Conservation of Paleolithic Cave Art in the Capova Cave

Kapova Cave (Shulgan-Tash) is located in Bashkortostan, the Southern Urals, in the Shulgan Tash Reserve on the Belaya River. Its coordinates are 53°02’ N; 57°03’ W. It is a large karst three-level system of chambers, galleries and wells having the total length of 3323 m with vertical amplitude of 165 m. The karst system is characterized by large chambers and galleries, great dynamics of microclimatic and hydrological processes. This fact distinguishes it from most of West European caves with well-preserved artworks. Some of the drawings were badly damaged or turned into vague spots of red ochre due to negative environmental factors. VA Ryumin [1], the biologist of the reserve [1], discovered Paleolithic drawings in the Kapova Cave in 1959. This is the only cave in East Europe with quite a few well-preserved Paleolithic drawings. The age of the drawings is about 19,000 years. Our group of the Russian Geological Research Institute (VSEGEI) with the support of speleologists from the Russian Geographical Society (RGO) carries out comprehensive monitoring of the karst system for more than 20 years [2,3]. In addition, we completed the fixation of its Paleolithic paintings and in 2013 published the “Catalogue of Drawings and Symbols of the Shulgan-Tash (Kapova) Cave” [4]. Now about 200 drawings are known in the cave. Archeology of the cave was studied by archaeologist ОN Bader [5,6] and later by VE Shchelinsky [7], who uncovered an Upper Paleolithic cultural layer [7].