The world’s largest cave has a volume of 40.1 million cubic meters and every known cave in the world can easily fit inside it.
Live Science writes that the largest cave in the world is Son Doong Cave in Vietnam, which is so large that 15 Cheops pyramids could fit inside and a Boeing 747 plane could pass through some of the passages.
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Shondong is the largest known cave in the world. The limestone cave is located beneath the lush forest in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, 500 kilometers south of Vietnam’s capital Hanoi. The primitive forest thrives in this cave, thanks to the presence of two “windows” through which sunlight enters. The cave has an underground river that floods parts of the cave during the rainy season. The length of Shondong Cave exceeds 5 kilometers and its height reaches 200 meters.
The name Shondong means “mountain river” and this cave is relatively young compared to other limestone caves. It is thought to have formed 2-3 million years ago as a result of rivers flowing through cracks in the limestone and eroding the rock. Thus, a giant tunnel was created inside Asia’s largest limestone massif, which emerged approximately 400 million years ago. This massif was created from the remains of ancient marine animals.
Shondong Cave was first discovered by local residents in 1990, but remained unknown for a long time because it was hidden among lush forests. British speleologists were only able to rediscover and explore the cave in 2009.
The study showed that this is the largest natural cave in the world among all known caves. Initial measurements showed that its volume was 38.5 cubic meters. So, it is so big that 15 Cheops pyramids could fit there (height 139 meters), and some passages of the cave are so wide and high that a Boeing 747 plane (wingspan 64 meters) could fly there.
In 2019, scientists conducted a new study on Son Doong Cave and found that the cave was connected to another cave through an underwater tunnel. Thus, the total volume of the cave is 40.1 million cubic meters. According to scientists, any cave in the world can easily fit inside Son Doong Cave.
One of the world’s tallest stalagmites was discovered in Shondong Cave. The height of this giant column is 80 meters.
This cave is officially divided into three parts: the entrance, the passages with marine fossils, and the muddy passage of Passchendaele. This passage takes its name from the Battle of Passchendaele during World War I, where soldiers fought in mud-filled trenches.
Some of the cave’s passages are filled with the remains of ancient marine creatures that existed in the distant past in what is now central Vietnam. At Passchendaele Pass there is a 90 meter high calcite wall called the Great Wall of Vietnam.
The limestone ceiling in the middle of the cave collapsed long ago, creating two “windows” in the rock through which sunlight penetrates. In this way, the forest develops in the cave.
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Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.