Huge caves of the world. Marble Caves of Chile. Mammoth Cave National Park, USA

Cave - a cavity in the upper part of the earth's crust, communicating with the surface by one or more inlets. Another definition: a cave is a natural underground cavity accessible to human penetration, having unlit sunlight parts and length (depth) is greater than the other two dimensions. The largest caves are complex systems of passages and halls, often with a total length of up to several tens of kilometers. Caves are an object of speleology study. Speleotourists make a significant contribution to the study of caves.

Caves according to their origin can be divided into five groups: tectonic, erosional, ice, volcanic and, finally, the most large group- karst. Caves in the entrance part, with suitable morphology (horizontal spacious entrance) and location (close to water), were used by ancient people as comfortable dwellings.

Caves by origin

Karst caves

Most of these caves. It is karst caves that have the greatest length and depth. Karst caves are formed as a result of the dissolution of rocks by water, so they are found only where soluble rocks occur: limestone, marble, dolomite, chalk, as well as gypsum and salt. Limestone, and even more so marble, dissolves very poorly with pure distilled water. The solubility increases several times if dissolved water is present in the water. carbon dioxide(and it is always present in natural water), but limestone still dissolves weakly compared to, say, gypsum or, moreover, salt. But it turns out that this has a positive effect on the formation of extended caves, since gypsum and salt caves not only quickly formed, but also quickly destroyed.

A huge role in the formation of caves is played by tectonic cracks and faults. According to the maps of the explored caves, one can very often see that the passages are confined to tectonic disturbances that can be traced on the surface. Also, for the formation of a cave, a sufficient amount of water precipitation is necessary, a successful form of relief: precipitation from a large area should fall into the cave, the entrance to the cave should be located noticeably higher than the place where they are unloaded The groundwater, and so on.

Many karst caves are relic systems: the water flow that formed the cave left it due to a change in relief or more deep levels(due to lowering of the local basis of erosion - the bottom of the neighboring river valleys), or ceased to fall into the cave due to a change in the surface catchment, after which the cave goes through various phases of aging. Very often, the studied caves are small fragments of an ancient cave system, opened up by the destruction of the enclosing mountain ranges.

The evolution of karst processes and their chemistry are such that often water, having dissolved mineral substances of rocks (carbonates, sulfates), after some time deposits them on the vaults and walls of caves in the form of massive crusts up to a meter or more thick (cave marble onyx) or special for each cave of ensembles of mineral aggregates of caves, forming stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, draperies and other specific karst mineral forms - sinter formations.

Recently, more and more caves have been opened in rocks traditionally considered non-karst. For example, in sandstones and table quartzites mountains tepui South America, the caves of Abismo Gai Collet with a depth of −671 m (2006), Cueva Ojos de Cristal with a length of 16 km (2009) were discovered. Apparently, these caves also have karst origin. hot tropical climate Under certain conditions, quartzite can be dissolved in water.

Another exotic example of the formation of karst caves is the very long and deepest cave in the US mainland, Lechugia Cave (and other caves in Carlsbad National Park). According to the modern hypothesis, it was formed by the dissolution of limestones by rising thermal waters saturated with sulfuric acid.

Tectonic caves

Such caves can arise in any rocks as a result of the formation of tectonic faults. As a rule, such caves are found in the sides of river valleys deeply cut into the plateau, when huge rock masses break off from the sides, forming sagging cracks (sherlops). Seizure cracks usually converge with depth in a wedge. Most often they are filled with loose deposits from the surface of the massif, but sometimes they form rather deep vertical caves up to 100 m deep. Sherlops are widespread in Eastern Siberia. They are relatively poorly studied and probably occur quite often.

erosion caves

Caves formed in insoluble rocks due to mechanical erosion, that is, worked out by water containing grains of solid material. Often such caves are formed on the seashore under the action of the surf, but they are small. However, the formation of caves, worked out along the primary tectonic cracks by streams going underground, is also possible. Quite large (hundreds of meters long) erosional caves are known, formed in sandstones and even granites. Examples of large erosion caves would be T.S.O.D. (Touchy Sword of Damocles) Cave in gabbro (4 km/−51 m, New York), Bat Cave in gneisses (1.7 km, North Carolina), Upper Millerton Lake Cave in granites (California).

