The Cave of Crystals was discovered in 2000 by the Sanchez miner brothers, who were digging a new tunnel in the mine complex. It is located at a depth of 300 meters under the city of Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. The cave is unique in the presence of giant crystals of selenite. The largest of the found crystals has a size of 11 m in length and 4 m in width, with a mass of 55 tons. This is one of the largest known crystals. It is very hot in the cave, temperatures reach 58 ° C with a humidity of 90-100%. These factors make it very difficult for people to explore the cave, making it necessary to use special equipment. Even with equipment, being in a cave usually does not exceed 20 minutes.
Waitomo Glowworm Cave, New Zealand:
The Waitomo Caves are truly a masterpiece of nature, over which she has worked for many millions of years. For many centuries, the ocean has ruled here, creating bizarre limestone outgrowths and mysterious intricacies of passages. And then the water receded, forming a system of about 150 caves. The most famous of them is Glowworm Cave. It is inhabited by amazing creatures - Arachnocampa Luminosa. These are fireflies that can only be found in New Zealand. Their green-blue glow makes the arch of the cave look like a starry sky on a frosty night.
Blue Grotto (Grotto Azzurra), Italy:
This beautiful cave is only accessible from the sea. The name "Blue Grotto" comes from the bright blue color of its waters. The entrance to the cave is very small and lets in a small amount of light, which gives the water its bright color.
Vatnajokull Glacier Cave, Iceland:
Sunlight, scattered over the surface of the Svínafellsjökull glacier, draws amazing pictures on the vaults of the ice cave, creating the illusion of being at sea depth. The depth of the underground passage does not exceed 50 meters, and the width of the cave is only 10 meters. During the winter months, a crackling sound is heard inside, caused by the movement of the glacier.
Such pure azure and blue hues are the result of the absence of air bubbles in the ice. You can see colored ice at certain weather conditions; one of them is the absence or minimum amount of snow on the surface. Intense sky blue ice is best seen in January and February; it is during this period that shades of azure, framed by snow cover, look fantastic.
You can get into the cave only in the winter months: narrow ice passages are accessible to tourists only with the onset of frost. At other times, being here can be dangerous; melting ice vaults often collapse under a mass of snow.
Phraya Nakhon, Thailand
This is not actually a cave, but a huge valley that is 65 meters deep and 50 meters wide, with overhanging walls covered in plants and stalactites. At certain hours of the day, light enters the interior, illuminating the small temple.
Marble Caves of Patagonia, Chile:
Despite their name, they are made of ordinary limestone, but there is an opinion that in the depths of the caves there are the purest deposits of marble. The walls of the Chilean landmark have a surprisingly beautiful bright blue color, and the blue water of the lake doubles the impression of what they see. It is also worth mentioning that the caves consist of many labyrinths and tunnels, over the creation of which the coastal waves worked hard.
Ice caves near Mutnovsky volcano, Russia:
A small and very beautiful snow cave on the slope of the Mutnovsky volcano.
Dongzhong Cave, China:
Dongzhong Cave (whose name is simply translated as "cave") is located in the village of Mao in the Chinese province of Guizhou. Since 1984, the cave has been equipped as an elementary school.
Fingal's Cave, Scotland
Famed sea cave washed into the rock sea water, on the island of Staffa, part of the Inner Hebrides group. The walls are made up of vertical hexagonal basalt columns 69 meters deep and 20 meters high. For three centuries it has been a place of artistic pilgrimage and has inspired the work of many famous artists, musicians and writers.
Reed Flute Cave, China:
Reed Flute Cave (Ludi Yan) - amazing creation nature, located in the city of Guilin (China). Growing around the cave special kind reed, from which in the old days the best flutes in all of China were made, it was this fact that served as the basis for such beautiful name. Ludi Yan Cave, like Waitomo Cave, has illumination, but not natural, but "artificial" - artificial. With its help, the Chinese successfully emphasize the beauty of the flawless creation of nature. Multi-colored lights playfully paint stalactites, stalactites and other bizarre rock formations, making the cave even brighter and more fabulous.
Fantastic Pit at Ellison's Cave, Georgia, USA:
If you are an extreme, and besides, an amateur speleologist, then Allison Cave is ideal for you, namely its Fancy Mine, 179 meters deep.
Kyaut Sae cave in Myanmar:
Few people know about this cave, but nevertheless it impresses both with its size and the fact that a Buddhist temple is located in it.
