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Grotte di Castellana, Castellana Grotte, Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, Italyi
Regional Level Types
Grotte di CastellanaGroup of Caves
Castellana GrotteMunicipality
Metropolitan City of BariMetropolitan City
ApuliaRegion
ItalyCountry

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02899340017271923181724.jpg
Francoanellite

Grotte di Castellana, Castellana Grotte, Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, Italy
02899340017271923181724.jpg
Francoanellite

Grotte di Castellana, Castellana Grotte, Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, Italy
02899340017271923181724.jpg
Francoanellite

Grotte di Castellana, Castellana Grotte, Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, Italy
Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
40° 52' 32'' North , 17° 8' 53'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
40.87556,17.14833
GeoHash:
G#: srk0w1pj3
GRN:
N28E10
Type:
Group of Caves
Deposit first discovered:
1938
Köppen climate type:
Csa : Hot-summer Mediterranean climate
Nearest Settlements:
PlacePopulationDistance
Grotte di Castellana175 (2014)0.1km
Castellana14,485 (2015)1.9km
Scamardella176 (2014)2.5km
Alcanterini734 (2014)2.6km
Chiacafredda105 (2014)3.2km
Mindat Locality ID:
2113
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:2:2113:8
GUID (UUID V4):
0
Other Languages:
Italian:
Grotte di Castellana, Castellana Grotte, Città metropolitana di Bari (Provincia di Bari), Puglia, Italia


Karst complex 1.8 km SW of the town of Castellana Grotte.

The caves were discovered in 1938 by speleologist Franco Anelli.

The entrance is represented by an enormous vertical tunnel 60 meters (ca. 197 ft) long. The main cave is called "La Grave" ("the abyss"), others are named "Caverna Nera" ("Black Cavern"), "Grotta Bianca" ("White Cave"), and "Caverna del Precipizio" ("Precipice Cavern").

The Caves of Castellana open in south-eastern Murge, a limestone plateau dating back to the upper Cretaceous (90-100 million years ago) and rising 330 metres above sea level. The area of Castellana is characterized by limestone, a sedimentary rock composed largely of calcium carbonate, known as Limestone of Altamura. The cave system is 3,348 metres in length and the point of maximum depth reaches 122 metres. The temperature within the caves is about 18 °C. The caves are open all year round, except for Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The visit develops along two itineraries: the first is 1 km long and lasts about 50 minutes, while the second is 3 km long and lasts about two hours. The tour timetable changes depending on the season. In addition, during the summer, there are also guided night tours. "The Abyss" is the first and the biggest cave of this wonderful speleological complex, and it is the only one communicating with the outside. It measures 100 m in length, 50 m in width and 60 m in depth. Going beyond "the Abyss", stalactites, stalagmites, curtains and precious crystals continue to embellish the caves. The name of the different speleothems are the result of the imagination of the early explorers: the She-Wolf, the Monuments, the Owl, the Little Virgin Mary, the Altar, the Precipice, the Desert Corridor, the Reverse Column, the Red Corridor, the Dome, up to the last and the most dazzling one, the White Cave.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List


9 valid minerals. 1 (TL) - type locality of valid minerals.

Rock Types Recorded

Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!

Select Rock List Type

Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ Ardealite
Formula: Ca2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O
ⓘ Brushite
Formula: Ca(PO3OH) · 2H2O
ⓘ Calcite
Formula: CaCO3
ⓘ Francoanellite (TL)
Formula: K3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 12H2O
Type Locality:
ⓘ Gypsum
Formula: CaSO4 · 2H2O
ⓘ Hydroxylapatite
Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(OH)
ⓘ Strengite
Formula: FePO4 · 2H2O
ⓘ Taranakite
Formula: K3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O
ⓘ Vivianite
Formula: Fe2+Fe2+2(PO4)2 · 8H2O

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 5 - Nitrates and Carbonates
ⓘCalcite5.AB.05CaCO3
Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates
ⓘGypsum7.CD.40CaSO4 · 2H2O
Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates
ⓘHydroxylapatite8.BN.05Ca5(PO4)3(OH)
ⓘStrengite8.CD.10FePO4 · 2H2O
ⓘVivianite8.CE.40Fe2+Fe2+2(PO4)2 · 8H2O
ⓘFrancoanellite (TL)8.CH.25K3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 12H2O
ⓘTaranakite8.CH.25K3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O
ⓘArdealite8.CJ.50Ca2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O
ⓘBrushite8.CJ.50Ca(PO3OH) · 2H2O