Glacial caves

Caves formed in the body of glaciers by melt water. Such caves are found on many glaciers. Melted glacial waters are absorbed by the body of the glacier along large cracks or at the intersection of cracks, forming passages that are sometimes passable for humans. The length of such caves can be several hundred meters, the depth - up to 100 m or more. In 1993, a giant Izortog glacial well, 173 m deep, was discovered and explored in Greenland; the inflow of water into it in summer was 30 m³ or more.

Another type of glacial caves are caves formed in a glacier at the point where intraglacial and subglacial waters exit at the edge of glaciers. Meltwater in such caves can flow both along the glacier bed and over glacial ice.

A special type of glacial caves - caves formed in glaciers at the exit point of underground caves located under the glacier. thermal waters. Hot water is capable of making voluminous galleries, however, such caves do not lie in the glacier itself, but under it, since the ice melts from below. Thermal ice caves meet in Iceland, Greenland and reach the considerable sizes.

Volcanic caves

These caves are formed during volcanic eruptions. The lava flow, cooling down, is covered with a solid crust, forming a lava tube, inside of which molten rock is still flowing. After the eruption has already, in fact, ended, the lava flows out of the tube from the lower end, and a cavity remains inside the tube. It is clear that lava caves lie on the very surface, and often the roof collapses. However, as it turned out, lava caves can reach very large sizes, up to 65.6 km long and 1100 m deep (Kazumura Cave, Hawaiian Islands).

In addition to lava tubes, there are vertical volcanic caves - the vents of volcanoes.

Caves by type of host rocks

The longest Mammoth Cave in the world (USA) is karst, laid in limestone. It has a total length of passages of more than 600 km. The longest cave in Russia - the Botovskaya cave, over 60 km long, is laid in a relatively thin layer of limestone, sandwiched between sandstones, is located in Irkutsk region, river basin Lena. Slightly inferior to it is Bolshaya Oreshnaya - the world's longest karst cave in conglomerates in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The longest cave in gypsum is Optimistic, in Ukraine, with a length of more than 230 km. The formation of such extended caves in gypsum is associated with a special arrangement of rocks: the layers of gypsum that enclose the cave are covered from above with limestone, due to which the vaults do not collapse. Caves are known in rock salt, in glaciers, in solidified lava, etc.

Caves by size

The deepest caves of the planet are also karst: Krubera-Voronya (up to −2196 m), Snezhnaya (−1753 m) in Abkhazia. In Russia, the deepest cave is Throat Barloga (−900 m) in Karachay-Cherkessia. All these records are constantly changing, only one thing is invariable: karst caves are in the lead.

The deepest caves in the world

The depth of a cave is the height difference between the entrance (the highest of the entrances, if there are several) and the lowest point of the cave. If there are passages in the cave located above the entrance, the concept of amplitude is used - the difference in levels between the lowest and highest point caves. According to estimates, maximum depth the occurrence of cave passages under the surface (not to be confused with the depth of the cave!) can be no more than 3000 meters: deeper than any cave will be crushed by the weight of the overlying rocks. For karst caves, the maximum depth of occurrence is determined by the karst base (the lower limit of karst processes coinciding with the base of the limestone sequence), which can be lower than the erosion base due to the presence of siphon channels. The deepest cave, at present, is the Krubera-Voronya cave with a depth of 2196 m, this is the first and only cave that crossed the line of 2 km. The first explored cave with a depth of more than 1000 meters was the French Berger abyss, considered the deepest in the world from the discovery in 1953 until 1963.