Son Doong Cave, Vietnam:
The largest cave in the world. It is located in Central Vietnam, in the province of Quang Binh, in national park Phong Nha Kebang, 500 kilometers south of Hanoi and 40 kilometers from the provincial center - Dong Hoi. This cave has been known to locals since 1991, in April 2009 it was discovered by a group of British speleologists. The cave has an underground river that floods some parts of the cave during the rainy season.
Eisriesenwelt Ice Cave, Austria:
The Eisriesenwelt caves are the largest system of ice caves on our planet available for viewing. Eisriesenwelt means "giant ice world". The caves are located in the Alps in Austria at an altitude of 1641 meters and consist of 30 thousand cubic meters. meters of ice. These caves were formed by the waters of the Salzach River, which eroded limestone rocks over thousands of years. Currently, the riverbed is below the entrance to the caves.
The Eisriesenwelt caves were discovered by accident as early as 1849. For a long time only hunters and poachers knew about them. The date of the official discovery of the Eisriesenwelt caves is considered to be 1879, when the Austrian naturalist from Salzburg, Anton von Posselt-Czorich, first penetrated 200 meters deep into the caves. A year later, he published a detailed account of his discovery in a mountaineering magazine, but this information did not arouse due interest.
Orda Cave, Russia:
Orda Cave is the longest underwater gypsum cave in Russia and one of the longest in the world. This place is a real paradise for divers. The cave begins with the Crystal Grotto. In the northwestern corner of this grotto is Lake Ledyanoe. The move on the left will lead to the next grotto - the Ice Palace. Lake Main is located here, and a little further - Lake Teploe. Through these lakes, divers enter the mysterious underwater part of the cave. The water here is extremely clean, transparent, bluish in color and very cold (+ 4 degrees).
Carlsbad Caverns, USA
Under the arches of the mountains of Guadalupe in the state of New Mexico, endless labyrinths of halls, tunnels and corridors are hidden, the main inhabitants of which are bats. The charm of Carlsbad caves becomes more charming and mysterious with the advent of twilight. The park and the caves got their name in honor of the nearby city of Carlsbad.
Barton Creek Cave, Belize:
This cave has not only extraordinary natural beauty, but is also a living witness to the household items of the ancient Maya, who inhabited this territory more than 2000 years ago. In it you can see many grandiose stalactites and stalagmites, ancient jugs and religious bowls of the May Indians, traces of religious human sacrifices.
Jeita Grotto Caves, Lebanon:
a complex of two caves in Lebanon, 20 kilometers north of Beirut. In 1836, the upper cave was discovered by William Thomson, and the lower cave was discovered by Lebanese speleologists in 1958. The length of the Upper Cave is 2200 meters, but only part of it, which is 750 meters long, is open to tourists. There are three halls in the Upper Cave, each of which is 100 meters or more in height. There are unique underground reservoirs, very beautiful crevices, various stalagmites and stalactites. Length lower cave much larger than the Upper and equal to 6900 meters.
Kango Caves, South Africa:
Caves Cango (Cango Caves), tacitly called the wonder of the world. The caves are famous for their Organ Hall» — stalactites descending along the walls form something resembling a large organ here, which, combined with music and lighting effects, makes an indelible impression on visitors.
Aven Armand Cave, France:
A special funicular lowers visitors 50 meters deep into the tunnel, which is 200 meters long. There suddenly turns out to be a huge hall in which Notre Dame Cathedral could easily fit.
In 1991, in Vietnam (near the border with Laos), a unique cave Shondong, recognized as the largest and beautiful cave in the world. Its length reaches nine kilometers, its height is 150 meters, and its age is several million years. Some halls, which will take more than one month to inspect, 150 pieces were found in the cave.
In 2009 and 2010, speleologists from the UK worked in Son Doong Cave. They spent two weeks underground and described in detail unusual phenomenon nature. Scientists were amazed by the deep chasms and the magnificent stone columns that they met on their way. They are sure that modern skyscrapers will fit in the halls of the cave.
Path to Son Doong Cave
In 2015, the cave was officially visited by the first small group of tourists, each of whom did not spare three thousand dollars, for the sake of a dangerous trip to the dungeon. They had to go down an 80-meter rope and use climbing equipment in dark labyrinths to see 70-meter stalagmites and unusual pearls, underground clouds, jungles and amazing animals, as well as hear the roar of a turbulent river, the waters of which formed large rooms in the rocks. and carved rock paintings.