List of minerals for each chemical element

HHydrogen
Hⓘ ArdealiteCa2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O
Hⓘ BrushiteCa(PO3OH) · 2H2O
Hⓘ FrancoanelliteK3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 12H2O
Hⓘ GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
Hⓘ HydroxylapatiteCa5(PO4)3(OH)
Hⓘ StrengiteFePO4 · 2H2O
Hⓘ TaranakiteK3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O
Hⓘ VivianiteFe2+Fe22+(PO4)2 · 8H2O
CCarbon
Cⓘ CalciteCaCO3
OOxygen
Oⓘ ArdealiteCa2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O
Oⓘ BrushiteCa(PO3OH) · 2H2O
Oⓘ CalciteCaCO3
Oⓘ FrancoanelliteK3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 12H2O
Oⓘ GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
Oⓘ HydroxylapatiteCa5(PO4)3(OH)
Oⓘ StrengiteFePO4 · 2H2O
Oⓘ TaranakiteK3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O
Oⓘ VivianiteFe2+Fe22+(PO4)2 · 8H2O
AlAluminium
Alⓘ FrancoanelliteK3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 12H2O
Alⓘ TaranakiteK3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O
PPhosphorus
Pⓘ ArdealiteCa2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O
Pⓘ BrushiteCa(PO3OH) · 2H2O
Pⓘ FrancoanelliteK3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 12H2O
Pⓘ HydroxylapatiteCa5(PO4)3(OH)
Pⓘ StrengiteFePO4 · 2H2O
Pⓘ TaranakiteK3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O
Pⓘ VivianiteFe2+Fe22+(PO4)2 · 8H2O
SSulfur
Sⓘ ArdealiteCa2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O
Sⓘ GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
KPotassium
Kⓘ FrancoanelliteK3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 12H2O
Kⓘ TaranakiteK3Al5(PO3OH)6(PO4)2 · 18H2O
CaCalcium
Caⓘ ArdealiteCa2(PO3OH)(SO4) · 4H2O
Caⓘ BrushiteCa(PO3OH) · 2H2O
Caⓘ CalciteCaCO3
Caⓘ GypsumCaSO4 · 2H2O
Caⓘ HydroxylapatiteCa5(PO4)3(OH)
FeIron
Feⓘ StrengiteFePO4 · 2H2O
Feⓘ VivianiteFe2+Fe22+(PO4)2 · 8H2O

Other Databases

Wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castellana_Caves
Wikidata ID:Q1547653

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

Eurasian PlateTectonic Plate
EuropeContinent

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

References

Balenzano, F., Dell'Anna, L., Di Pierro, M. (1974) "Terre rosse" ferrifere delle Grotte di Catellana (Bari): ricerche chimiche e mineralogiche. Rendiconti della Societa Italiana di Mineralogia e Petrologia, 31, 263-278.
Balenzano, F., Dell'Anna, L., Di Pierro, M. (1974) Ricerche mineralogiche su alcuni fosfati rinvenuti nelle Grotte di Castellana (Bari): strengite alluminifera, vivianite, taranakite, brushite e idrossiapatite. Società Italiana Mineralogia e Petrologia, Milano, Vol. XXX(2), 543-573.
Balenzano, F., Dell'Anna, L., Di Pierro, M. (1976) Francoanellite, H6K3Al5(PO4)8·13H2O, a new mineral from the caves of Castellana, Puglia, southern Italy. Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie Monatshefte, 2, 49-57.
Dell'Anna, L., Fiore, S., Laviano, R. (1989): I fosfati di cavità carsiche pugliesi: giaciture, natura e genesi. Atti del XV Congresso Nazionale di Speleologia. Castellana Grotte 10-13 settembre 1987. Comune di Castellana Grotte e Gruppo Puglia Grotte, Castellana Grotte, 171-187.
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