The longest caves in the world

Contents of the caves

Speleofauna

Although the living world of caves, as a rule, is not very rich (excluding the entrance part, where sunlight enters), nevertheless, some animals live in caves or even only in caves. First of all, these are bats, many of their species use caves as a daily shelter or for wintering. Moreover, bats sometimes fly into very remote and hard-to-reach corners, perfectly orienting themselves in narrow labyrinth passages.

In addition to bats, several species of insects, spiders (Neoleptoneta myopica), shrimp (Palaemonias alabamae) and other crustaceans, salamanders and fish (Amblyopsidae) live in some caves in warmer climates. cave views adapt to complete darkness, and many of them lose their organs of vision and pigmentation. Often these species are very rare, many of them are endemic.

archaeological finds

Primitive people used caves all over the world as a dwelling. Even more often, animals settled in the caves. Many animals died in the cave-traps, starting from steep wells. The extremely slow evolution of caves, their constant climate, and protection from the outside world have preserved a huge number of archaeological finds to us. These are pollen of fossil plants, bones of long-extinct animals (cave bear, cave hyena, mammoth, woolly rhinoceros), cave drawings ancient people (caves Kapova in the Southern Urals, Divya in the Northern Urals, Tuzuksu in the Kuznetsk Alatau, Niah Caves in Malaysia), tools of their labor (villages Strashnaya, Okladnikova, Kaminnaya in Altai), human remains of different cultures, including Neanderthals , up to 50-200 thousand years old (Teshik-Tash cave in Uzbekistan, Denisova cave in Altai, Cro-Magnon in France and many others).

The caves may have played the role of modern cinemas.

Water in the caves

Water, as a rule, is found in many caves, and karst caves owe their origin to it. In the caves you can find condensate films, drops, streams and rivers, lakes and waterfalls. Siphons in caves significantly complicate the passage, require special equipment and special training. Often there are underwater caves. In the entrance areas of the caves, water is often present in a frozen state, in the form of ice deposits, often very significant and perennial.

Air in the caves

In most caves, the air is breathable due to natural circulation, although there are caves in which you can only be in gas masks. For example, guano deposits can poison the air. However, in the vast majority natural caves air exchange with the surface is quite intense. The reasons for air movement are most often the temperature difference in the cave and on the surface, so the direction and intensity of circulation depend on the season and weather conditions. In large cavities, the movement of air is so intense that it turns into wind. For this reason, air draft is one of the important features when looking for new caves.

cave deposits

There are mechanical (clay, sand, pebbles, boulders) and chemogenic deposits (stalactites, stalagmites, etc.). In cave systems with an active watercourse, as a rule, mechanical deposits are presented in the form of blocky blockages, often of very large volumes, formed as a result of the collapse of the set of passages, which are formed by the dissolution of the water flow. Blockages are difficult to pass, and dangerous, since the balance of a block blockage is often unstable. Clay deposits are widely represented in the galleries left by an active stream that carried mechanically insoluble rock particles. In the limestone containing the cave, the soluble component is calcium carbonate, which often makes up only about 50% of the rock. The remaining minerals are usually insoluble, and if the water that dissolves the rock is presented in the form of a drop, infiltrate, with a low water flow, unable to provide mechanical transfer of particles, clay deposits begin to accumulate. Very often, ancient passages are completely covered with clay.

Chemogenic deposits (sinter formations) also usually adorn ancient cave galleries, where water, slowly filtering through cracks in limestone, is saturated with calcium carbonate, and when it enters the cavity of the cave, due to a slight change in the partial pressure of water vapor when a drop breaks off, or when when it falls to the floor, or when turbulence occurs when draining, calcium carbonate crystallizes from a saturated solution in the form of calcite.

excursion caves

Some caves are equipped for visiting tour groups(so-called showcaves). To do this, in the part of the cave, the most spacious and rich sinter formations, pave footpaths, ladders, bridges, electric lighting is created; in some cases, if the entrance part of the cave is a technically difficult area, tunnels are made. On the territory of the former USSR, the most famous caves are Marble in the Crimea, Kungurskaya in the Urals, Novoafonskaya in Abkhazia.