How to get to Son Doong Cave?
To get to the entrance to the cave, you need to move through the impenetrable jungle for more than a day, which not everyone can do. Only the most hardy tourists descend into the cave. Each group of eight people is accompanied by experienced guides and speleologists. Below, a fire is made and food is prepared, and a tent city is also being created. Tourists are waiting for many kilometers walking route with crossing water obstacles.
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A cave is a naturally formed natural cavity in a mountain, large enough for a person to enter. They are studied by such a science as speleology. Thanks to speleologists, we know a lot about caves, because they are very different: deep, beautiful, bizarre or just huge. What is the deepest cave in the world and what other outstanding caves exist on Earth?
This Vietnamese cave was discovered relatively recently - in 1991 - by a local resident who was afraid to enter it because of the terrible rumble of water inside and called his friends for help. Eighteen years later, speleologists from Britain came to grips with the study. After covering a distance of four kilometers, they stumbled upon an obstacle in the form of an impressive wall, entirely formed from solid calcite (rock-forming material). In 2010, the study resumed again, the expedition stayed in the depths of the cave for two weeks.
Unusual stone columns and deep gorges were found in the cave. The wonders of Shondong amazed the entire speleological world. The dimensions of the cave are truly gigantic, in some places a skyscraper could fit there. It reminds lost city underground. It is even surprising that for so many years no one suspected its existence.
When floods occur, it is not possible to enter the cave
The cavity is 150 m high and about 9 km long. After the discovery of the cave, extreme sports enthusiasts rushed there. To get underground, you will need a rope and other climbing equipment. On the way, you will have a chance to see the dark labyrinths, decorated with real rock patterns created by water flows. Indeed, inside this outlandish cave, a stormy underground river roars, creating a variety of tunnels. In some places, she managed to break through to the surface.
Shondong - extremely unusual place. 70-meter stalagmites grow here, attracting the attention of tourists, and real clouds form due to the mixing of warm and cold air. No matter how difficult and tiring the path to the cave was, all those who have been there unanimously assure that it is worth it.
Lubang Nasib Bagus
This largest cave in the world is located in Malaysia. It has a famous grotto called Sarawak. This grotto has very impressive dimensions - 600 by 415 m, and a height of about a hundred meters. The total volume of the grotto reaches a fantastic figure of 25 million cubic meters. It was discovered by three cavers from England in 1981.
At that time, they examined the karst massif, which is located in the Gunung Mulu reserve. Scientists climbed up the river and found themselves in a cave from which it flows. The speleologists did not even have enough lanterns to fully illuminate it.
On the area occupied by the grotto of Sarawak, several dozen aircraft can easily fit
Miao (Miao)
China also has one of the most large caves on the planet. It is hidden under the hills, and you can get there only by moving along the underground river. The cavity is a huge cave chamber. A few years ago, an expedition took place that studied this chamber in detail using a laser method.
This expedition was organized by the British, including specialists from the Chinese Institute of Karst Geology. Funding was provided by the American National Geographic Society. Later, all the information was announced at a conference on the issue of caves, held in England. After extensive laser scans were carried out in 2013, the cave was officially mapped.
Miao's volume is approximately 11 million cubic meters
Eisreisenwelt
Is on the planet amazing place surrounded on all sides by ice. It is located in Austria near the city of Salzburg. It is the longest cave in the world that is partly made of ice.
The cave goes deep into the Alpine mountains for as much as 40 kilometers, but ice occupies only a small part of it, limestone goes further. The cave was formed by the efforts of the Salzak River, which made a hole in the mountain, and the ice appeared due to snow that fell into the cave and froze in winter.
The entrance to the ice part of the cave is always open for tourists, and cold winds constantly walk through the tunnels, which does not allow snow and ice to melt, and in the warm season, cold air rushes out, forming a kind of air lock.
According to official data, A. Posselt was the discoverer of the cave in 1879. This naturalist, however, managed to explore only the initial 200 m. Before the discovery, the cave was known only locals. They were afraid of her, calling the devil's abode. In the middle of the 20th century, it was decided to build a special cable car, which reduced travel time from 1.5 hours to just 3 minutes. The open season runs from the beginning of May to the end of October. A full tour of this impressive site will take approximately 1.5 hours.
