Draft:Sternes cave

Sternes
Location	Greece
Coordinates	35.292382°N 24.059806°E / 35.292382; 24.059806
Depth	722 metres (2,369 ft)
Length	7,750 metres (25,430 ft)
Discovery	1991
Entrances	1

Sternes (Greek: Στέρνες) is a cave located in the Lefka Ori mountains on the Greek island of Crete. The Sternes cave is the fourth deepest (−722m) and longest (7,900m) cave in Greece (data as of 2024 - cave is still under exploration). It is located on the southern slope of the Sternes peak in the Lefka Ori of the Chania region of Crete, at an elevation of 2,085m. The code name of the cave is GSO 21, as it was first explored by the French group Groupe Speleo d’Orsay.

The fact that its entrance is 450m higher than the entrance of the deepest cave in Greece, the Lion's (-1110), makes the cave rather important. Over the past 8 years, the Speleological Association of Crete (SPOK) has been organizing international expeditions to explore it, which have led to impressive results.. The cave still holds many leads, ensuring that expeditions will continue for many years.

Its exploration requires specialized equipment and experience. The cave is permanently rigged, while a phone cable and two bivouac camps have been set up inside to support the expeditions. Moreover, the installed data loggers measure the temperature and moisture of the cave throughout the year.

Τhe beautiful fossiled gallery of the Sternes cave. The depicted speleothems include calcites, aragonites and hydromagnisite.

Morphology

The cave currently consists of three distinct levels, making it quite unique.

1. The first level develops vertically and consists mainly of deep pits without speleothems, that are interrupted by narrow meanders. The meander at −430m was a barrier for years due to its narrowness, but the 2017 expedition managed to pass through it. The strong airflow at this point indicated the presence of further large chambers/ pits.
2. A small window at −540m (discovered by chance!) leads to the second level, which extends horizontally for about 6km. It is a fossiled gallery adorned with beautiful and unique speleothems of calcite, aragonite, and hydromagnesite, with signs of possible hypogenic origin. Large unexplored pits, that were developed much more recently than the gallery itself, intersect the gallery creating an impressive spectacle, while two meanders bring water from other parts of the system. In 2024, three consecutive large chambers were discovered, measuring about 50×35×30m, that led to an even larger chamber named Pandora, which is an old non active sump.
3. From the Pandora's chamber, the third level was discovered during the 2024 expedition: the subterranean river Ichor, which flows beneath the gallery for about 1.5km. The river, which has significant water flow that probably also collects the water of the previously referenced meanders, features two impressive waterfalls. The river ends in the cave's largest chamber, measuring about 70x40x55m, where the water is lost under rocks and a sump. Several windows and pits from the upper gallery level, as well as the upstream part of the river remain unexplored.

Parts of the cave that were explored in 2024.

• 
  The first big chamber.
• 
  The first waterfall of the subterranean river Ichor.
• 
  The second waterfall of the subterranean river Ichor.
• 
  The chamber where the water of the river Ichor is lost.

Temperature / airflow

The cave is classified as a cold cave, with temperatures ranging from 4.8 to 5.5°C. It is significant that the lowest temperatures are encountered after the large shafts of the gallery as well as in the river, a fact that might suggest the existence of a higher entrance to the system beyond the Sternes entrance.

The airflow is quite strong, ranging from 0.5 to 1m³ throughout the system. Of particular interest is the fact that the air converges from all directions at a specific point in the cave, where the airflow reaches 2m³. There is a hypothesis that this point at −550m, which has not been fully explored, leads to an exit located much lower.

Fauna

Several baits have been placed in a depth range of −160 to −580m in order to investigate the life inside the cave. A troglobiont Coleoptera individual was sampled at the depth of −240m, while many individuals of troglobiont Collembola and a Diplura individual were sampled from −320 to −370m. Araneae and Trichoptera of the family Limnephilidae were photographed close to the cave entrance. Two non‐living individuals of the genus Tipula were sampled at depths of −480 and −440m with fungi covering their bodies, while one more individual of the same genus was found flying at −310m. Finally, a bat was observed flying 70m below the cave entrance, marking the highest appearance of a bat in a Greek cave.

History of Expeditions

The cave was discovered and explored initially by the French team Groupe Spéléo d'Orsay (GSO) in 1990, which managed in 1992 to reach the narrow meander at -430m. Since then, the cave remained unknown until 2004, when Greek speleologists learned of its existence. In 2005, Greek speleologists rediscovered it, followed by expeditions by S.EL.A.S. (2009-2012), which however were unable to pass the meander.

Since 2017, the Speleological Club of Crete (SPOK) has organized annual international expeditions supported by the Fédération Spéléologique Européenne / European Speleological Federation (FSE), the International Union of Speleology (UIS), and the National Speleological Society (NSS) (among others) to explore the cave. More information about these expeditions can be found in the reports from the expeditions supported by the European Speleological Federation (FSE), which are freely available (2018, 2019 2023). The expedition has also published its findings at the International Congress of Speleology (ICS).

See also

• List of caves in Greece

References

This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.

Categories:

• Caves of Greece
• Landforms of Crete
• Tourist attractions in Crete
• Landforms of Chania (regional unit)