{"id":9641,"date":"2026-09-13T11:56:55","date_gmt":"2026-09-13T08:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meteorapyligeopark.gr\/the-world-beneath-the-rock\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T15:03:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T12:03:23","slug":"the-world-beneath-the-rock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meteorapyligeopark.gr\/en\/the-world-beneath-the-rock\/","title":{"rendered":"The World Beneath the Rock"},"content":{"rendered":"

September 13 \u2014 1st UNESCO International Day of Caves and Karst<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This year, for the first time, the world is celebrating the International Day of Caves and Karst. A new UNESCO international day dedicated to the importance, beauty, and fragility of a landscape we almost never see\u2014because it lies beneath our feet. <\/p>\n

The Meteora\u2013Pili Geopark has every reason to celebrate it.<\/p>\n

How a Karst Landscape Is Formed<\/strong><\/p>\n

It all begins with a slow encounter: water meets limestone. Limestone, marble, and rocks with a high calcium carbonate content. Water seeps into cracks in the ground, flows underground, and gradually dissolves the rock. It takes thousands of years\u2014and the result is an entire landscape carved from within: complex underground networks, galleries, chambers, and caves with striking geological formations, stalactites, and stalagmites. <\/p>\n

In the Meteora\u2013Pili Geopark, this process has left its mark everywhere. Ravines and gorges. Springs that gush forth and become waterfalls. Underground channels that carry water to places the eye cannot see. And the basins\u2014the natural \u201cpools\u201d carved out by karst erosion in mountain streams and torrents, which all of us in the area know from our summers there. <\/p>\n

Our Caves<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best-known karst formations, however, are the caves\u2014and here we find many and varied ones. In Koziaka, there\u2019s the Cave of Bey and the Voliotis Sinkhole. And, of course, the most famous of them all: the Cave of Theopetra. <\/p>\n

Because caves are not just about geology. Karst cavities were humanity\u2019s first homes, dating back to the Paleolithic era. At Theopetra, the findings indicate a human presence dating back at least 130,000 years. Just think about it: a cavity in the rock sheltered people 130,000 years ago! <\/p>\n

Why It Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n

Karst landscapes aren\u2019t just impressive. They\u2019re crucial: <\/p>\n