It is difficult to find a photo of the interior of the cave, because it is forbidden to take pictures there
red cave
On the Crimean Peninsula, which is part of Russia, there is also an outstanding cave, or rather, a cave system that stretches for more than 25 kilometers. Underground there are many halls of different sizes and appearance, between them, an impenetrable labyrinth wanders. True, only 500 m are available for tourists, and then under the control of an experienced guide.
The interior view of the cavity is striking in the first place due to the lighting skillfully distributed along the entire route. Its intensity is adjusted in such a way that it favorably emphasizes the relief and creates beautiful shadows. Walking through the cave is convenient and safe: it is equipped with special paths with railings. The place is very interesting from the point of view of speleology, especially with its large stalagmites and bizarre streaks on the walls. Also, an amazingly clean river flows inside. It is so transparent that sometimes it can be seen only by reflections of light.
Hearing this name, anyone will imagine the remains of the greatest prehistoric giants discovered by scientists underground. But this is just a play on words, in the English dialect "mammoth" is huge. However, despite the fact that it has nothing to do with mammoths, traveling in it is extremely exciting. This is a whole underground kingdom, full of halls, galleries and passages. The cave seems to live its own, independent life: rivers roar here and waterfalls seethe. The reservoirs even have their own unique fauna: blind fish, eyeless shrimp...
The main entrance is located in the US, Kentucky. Nearby, in the western part of the Appalachians, there are several smaller underground systems that were previously considered independent, but now it turned out that they are all connected in one way or another with Mamontova. An important national park, where a colony of rare bats lives and you can enjoy untouched nature. In the Mammoth Cave, scientists have come across unusual finds more than once, for example, the mummified corpse of an Indian, perfectly preserved along with clothes due to special climatic conditions.
The cave has not yet been fully explored, the estimated length is 587 km.
Sak-Aktun
This unique cave is one of the main attractions not only in Mexico, but also in the world. flowing in it major river bears the same name, which means "white cave" in translation. The cave system has a length of more than 300 km and is a suite, interconnected by passages of "rooms". The study of Sak-Aktun, located on the Yucatan Peninsula, began only in 1987, but over the years that have passed since that time, only one percent of the territory has been explored. It is hard to imagine how many more amazing things are hidden in it, because the cavity was formed 65 million years ago.
According to one version, its occurrence is the result of a collision of the Earth with a huge meteor. At the place where he fell, a crater turned out, from which, in turn, many cracks spread underground. Time passed, and the crater, along with the cracks, filled with rainwater. And so it turned out a long full-flowing underground channel. This river has always been treated with respect by local tribes, for example, the Maya.
The river occupies almost the entire cave, and the spectacle is unusually beautiful.
Krubera-Crow
This cave is located in Abkhazia. Its length is just over two kilometers, and Georgian scientists began to study it since 1960. Krubera-Voronya is of interest not only for speleologists, but also for biologists. Here they discovered a previously unknown species of beetles, which were recognized as champions among insects in terms of the depth of their habitat. Biologists also claim that many other new species can be found in this place.
The well-known speleological group Cavex is mainly engaged in the study of the cave. This team was the first to achieve maximum depth– 1.7 km. Research can not be called easy: the expedition now and then ran into dead ends, had to go back. It also happened vice versa, windows leading to the discovery of new paths were found in the cave wall.
The shortest river on the planet flows from Krubera-Voronya - Reprua, which is only 18 meters long
Sarma
Sarma is located in Arabica mountain in Georgia. It is a series of wells and halls, between which many tunnels and small climbs meander. Sarma is unanimously recognized by scientists as one of the most beautiful and scientifically interesting caves, extremely valuable for the world speleological community.
Sarma is conditionally divided into three levels - the first goes to a depth of 420 m, the second - to 900 m, the third - to 1830 m, then the territory has not yet been explored. Sarma got its name in accordance with the name of the wind: due to the peculiarities of aerodynamics, a strong hurricane wind always blows here, reaching a speed of 50 km/h, which the locals are afraid of.
The cave is closed to tourists, so you can get into it only as part of an expedition, having the appropriate skills and equipment.
Our Earth is a place filled with amazing miracles and mysteries of nature, only a small part of which has been explored by mankind. Huge and majestic caves invariably delight travelers.