Caves in the solar system

In addition to the Earth, caves have been found on the Moon and Mars. Apparently, these are volcanic caves, ancient traces of volcanic activity.

artificial caves

Caves - dungeons of the industrial world

Under any major city there is a system of technical dungeons: basements of ground buildings, metro, life support system (water supply, heating, sewerage, electrical and telephone cables, fiber optic network), bomb shelters, bunkers in case of war, etc.

Cave - as the dwelling of holy ascetics

Many holy ascetics settled in the caves. Later, monasteries and Lavra were founded on these places:

• Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
• Pskov-Caves Monastery
• Holy Assumption Cave Monastery (Crimea)
• Kholkovsky Monastery
• Chelter Coba
• Basarbovsky Monastery
• Cave churches in Ivanovo

Holy ascetics who lived in caves:

• “And Lot went out of Segor and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him, for he was afraid to dwell in Segor. And he dwelt in a cave, and his two daughters with him” (Genesis 19:30)
• “And the Prophet Elijah went into the cave there and spent the night in it” (1 Kings 19.9)
• Hilarion of Kyiv
• Anthony Pechersky
• Varlaam Pechersky

cave houses

Many peoples made dwellings in caves, as they were easy to keep clean and maintain a constant temperature throughout the year.

• Cappadocia
• Anasazi
• Guadis
• Sassi Di Matera

Healing caves

In many medical institutions there are rooms called "salt caves". The walls are lined with potash salt bricks, and patients spend some time in them, listening to music and getting a healing effect.

Entertaining caves

Horror caves are known as a part of amusement parks, cafes and bars, finished under a cave.

Caves in mythology, mysticism and religion.

V. G. Ivanchenko wrote about the symbolic and mystical meaning of the caves in his article “The Sign of the Cave”, published in the journal “Orientation”.

Caves in art, literature and cinematography

Caves appear in many fantastic works (both in fantasy and science fiction). Caves (more precisely, bunkers) in science fiction mainly serve as shelters after a global catastrophe that made life on the surface impossible. And also the caves in fantasy are inhabited by: gnomes, kobolds, goblins, dragons, and in Russian folk tales the “Mistress copper mountain", Dragon. In northern mythology, Sirte live in caves. One of the most famous literary characters who ended up in the caves were: Tom Sawyer along with Becky Thatcher, Bilbo Baggins.

underground cavities

In addition to caves that have access to the surface and are accessible for direct study by humans, there are closed underground cavities in the earth's crust. The deepest underground cavity (2952 meters) was discovered by drilling on the coast of Cuba. In the Rhodope Mountains, an underground cavity was discovered at a depth of 2400 meters while drilling. On Black Sea coast in Gagra by drilling were discovered underground voids at depths up to 2300 meters.

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Exploration of caves has been going on for years, expeditions find new and new natural formations. Some caves are recognized as beautiful, others are difficult to pass, there are the largest caves.

The longest cave in Russia

It was discovered by chance by a local hunter following the trail of a bear. In this cave there is a grotto in which there are lakes. The uniqueness of the Botovskaya cave is that it consists not only of limestone, as is most often the case in karst caves, but also of sandstone. The type of this object is horizontal.

The cave was first explored in 1947. It has about twelve thousand crossroads, many intricate passages. In 2013, the expedition discovered a map of this cave carved on a stone, which exactly repeats the moves. The size of this "map" is relatively large.

During the study of the passages, it became clear that the Botovskaya cave was visited more than once by researchers of the Neolithic era.

The opportunity to get into the cave appears only in winter, since it can only be reached by a tractor on the ice of the Lena River. The path on the ice is almost ninety kilometers.

But the longest underwater cave in Russia is recognized Orda cave. It is located in the Perm region, eighty kilometers from the city of Kungur and got its name in honor of the nearby village of Orda. It was discovered when the high left bank of the Kungur River collapsed.

