SARIKAYA CAVE

Sarıkaya Cave is located 1.5 km northeast of Sarıkaya village, 5 km northwest of Yığılca district of Düzce. Paleocene is a semi-horizontal, semi-active fossil cave that was developed as a semi-horizontal slope in the Lower Eocene aged limestones. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has been registered as a 1st degree site by Ankara Regional Directorate of Conservation of Cultural and Natural Property. Sarıkaya Cave, which is the largest cave of the Western Black Sea Region, has developed in the direction of the direction and distribution of the limestones in the contact of limestones and sandstones. The water entering the weak zone in the two parts of the unit melted the limestones and on the other hand physically abraded the loose limestones and sandstones. Sarıkaya Cave, which is formed by digging in limestones and sandstones deeply, is also a water passageway. The total length of the cave is 717 m and the main gallery length is 510 m, width 80 m, height 75 m, ceiling height 15-40 m. In the hall there are fossil and young dripstones of two developmental periods. In the middle of the hall, there is a small waterfall formed by the stream coming from Aksu Stream and a canyon-valley belonging to the second phase and it is at a depth of 17 m and an increasing depth. The cave, which has a sinkhole over a plateau character deeply cut by Melen River, collects the surface waters of its vicinity and empties it to the Melen Stream with the Aksu Cave.