Deep underground, where the sun does not shine and people rarely appear, the unknown lurks, mysterious world where amazing shimmering insects live, incredible gems, stone formations magical shapes and any size, marble columns, halls and grottoes, the creator of which is not a man, but nature itself.
Blue Grotto, Italy
The blue grotto is practically the emblem of the Italian island of Capri. This magnificent sea cave, located on the coast of the island, is known to all tourists.
The Blue Grotto is unique in that its walls glow and sparkle with blue and emerald hues. This breathtaking glow comes from two sources of light: one is a small entrance to the cave, located above the water, where bright daylight penetrates, and the other is a large wide opening that is immersed in water and from which a muffled bluish light flows into the cave.
Cave of Crystals, Mexico
First, in 1910, the Cave of Swords was discovered, which is located just above the Cave of Giant Crystals. In the Cave of Swords, the crystals are much smaller, about one meter long, and the temperature is colder. Perhaps that is why the crystals in the upper cave have stopped growing.
The Cave of Giant Crystals was discovered in 2000. Its level is covered with completely transparent faceted blocks. The cave contains the largest natural crystals ever found in the entire world. The largest crystal found here was 12 meters long and 4 meters in diameter. The usual temperature in the cave is 50-58 degrees Celsius, and the humidity is 90-99%. Due to such conditions, the cave remains relatively unexplored and people without special equipment can stay in it for a maximum of 10 minutes.
Cave Krubera, Abkhazia
Krubera Cave, or Crow Cave, is located in the Caucasus Mountains and is the deepest famous cave in the world. Its depth exceeds two thousand meters. Crow cave is called due to the fact that during its study, speleologists had to drive away entire flocks of crows from the entrance.
Fingal's Cave, Scotland
This is a sea cave located on desert island Staffa in Scotland. It is formed entirely from hexagonal columns of basalt and was washed out by the flow of water in the coastal rock. Inside, the cave resembles a Gothic temple, which is only emphasized by the size of the grotto, the high ceiling and the sounds that create waves rolling on the rock.
Eisriesenwelt ice cave, Austria
The name of the cave means "World of Ice Giants". It is a naturally formed limestone cave and is the largest of its kind. The Eisriesenwelt stretches for 42 kilometers and falls 400 meters deep. The ice is kept all year round. Since the entrance to the cave is open all year, cold winds freeze the snow that gets inside. During the summer, the ice sheets persist and do not melt due to the cold winds that circulate inside the cave.
Although the cave is relatively long, only the first thousand meters are open to tourists and covered with ice. Most of the cave is plain limestone.
Underwater river Puerto Princesa, Philippines
Puerto Princesa is an underground river named one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature. She is recognized as an object world heritage UNESCO.
In 2010, a group of ecologists and geologists discovered that this underground river has a second floor and there are many small waterfalls and a hall with a 300-meter dome, where you can see not only sinter formations of various shapes, but also large bats. The river is divided into several streams and canals and goes deep into the cave, where tourists can no longer get due to lack of oxygen.
Mammoth Cave National Park, USA
Mammoth Cave National Park is the largest cave system in the world and will probably stay that way forever, because breaking the record of 52,830 hectares is next to impossible. The second largest cave system barely covers half of this area.
The national park offers several cave tours to visitors. The longest of them takes six hours and passes through the main attractions. Also, the guests of the park have the opportunity to go on "wild" tours, where you can see the unlit parts of the caves, climb dirty and dusty tunnels and examine the sinter formations in the light of lanterns trembling in your hands.
Skocjanske Jame, Slovenia
This limestone cave system is one of the most remarkable underground phenomena in the Slovenian karst region. This cave also ranks among the most important caves in the world and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. International scientific circles are also considering it for the title of natural treasure of the planet.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, USA
This is one of the most visited cave parks in the United States. The attraction of the caves is Big hall- a huge grotto made of natural limestone, a kilometer long, 190 meters wide and 80 meters high.
Numerous tourist programs can be enrolled in the caves, including the popular bat-watching. They are followed at sunset, when they fly out of the depths of the caves, and at dawn, when they fly back. It is even possible to stay in the cave for the night, spend the night in tents or without them, but this requires permission.
Waitomo Cave, New Zealand
This cave is popular all over the world due to the fact that the fireflies that live in it turn the ceiling of the cave into a starry sky that is directly above your head, literally.
