Speleologists find deepest dry abyss in ČR

Rudice, South Moravia, Feb 19 (CTK) - Tumberek, a newly revelaed abyss that seems to be the deepest waterless abyss in the Czech Republic, was incidentally found in the Moravian Karst area when workers wanted to repair a hole in the road, Rudice Mayor Roman Sebela has told CTK.

The hole appeared in the road last July. When a repair team arrived on the spot, a cavern four square metres large was revealed under the road.

It turned out that the hole is exactly above a place where there was a shaft towards the surface in a cave system through which the Jedovnice brook flows.

Speleologists expect the Tumberek Abyss to be from 185 to 200 metres deep.

Until now, the 153-metre deep Rudice Abyss has been officially considered the deepest. The Rudice Abyss and Tumberek are only several hundreds metres from each other

Sebela, who is a speleologist himself, said now a permission from the administrators of the Moravian Karst protected nature area is needed so that the exploration of the abyss can continue.

The next step would be to remove deposits filling a 25-metre deep hole, under which the top of the vertical shaft leading to the cave system should be, Sebela said.

Unlike the well-known Macocha Abyss, Tumberek does not offer any magnificent view as there is only a manhole cover in the road on the spot, Sebela said.

It is often not easy to define the depth of an abyss. Many abysses are flooded and their bottom has not yet been revealed.

The deepest known abyss in the Czech Republic is the Hranice Abyss in northern Moravia, It is about 270 metres deep and two-thirds of it is under water.

The 138-metre deep Macocha is a sinkhole and also a part of the Moravian Karst cave system.