Worlds Largest Cave

Monday, September 6, 2010

Worlds Largest Cave

 Its amazing that there are still places like this still out there waiting to be explored. A British caving team have just recently explored the world’s largest cave passage in the heart of the Vietnamese jungle. 

Called Hang Son Doong (Mountain River Cave) it is believed to be almost twice the size of the current record holder. Son Doong has replaced the Deer cave in Malaysia to become the world’s largest cave. 

‘It is a truly amazing sized cave and one of the most significant discoveries by a British caving team,’ said Adam Spillane, a member of the 13-man expedition team.

Using a laser measuring device known as the LaserRace 300, which measures height and width, the team are now back in the UK analysing their readings.

The cave was originally discovered in 1991 by a Vietnamese Jungle man called Ho Khanh. However Mr Spillane said no-one had entered if before because: ‘it emitted a frightful wind and noise which was due to a large underground river.’

They spent five days exploring the cave in Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park through mid-April.

‘The cave is 6.5km long at present but the end of the main passage still continues with a calcite wall of over 45m high halting our progress,’ Mr Spillane said.’

‘More work on the next expedition is required to make a complete exploration of Hang Son Doong and obtain a complete photographic record of the cave.  ’

The Hang Son Doong cave is believed to be almost twice the size of the current record holder.