A Karst Cave of Perpetual Ice
The Kungur Ice Cave is a karst formation, created as water dissolved gypsum and anhydrite rock over an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 years. Located on the right bank of the Sylva River, the cave system has a known length of about 5.7 kilometers, with tourist routes covering up to 2 kilometers. The cave contains 58 grottoes and approximately 70 underground lakes. The largest of these, the Great Underground Lake, has a surface area of 1,460 square meters and a depth of up to 5 meters. The water temperature in most lakes hovers just above 0°C year-round.
The cave's main feature is its permanent ice. This is maintained by a specific microclimate created by the cave's structure. Its entrances act as a natural cold trap; cold, dense air sinks into the entrance grottoes during the harsh Ural winters and remains there through the summer. This trapped air keeps the initial chambers, such as the Diamond and Polar grottoes, at sub-zero temperatures year-round, allowing ice crystals, stalactites, and stalagmites to remain. The cave features a full range of climatic zones, from permanently freezing areas near the entrance to zones with stable, above-zero temperatures deeper inside. The volume of perennial ice is estimated at 350 cubic meters.