The Aruküla Caves

The caves of Aruküla are situated to the northwest of Tartu near the Jõgeva road on the left slope of the Emajõgi primeval valley. The caves of Aruküla are known for its rich deposits of Placoderms, the fossil fishes of Devon. In the 19th century a big number of unique fossils were collected by the professors of Tartu University S. Kutorga, C. Grewingk and H. Asmuss. The caves are rather low (1-1,5m) and in many places have fallen down. The walls, pillars and partially the ceilings consist of white very strong sandstone of the Aruküla stratum of the Devon period. In some places the ceilings reach the red easily crushing red sandstone which may cause falling.

The origin and the time of the formation of the caves of Aruküla are unknown until today. The existence of pillars speaks of the man`s work. Writer F.R. Kreutzwald thought that the caves had been an ancient refuge during wartime which had later been used as warehouses. Some authors have thought that the caves were formed as a result of mining white sand.