Armenia – Arpa – Bear Cave – Devonian Period of the Paleozoic Era

The Devonian period of the Paleozoic era, which began about 410 million years ago, is represented in the Arpa river gorge. This was the time of fish dominance, both in the seas and in the bodies of water on land. The lobefin fishes characteristic of the Devonian period became the ancestors of amphibians.

The oldest traces of the Devonian period in Armenia are caves, which were once rocky cavities on the ocean surface.

130 kilometers south of Yerevan, on the slopes of the Vayk ridge composed of limestones, quartzites, and clayey sandstones, there is a complex of caves with branching corridors.

The largest of these, the Bear Cave, has not yet given up all its secrets. To date, it has been little explored (only 3-4 kilometers have been surveyed) and its exact length is unknown (it is likely to be tens of kilometers long).

Another question remains unanswered: is it a through cave, i.e. open on both sides, or a blind cavity with only one entrance.

Traveling through halls with numerous stalagnate columns and stalagmite arches is a special adventure. In the second hall of the Bear Cave, you can admire a 30-meter stalactite waterfall, which seems like a frozen reminder of the water element.

Vigen Avetisyan

Armenia, Bear’s cave, 2011 – Հայաստան, Արջի քարանձավ, 2011 – Армения, Пещера “Медвежья”2

Արջերի քարանձավ / Bear’s largest Cave in Armenia