Son Doong - the world’s largest cave
Son Doong - the world’s largest cave
The huge cave is in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park, which includes one of the largest karst regions in the world. Karst regions are mostly made up of limestone, a type of rock that can dissolve in water. Caves in limestone are formed over millions of years by underground rivers, streams and dripping water.
There are many caves and grottoes in the national park. Grottoes are smaller caves or chambers leading from larger caves and passageways. So far, 20 cave systems have been fully explored in the park, a total length of 70 kilometers. One, called Phong Nha, has unusual rock formations that have been given names such as the “Buddha” or the “Lion”.
A local man discovered the entrance to the Son Doong cave in 1991. However, no one dared go inside because of the strong wind and loud noise coming out of it.
A team of explorers from Britain traveled to Vietnam to investigate the cave in 2009. They found out that a large underground river, which flows through part of the cave, was the cause of both the wind and noise.
Using special laser measuring devices, they found that in some places the Son Doong cave is around 150 meters wide and 200 meters high. A 40-story building could fit inside it.
Son Doong is nearly nine kilometers long. In one part there is a lake over 200 meters deep. In several places the roof has collapsed, letting sunlight in.
Before the discovery of Son Doong, the Deer Cave in Malaysia was thought to be the largest in the world. It’s two kilometers long, 100 meters high and 90 meters wide.
Image source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_Doong_cave
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