Scientists first explored the cave in 1993. It is a plaster horizontal labyrinth. His most of filled with water. The length of the cave is four kilometers six hundred meters. Being the largest water cave in Russia, it is in second position in Eurasia.

Large and beautiful caves

In the southwestern part of Slovenia, there are the staggering Škocjan Caves. Underground halls and gorges are immense in form. In fact, this is a whole network of eleven caves.

In Chile Chico are the most beautiful marble caves. Surprisingly, they are entirely made of marble. The beauty of the naturally formed caves mesmerizes the visitors who come there.

America has national park with the name "Mammoth Cave". The park was founded in 1941 and is located in Central Kentucky. The cave system is recognized as the longest in the world.

It is impossible not to say about the caves of Cenoty Yucatan. They originated in the Yucatan Peninsula. Even the Mayans considered them sacred.

In 2000, the Crystal Cave was discovered in Mexico. Its second name is the Cave of Crystals. It contains many crystals of huge selenite. You can visit the cave only with special equipment, as it is located at a depth of three hundred meters, and with a humidity of ninety-nine percent, the air temperature there reaches fifty-eight degrees.

The most amazing and unique is the Romanian cave Movile. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is a closed ecosystem. For five million years, it existed separately from the Earth's ecosystem. This was the reason why dozens of unknown plants and living beings were found in this cave. It was only opened in 1996.

Ila National Park is on the island of Borneo. There is a cave discovered in 1980, reaching a kilometer in length, two kilometers in width, its height is two hundred meters.

In the US, in the state of New Mexico, there is a large cave - Big Room (Big room) or "Big Room". Its length is five hundred and fifty meters, and its height is seventy-seven meters.

The largest cave in Vietnam

Locals have known this huge cave since 1991, and speleologists discovered it in 2009. It was not easy to find her, as she is in the impenetrable jungle. Its width is one hundred meters. The length of Shondong has been studied for six and a half kilometers, while in some places the height reaches two hundred and forty meters.

The deepest cave in the world

The cave was discovered and explored for the first time in 1960. The last expedition dived in 2012. Each subsequent expedition tries to reach greater depth than the previous one.

Caves surprise not only with their size, but also with their beauty. But in Russia there are others Beautiful places. .
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What could be better than mountains? Only mountains, you say. And you will be right. But there are still many wonders of nature, and they can be just under our feet.

As you probably already guessed, we will talk about caves. explore the depths underground resources- always interesting, unusual, albeit risky. Descending deep into the cave around various stalactites and other rocks in the midst of darkness is an indescribable feeling.

To inspire you to commune with nature, life guide prepared for you a short excursion to the most beautiful caves in the world:

Cave of Crystals (Mexico)

The cave, located in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, is known for huge crystals of a mineral called selenite. The very high temperature inside the cave greatly complicates the process of exploring it, even with special equipment it is possible to stay there for no more than 20 minutes. The cave was discovered by two brother miners Sanchez only in 2000, despite the fact that it had existed, presumably, for a couple of million years.

Glowworm Waitomo Cave (New Zealand)

Feeling the starry sky above your head - main feature this cave. Thousands of firefly larvae, found only in New Zealand, hang on the walls of the cave and give it that glowing effect.

Blue Grotto (Italy)

This grotto is located on the coast of the island of Capri, Italy. Known for its blue water, the grotto is very popular place among tourists. However, the only way to get there is by boat, and only when the weather is good.

Vatnajökull Ice Cave (Iceland)

Glaciers have been formed over the centuries due to the combination low temperatures air with a large amount of solid atmospheric precipitation. As a result of the absence of air bubbles in the glaciers, when sunlight is absorbed, this cave acquires a beautiful azure blue hue, giving a "radiance effect precious stones". It is recommended to visit the cave in winter period due to the risk of melting water.

Cave Phraya Nakhon (Thailand)

One of the most beautiful caves in Thailand. It is located in the national Khao Park Roi Yot itself is in southern Thailand. The main attraction of this place is the Kuha Karuhas pavilion, built in 1890 by King Chulalongkorn. The cave was named after the ruler of the province of Nakhon Si Thammarat Phray Nakhon, who accidentally discovered it during a storm.

