Description of the attraction
The Ponerotka River is an underground river in the Borovichi district of the Novgorod region. It is a left tributary of the Msta River. A unique natural monument. The snake flows into the Msta in the area of the Borovichi rapids. Presumably, the name of the river comes from the word "ponory". These are depressions in the ground, in which the river hides several kilometers before the confluence of the Msta. The snake starts in Lake Lanevo and flows through the village of Vishma.
The picturesque hilly area in the Ponerotka region is rich in various manifestations of karst and is an integral, large-scale and mobile karst complex, which is associated with the limestones of the Serpukhov Formation. It includes a hollow with ponors in the Luchki tract, into which the Ponerotka waters completely drain, and a dry, overgrown with forest and soddy river valley about 2 km long, which ends at Msta with a canyon with steps of former waterfalls.
The underground channel and the Ponerotka delta are unique hydrogeological objects for the study of karst. It is still not known where there are almost 2 km of the flooded underground river bed and why the current bed, contrary to the laws of physics, is located 600 m upstream of the Msta. Its root bank between two estuaries is covered with sinkholes and groundwater outlets.
The cave, also called Ponerotka, is excavated in carboniferous limestones. It is one of the largest caves in the central part of the Russian platform. But for research work, it is little available. Underground speleologists have discovered various cave manifestations: passages, manholes, siphons, halls, lakes, ledges and even galleries tens of meters long and human-sized. At present, the length of the passages of the cave is 1420 m, while the area of the mapped labyrinth is a small rectangle about 200x250 m, adjacent to the bank of the Msta. The depth of the cave is 4 m, the difficulty category is the second.
There are many rumors and legends about Poneretka Cave. The legend tells that a long time ago the river flowed on the surface, and people lived on its banks who knew neither evil nor vice. But one day they decided to hide from the whole world, because evil appeared, it began to multiply, and trouble hung over them and their homes. And in order to hide from people, they went underground and took the river with them. Now the spirits of people living on the river live in the walls of the cave and really do not want to be born again.
The entrance to the cave can be seen 400-500 m above the confluence of the dry channel of the Ponerotka into the Mstu. It consists of 2 low (about 70-80 cm) depressions in the Msta cliff, from which a river flows. The cave is accessible only in summer in low water or in winter in severe frost. Bats live in the cave.
The waters of the Ponerotka pour out in waterfalls from 2 cave exits located in the rocky vertical outcrop of the left steep bank almost 3 m above the low-water level of the Msta River. This place is a unique hydrological and aesthetic site. In addition, it is widely known and visited not only by the local population, but also by tourists.
The water comes out in a numerous stream along the left bank and the Msta channel below the mouth. In addition, there are pressure springs in the Klyuchki tract. In the Ponerotka area, there are extensive karst fields, which are saturated with subsidence and funnels of various sizes. The most pronounced craters are located not far from the village of Maryinskoye and in the forest east of the village of Elekovo.
The underground river Ponerotka is very popular among fans of extreme kayaking, as the kilometer zone of the river near the cave is accessible for kayaking.
