Movile Cave
| Movile Cave | |
|---|---|
| Romanian: Peștera Movile | |
| Location | Near Mangalia, Constanța County, Romania |
| Coordinates | 43.825694°N 28.560556°E |
| Discovery | 1986 |
| Entrances | 1 (artificial) |
| Hazards | Hypoxic atmosphere, with dangerous levels of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and ammonia |
| Features | Naturally sealed cave containing unique ecosystem supported by chemosynthesis |
Movile Cave (Romanian: Peștera Movile) is a cave near Mangalia, Constanța County, Romania discovered in 1986 by Cristian Lascu a few kilometers from the Black Sea coast. It is notable for its unique groundwater ecosystem abundant in hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide, but low in oxygen. Life in the cave has been separated from the outside for the past 5.5 million years and it is based completely on chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis.
Similar caves where life partly or fully depends on chemosynthesis have been found in Ein-Nur Cave and Ayalon Cave (Israel), Frasassi Caves (Italy), Melissotrypa Cave (Greece), Tashan Cave (Iran), caves in the Sharo-Argun Valley in the Caucasus Mountains, Lower Kane Cave, Cesspool Cave (USA), and Villa Luz Cave (Mexico).