Marble Caves (Chile)

One of the most deep lakes on the planet - Lake General Carrera (from Chile), thanks to its clear blue water, adds beauty to these caves. And, despite the fact that the caves are called "marble", they are located on limestone islands.

Cave in Mutnovsky volcano (Russia)

At first glance, the existence of an ice cave inside a volcano may well seem strange. However, this is actually the case. While exploring the area around the Mutnovsky volcano, the cave was discovered by accident, which became absolutely incredible find. The light passing through the ceiling of the caves creates an amazing variety of colors in them.

Dongzhong Cave (China)

Dongzhong Chinese cave is located in Guizhou province. It was formed several thousand years ago, but since 1984 it has been used as ... an educational institution.

Fingal's Cave (Scotland)

Washed up in the rock sea ​​water, Fingal's Cave is located on the island of Staffa and is part of the Inner Hebrides group. On its walls there are vertical basalt columns 69 m deep and 20 m high. Due to the curved vault, the cave has a unique acoustics.

Cave reed flute(China)

Located in the city of Guilin, this cave was named after the reeds growing around it. Modern lighting further emphasizes the beauty of the rocks formed inside.

Allison Cave (USA)

The cave is located in northeast Georgia. This perfect place for lovers of extreme sports and speleologists. Its depth reaches 179 m.

SAE Kyaut Cave (Myanmar)

At the entrance to this cave is located Buddhist temple It is also a favorite place for tourists.

Son Doong Cave (Vietnam)

The largest cave in the world is located in the Vietnamese province of Quang Binh. She became known to local residents since 1991. The total volume of the cave is estimated at 38.5 million m³.

Ice caves Eisriesenwelt (Austria)

The biggest ice caves were discovered at the end of the 19th century. The structure of the caves is constantly changing due to the ice that melts and then freezes again.

Cave Ordinskaya (Russia)

Ordinskaya Cave is the longest flooded cave in Russia and is ranked 25th among the longest gypsum caves in the world. Thanks to the clean clear water, this place is good for diving.

Carlsbad Caverns (USA)

They are located in New Mexico, in Carlsbad National Park. The caves were formed 4-6 million years ago as a result of the dissolution of limestone with sulfuric acid. They are remarkable for deposits of gypsum, silt and clay, which gave them this fantastic appearance.

Barton Creek Cave (Belize)

At first glance, ordinary beautiful cave…until you come across some skull. At one time, the Maya Indians performed their rituals and sacrifices there. Many artifacts that have survived from those times still lie among the cave formations.

Jeita Grotto (Lebanon)

Once you enter this cave, you will immediately understand why its name translates as "roar of water". At the bottom of the grotto, you will be deafened by the sounds of rushing water and air due to the loud echo. However, in the depths of the caves there is a profound silence that will allow you to admire it without any distractions.

Kango Caves (South Africa)

This is a network of limestone caves. Artifacts show that many of the main entrances to the cave served as dwellings for people of the middle and later stone ages. These caves are one of the biggest wonders of the African continent.

Aven Armand (France)

If you want to go underground to a depth of 100 m, then you are here. The cave is unique for its stalagmites (more than 400 types), including the largest known in the world, almost 30 m high. Of course, the symbol of France, no doubt, is the Eiffel Tower, but it’s still worth seeing the natural sculptures that are underground.

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Explore the world with LifeGuide:

Our planet is a place of amazing wonders and unusual mysteries. It would seem that a person has mastered even the most remote corners of the Earth, but at the same time has not discovered all its secrets. In addition to those known to everyone, there is a huge number of man-made and natural objects that amaze the imagination and minds of all mankind. Among them is the largest in a unique formation with its own ecosystem. Let's talk about where it is, when it was opened and how distinctive features possesses.

