Abstract
Epuran-Topolnița karst system develops in the central-southern part of the Mehedinţi Plateau, in the vicinity of Jupânești and Marga villages, along a geological structure represented by a lower Cretaceous narrow limestone stripe oriented NNE-SSW. The underground drainage of the Topolnița, Ponorăţ and Peţimea streams generated spectacular, large-sized caves developed on several levels, such as Epuran (3.6 km) and Topolnița (22 km). The Epuran Cave is located on the western side of the limestone band, in the highly tectonized wall of a closed depression and presents two tiers of galleries. The upper, dry (fossil) level has a series of wide and narrow spaces, abundantly decorated by speleothems (stalagmites, flowstones, curtains, rimstone pools and cave pearls. The stream passage (lower level) is a labyrinth, characterized by breakdowns, clay deposits and marks indicating the water levels on the walls. Topolniţa Cave is the main collector in the area, the underground network being developed on five distinct levels, with large galleries and rooms, rich in speleothems and gigantic blocks collapsed from the ceiling. The cave presents multiple entrances, but the most spectacular one is Gura Prosăcului, a hydrogeological break into the limestone band by the Topolniţa River.
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Acknowledgements
The authors express their appreciation to Avenul Braşov and Focul Viu Bucharest caving clubs, which took part in the 1972–1976 and 1980 exploration and mapping campaigns.
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Goran, C., Povară, I. (2019). Mehedinti Plateau: Epuran-Topolnita Karst System. In: Ponta, G., Onac, B. (eds) Cave and Karst Systems of Romania. Cave and Karst Systems of the World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90747-5_23
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