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Škocjan Caves, Slovenia

Škocjan Caves represents the most significant underground phenomena in both the Karst region and Slovenia. Škocjan Caves was also entered on the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance on 18 May 1999. Together with the underground stream of the Reka River, they represent one of the longest karst underground wetlands in Europe. Explored length of caves is 6,200 m (20,300 ft), caves have formed in 300-metre-thick (980 ft) layer of Cretaceous and Paleocene limestone. Big Collapse Doline and Little Collapse Doline in Škocjan. The cave entrances are at the bottom of the two collapse dolines. The Reka River disappears underground at Big Collapse Doline (Slovene: Velika Dolina) into Škocjan Caves and then flows underground for 34 km (21 mi) surfacing near Monfalcone where it contributes approximately one third of the flow of the Timavo River, which flows 2 km (1.2 mi) from the Timavo Springs to the Adriatic Sea. The view of the big river in the rainy season, as it disappears underground at the bottom of Big Collapse Doline, 160 m (520 ft) below the surface, is both majestic and frightening. The exceptional volume of the underground canyon is what distinguishes Škocjan Caves from other caves and places it among the most famous underground features in the world. The river flowing through the underground canyon turns northwest before the Cerkvenik Bridge and continues its course along Hanke's Channel (Slovene: Hankejev kanal). This underground channel is approximately 3.5 km (2.2 mi) long, 10 to 60 m (33 to 197 ft) wide and over 140 m (460 ft) high. At some points, it expands into huge underground chambers. The largest of these is Martel's Chamber with a volume of 2.2 million cubic metres (78 million cubic feet) and it is considered the largest discovered underground chamber in Europe and one of the largest in the world. The canyon of such dimensions nevertheless ends with a relatively small siphon: one that cannot deal with the enormous volume of water that pours into the cave after heavy rainfall, causing major flooding, during which water levels can rise by more than one hundred metres (330 ft).