Shondong: size statistics

Son Doong is the largest cave in the world. Similar statement local residents was supported by facts obtained by a research expedition from England in 2009. According to dry statistics, the formation has a volume of about 38.5 million cubic meters, a height of about 200 meters, and a width of about 150 meters. Once in such an underground kingdom, willy-nilly, any person can be confused by the grandeur, size and scope.

Discovery history

The unofficial history of the cave begins in 1991, it was from this period of time that the local population mentioned its presence, until that date no information was provided. At the same time, one should not forget that the underground grotto of colossal dimensions was formed by the water element for at least two million years in a row. Evidence of the significant age of the cave are huge stalagmites, as well as other bizarre stone formations.

How to get to the cave?

Where is the largest cave in the world located? Vietnam, Quang Binh Province is the address you will have to follow to visit it. Not far from the border with Laos, in these places there is a national natural Park called Phongnya - Kebang, it is here that a unique natural formation is located. Finding the entrance to the cave is quite difficult, this is due to the fact that it is located in a rather wild area, in the realm of mountains and jungles. Perhaps this fact explains the fact that for a long time the underground formation was not discovered and was not explored even after the discovery at the end of the 20th century. The descent into the ground is carried out by ropes, which is also a rather serious obstacle and test.

Beauty and features of Shondong

What is the largest cave in the world famous for? Photos of education are amazing amazing beauty and scale. First of all, most travelers are in awe of which flows in the bowels of the earth and in the hard rocks of several kilometers. On its shores, the most desperate daredevils even pitch tents, but you won’t be able to enjoy the silence far from civilization either. The splashing of water and the howling of the wind in the bowels of the cave create a frightening atmosphere worthy of any horror movie.

In addition to the river, Son Doong also has its own green spaces, the jungle, in which indigenous inhabitants may also be present. So, here there are various insects and snakes, a little less often birds and even monkeys. Unique Feature The local ecosystem is considered to have a unique underground climate. Habitual fogs and clouds are found even underground, which in itself is very unusual and intriguing. In fact, it is explained quite simply, a significant temperature difference between the surface and the underground leads to the formation of clouds and other similar phenomena.

You can visit Son Doong at any time, except for the rainy season. During this period, the caves are filled with water to a dangerous level, which means that visiting them can be extremely dangerous for the life of researchers.

Other contenders for the main title

IN different time The title of the largest cave in the world was claimed by:

Unique world dungeons

Now that you know the name of the largest cave in the world, you can talk about other unique underworld kingdoms popular with fans extreme recreation and unity with nature. So, the list of the most interesting formations can include:

Kingdom of ice

The world's largest ice cave is located in New Zealand and is compound name Isriesennvelt, its area is approximately 300 square kilometers, which allows it to be the absolute champion in its category in terms of dimensions. Beautiful and cold ice formations are found in Iceland (Vatnaekul is forbidden to visit during the warm season due to high risks of melting and collapse), in Russia (grotto in Austria.

film about the cave

Delight and inspiration - this is what causes the largest cave in the world in people. Sanctum, a 2011 science fiction film about a cave, tells the story of a group of explorers descending into the depths of unexplored dungeons. A fierce struggle with a dangerous and unknown element leads to very deplorable consequences, reminding viewers not only of the beauty of the caves, but also of the threat to life lurking in their unknown.

The largest cave in the world is currently located in Vietnam, however, research in order to understand our world is carried out regularly and systematically, which means that unique finds will not keep you waiting. It is likely that very soon we will meet new natural phenomena, no less fantastic and beautiful than those already known to mankind.

The largest caves on the planet amaze with their grandeur, which can bewitch anyone. It is terrible to look into the trap of a huge cave. It seems that it is impossible to get out of this place back. This mysterious separate world of silence and silence is able to suck any careless tourist into its expanses.

Expeditions to explore the most difficult caves began in the 18th century. A well-known scientist at that time, I. Nagel, led the largest expedition to the caves of Moravia. During the expedition, the group reached a depth of 138 m.

