The World's Largest Cave
Song Doong Cave is the world's largest cave discovered in 2009. It is located in Son Trach, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province of Vietnam. It is found by Ho Khanh in 1991 and was recently discovered in 2009 by the British cavers, led by Howard Limbert.
The name Son Doong cave means mountain river cave. It was created 2-5 million years ago by river eroding away the limestone underneath the mountain where the limestone was weak. It is more than 200 meters wide and 150 meters high, and 9 km long, twice as large as Deer Caves of Malaysia.
This cave is situated below another cave in Phong Nha-ke Bang, though its entry passage is difficult to traverse. It takes explorers 6 hours of walking through a 10 kilometer long forest path from Turong Son Highway to reach the mouth of Son Doong Cave.
The cave is a part of 150 or so caves, many still not surveyed, in the Annamite Mountains. During the first expedition, the team explored only two and half miles, before a 200 foot muddy wall of calcite stopped them. They can see some light above the wall, but had no idea of what lay other side. They named this wall as Great Wall of Vietnam. A year later they came back to climb the wall, if they can, measure the passage and push on if possible, all the way to end of the cave.
Sources:
Picture : Nationa Geographic Channel
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