the cave itself was already a challenge, since it was quite hot and we have already had a long day. But further up the road became more shadowy. Das letzte Stück war sogar angenehm kühl und das leichte Klettern hat Spaß gemacht. Die Höhle selbst hat uns total überwältigt. Wir waren noch nie in einer Tropfsteinhöhle und auch die Sage um Zeus sorgt für Spannung. Die Fotos werden natürlich nicht so toll, aber sie erinnern an die Eindrücke. Ich bin nicht sicher, ob wir die Höhe richtig schätzen, aber ich hoffe, dass alles ok ist und unser Log als Erinnerung nicht gelöscht wird. We absolutely recommend the cave. At the end we had home made orange juice and that was very welcome and delicious. A memorable day, thanks for asking!

Ήταν διασκεδαστικό. Ευχαριστώ πολύ για το cache, couch potato από τη βόρεια Γερμανία

Thank you very much for the enrichment of our holidays, Stubenhocker

Pictures for this log entry:
Hõhle Hõhle

10 November 2023, 00:27 ryukyupyx found the geocache

Quite a nice cave! Answers sent and photo attached

Hvala za zakladek! / Thank you for the cache! / Danke für die Dose! / Ευχαριστώ πολύ!

I escaped the rainy autumn to summery November in Crete for a few days 😊

Pictures for this log entry:
Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

12 September 2023, 21:39 Little Joe 007 found the geocache

Wir waren als Team LittleJoe007 unterwegs und haben auch der Höhle einen Besuch abgestattet.
Die Fragen sind hoffentlich soweit richtig beantwortet worden.

Danke für's herführen.

TFTC

05 August 2023 Wart3kurz found the geocache

Geocaching mit MiriDeLuxe und H.E.R.A.
Gesucht, gefunden und gelogt.

T4TC

05 August 2023 H.E.R.A. found the geocache

Zusammen mit meiner liebsten MiriDeLuxe und Wart3kurz ging es in die Höhle des Zeus ...

... wir sind erstmal an den ganzen Foto-Touris den Berg hinauf vorbeigefahren und konnten dadurch noch relativ entspannt einen Parkplatz ergattern ... und auch die Höhle war noch nicht so überlaufen.

Also rein ins kühle Vergnügen, die Antworten auf die Fragen gefunden und sehr interessante Bilder geknipst.

Vielen Dank für den kurzweilen EC, der uns durch die Höhle geführt hat!

Pictures for this log entry:
in der Höhle

05 August 2023, 11:33 MiriDeLuxe found the geocache

Heute haben wir, mein liebster Herr H.E.R.A., wart3kurz und ich die Höhle des Zeus besucht und beeindruckende Bilder gesehen und natürlich auch fotografiert und nebenbei Interessantes über die Höhle erfahren, gesucht und gefunden 👍🤗🤩

Dankeschön für's Herführen und Zeigen sagt mit lieben Grüßen MiriDeLuxe

Pictures for this log entry:
Bild Bild

23 October 2022 Heidiekkroamer found the geocache

Was war das für ein Aufstieg hier und dann wieder runter in die Höhle um anschließend wieder hinauf zu steigen und dann den Abstieg ins Tal zu beginnen.
Schöne Höhle hier, die Daten konnten alle gesammelt werden.

Vielen Dank für das Legen dieses Earthcaches sagen die Heidiekkroamer.

28 May 2020 Kakaocacher wrote a note

Da ich all meine aktiven GC Caches auch bei OC eingepflegt habe, kann jeder, der diesen Cache bereits in den vergangenen Jahren bei GC gefunden hat, gerne auch hier bei OC loggen, ohne, dass eine erneute Antwort-Mail notwendig ist...

last modified on 29 May 2020

31 July 2016 smurf1965 found the geocache

Exhausting walk to the entrance and quite expansive entry fee. But nice cave.

29 May 2016 schnaffels found the geocache

Geloggt auf geocaching.com am 29.05.2016 Tftec. We visited the cave several times. The first time was no light inside and we had to used candle-lamps. That was really spooky. Nowadays you will find a fully developed path and of course electric light. The cave is still worth a visit and the view to Lasithi Plateau is amazing. Thx Kakaocacher und riskaview for this earthcache.