A large amount of knowledge about underground depths was introduced by M. Lomonosov. Explanation of the chemical nature of caves - Lomonosov's theory. The movement of air at the depth of caves and the formation of stalactites and stalagmites, as well as the formation of ice in caves - this knowledge is the merit of our scientist.

Absolutely all caves are different from each other, but they can be safely attributed to the list of the most unusual places on Earth. The presence of wells, lakes, grottoes, waterfalls and glaciers are the elements of the caves that create the overall picture and make certain differences.

For centuries, water erodes rocks and creates huge labyrinths of mysterious and powerful caves. What are the dimensions of the most large caves Earth?

We bring to your attention the 7 most huge caves Earth.

Krubera cave.

Kruber's Cave is also called Crow's Cave. She is one of the most deep caves on the planet. Voronya is the only cave that has a depth of more than 2 km. It is located in Georgia. The entrance to its open spaces is located at an altitude of 2249 m. The vertical cave has many wells, which are connected by a large number of stiles. At a depth of about 200 meters, the cave is divided into 2 branches. The main branch - has a depth of 2197 m. Nekuibyshevskaya - 1698 m.

The Krubera Cave was discovered in 1960 by the expedition of the Research Institute named after. Bagrationi. Crow Cave has seen a huge number of different expeditions and scientific research.

Jeita caves.

The Lebanese great caves are among the most magical caves on the ground. The upper cave was discovered in 1836, the lower one much later - in 1958. The length of the cave is 2250 m.
Jeita is very popular among tourists, who have the opportunity to visit only part of the cave 700 m deep, the rest of the path is blocked. The upper cave has 3 halls and special underground reservoirs. Stalagmites and stalactites also adorn the view of the Lebanese cave.

Mammoth Cave.

Karst cave system Mammoth is located in Kentucky, United States.

A national park was also built there, and the cave is its landmark and pride. Mammoth Cave is considered the longest cave in the world (588 km). Mammoth Cave has 226 underground passages, as well as more than 20 halls and 25 deep mines.

By the way, the name "Mammoth" is not associated with any surname or with mammoths. "Mammoth" means "huge".

It is known that Mammoth Cave was formed more than 10 million years ago. The Indians knew about its existence. This fact was confirmed by scientists after Indian cemeteries with mummies were discovered in the cave.

Caves of Crystals.

The Crystal Cave is the most unusual and amazing cave in the whole world. It is located in Mexico and is unique because she is filled giant crystals from plaster. The largest crystal was discovered at the beginning of the 20th century. It is 11 meters long and weighs 54 tons. The temperature inside the cave exceeds +50°C at 100% humidity.

The cave was discovered in 1910 by Mexican miners. " Ice Palace"- the most famous hall of the Crystal Caves complex. It was discovered during drilling operations in 2009. Oddly enough, with its depth of 150 m, the hall is not filled with water.

Dragon Caves.

The Dragon Caves are of amazing beauty and are the main mystery of Mallorca. Exploration of these caves began in 1886.
The caves are 1250 m long, equipped with special lighting equipment and a huge auditorium, which was built for various shows and concerts. Musical performances take place on boats on Lake Martel.

Sondong cave.

The most large cave in the world is located in Vietnam. They learned about it in 1991, and in 2009 a group of British scientists began a deep study of Shondong. The cave with the highest and widest passages has a total volume of 38 million m³.
In Shondong sprouting their own jungle (the height of the trees reaches 3 meters) and the river flows with a fairly fast current.

Optimistic cave.

The cave is located on the territory of Ukraine and reaches a length of more than 200 km. The cave, discovered in 1966, has not been fully explored. In the cave, in addition to stalactites, there are formations resembling the crystals of the Crystal Cave in Mexico. However, the crystals of the Optimistic Cave are much smaller.
The name "Optimistic" cave was due to the fact that, contrary to the forecasts of other scientists, Lviv speleologists considered the cave one of the largest in the USSR. As a result, their assumptions were confirmed.