Fireflies arachna luminosa live only in New Zealand and only in this cave. They are about the size of a normal mosquito, and millions of individuals live in the Waimoto cave. The tour of the cave begins with a boat ride through underground river where the cave ceiling is lit only by these spectacular glowing mosquitoes.
Caves are underground cavities that communicate with the surface by one or more
inlet holes. The largest caves have complex systems of passages and halls, often with a total length of up to several tens of kilometers.
Today we will visit some mysterious caves.
Tham Lod limestone cave. This is one of the oldest caves in Thailand. It is very popular with archaeologists. A human skeleton was found here, which is more than twenty thousand years old. Visitors to the cave will be able to see the dwelling of primitive people. Caves were generally used by ancient people as comfortable dwellings.
Inside this cave, the walls are covered with massive formations over 20 meters high that make you feel very insignificant in this world. There is no artificial lighting in the cave, so you need to move around with a lantern inside. The very name of the cave - Nam Lod, which in Thai means "water passing through" - speaks of its essence.
Cave on the beach in New Zealand.
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 of natural caves, air exchange with the surface is quite intense.
Cave under Uluwatu Temple, Bali.
View of the Northern Lights from a cave in Northern Norway.
In addition to caves that have access to the surface and are available for direct study by man, in earth's crust there are closed underground cavities. The deepest underground cavity (2952 meters) was discovered by drilling on the coast of Cuba
And it's just a cave beautiful lake. Unfortunately, the photographer forgot to leave the name of the area.
This is rather not a cave, but an artificial bridge in Morocco.
Castor cave Olsztyn in Poland. Caves according to their origin can be divided into five groups: tectonic, erosional, ice, volcanic and, finally, the largest group - karst. Most of these caves. It is karst caves that have the greatest length and depth. Karst caves are formed due to 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.
Reed Flute Cave in China. This iconic place in the urban area of Guilin, China, located in the most picturesque area with karst formations. This natural limestone cave got its name from the reeds growing around it, from which the locals used to make their own ancient wind instruments.
Read more in the article "Reed Flute Cave in China".
Caves appear in many fantastic works (moreover, both in fantasy and in science fiction). Caves (more precisely, bunkers) in science fiction mainly serve as shelters after a global catastrophe that made life on the surface impossible. In fantasy, caves are inhabited by gnomes, kobolds, goblins, dragons; in RPGs, they often play the role of dungeons. In Russian folk tales, among the inhabitants of the caves are the Mistress of the Copper Mountain and the Serpent Gorynych.
Ice Cave in Matthiessen State Park, Illinois.
Krubera-Voronya is the deepest (at the beginning of 2014) cave in the world (depth 2196 meters), located in the Arabica mountain range in Abkhazia. The entrance to the cave is located at an altitude of about 2250 m above sea level in the Orto-Balagan tract. karst cave subvertical type, is a series of wells connected by stiles and galleries. The deepest plumb lines: 115, 110, 152 m:
Among the most famous literary characters who ended up in the caves are Tom Sawyer along with Becky Thatcher, as well as Bilbo Baggins.
Crystal Cave, Iceland. The cave can be entered from the shore, through a 7 meter hole. The tunnel gradually narrows, and at the end its height is no more than 1.2 meters. ice caves generally unstable and could collapse at any moment. They are only safe to visit in winter when the cold temperatures harden the ice. Crackling sounds are constantly heard in the cave. They are heard not because the cave is about to collapse, but because the cave is moving along with the glacier itself. Every time the glacier moves a millimeter, loud noises are heard.
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.
Cave and view of Gibraltar.
Marble Mountains - beautiful and mysterious place near Da Nang city, Vietnam. Huyen Khong cave with statues and altars inside.
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 length of the investigated part of the cave system is more than 587 km. In the surveyed part, there are 225 underground passages, about 20 large halls and more than 20 deep mines:
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), rock paintings of ancient people.
Luray Caverns in Virginia. There is even an underground organ.
The cave monastery is located in Moldova. The archaeological complex "Old Orhei" is located 60 km northeast of Chisinau.
Rainbow and frozen waterfall in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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.
Cave system in Halong Bay, Vietnam.
Cave off the coast of San Francisco, California.
Birds, sunlight and temple. Batu Caves is a complex of cave hills and Hindu shrines in the Gombak region, at a distance of 13 km from the center of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. (Photo by Danny Xeero). The Batu Caves were created by nature over 400 million years ago. In the 19th century, an Indian merchant built a secluded place temple to the god Muruga.
