The most mysterious caves of our planet. What is the largest cave in the world
A cave is a naturally occurring 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 can be very different: deep, beautiful, bizarre or simply 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 roar of water inside and called friends for help. Eighteen years later, speleologists from Britain began to study it closely. Having covered a distance of four kilometers, they came across 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 resembles a lost city underground. It’s 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 opening of the cave, extreme sports fans flocked there. To get underground, you will need a rope and other climbing equipment. Along the way, you will be able to explore dark labyrinths decorated with real rock patterns created by water flows. After all, inside this strange cave a stormy underground river roars, creating various tunnels. In some places she managed to break through to the surface.
Shondong is an extremely unusual place. 70-meter stalagmites grow here, attracting the attention of tourists, and real clouds are formed due to the mixing of warm and cold air. No matter how difficult and tiring the path to the cave may be, everyone who has been there unanimously assures 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 Nature Reserve. The scientists climbed up the river and found themselves in the cave from which it flows. The speleologists didn't even have enough flashlights to fully illuminate it.
The area occupied by the Sarawak Grotto can easily accommodate several dozen aircraft.
Miao (Miao)
China also has one of the largest caves on the planet. It is hidden under the hills, and you can only get there by moving along the underground river. The cavity is a huge cave chamber. Several years ago, an expedition took place to study this chamber in detail using the 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, the cave was officially mapped in 2013.
The volume of Miao is approximately 11 million cubic meters
Eisreisenwelt
There is an amazing place on the planet, surrounded on all sides by ice. It is located in Austria near the city of Salzburg. This is the longest cave in the world that is partially made of ice.
The cave goes as much as 40 kilometers into the depths of the Alpine mountains, but ice occupies only a small part of it, followed by limestone. 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 to tourists, and cold winds constantly blow through the tunnels, which prevents snow and ice from melting, and in the warm season, cold air rushes out, forming a kind of airlock.
According to official data, the discoverer of the cave was A. Posselt in 1879. This naturalist, however, was able to explore only the initial 200 m. Before the discovery, only local residents knew the cave. They were afraid of it, calling it the devil's abode. In the mid-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 lasts from early May to late October. A full tour of this impressive site will take approximately 1.5 hours.
It's difficult to find a photo of the cave's interior because photography is prohibited there.
Red Cave
On the Crimean Peninsula, part of Russia, there is also an outstanding cave, or rather a cave system, stretching for more than 25 kilometers. Underground there are many halls of different sizes and appearances, and a difficult labyrinth wanders between them. True, only 500 m is accessible to tourists, and then under the supervision of an experienced guide.
The interior view of the cavity is striking primarily due to the lighting skillfully distributed along the entire route. Its intensity is adjusted in such a way that the relief is emphasized and beautiful shadows are created. 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 for its large stalagmites and bizarre sagging on the walls. There is also an amazingly clean river flowing inside. It is so transparent that sometimes it can only be seen 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” means 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 bubble. The reservoirs even have their own unique fauna: blind fish, shrimp without eyes...
The main entrance is located in the USA, Kentucky. Nearby, in the western part of the Appalachians, there are several smaller underground systems that were previously considered independent, but now it turns out that they are all somehow connected to Mammoth. A significant national park was founded on this territory, where a colony of rare bats lives and you can enjoy untouched nature. In Mammoth Cave, scientists have repeatedly come across unusual finds, 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, but its estimated length is 587 km.
Sak-Actun
This unique cave is one of the main attractions not only of Mexico, but also of the world. The large river flowing through it bears the same name, which means “white cave”. The cave system has a length of more than 300 km and is a suite of rooms connected by “room” passages. The study of Sac Actun, located on the Yucatan Peninsula, began only in 1987, but in the years since then, only one percent of the territory has been studied. It is difficult 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 appeared, from which, in turn, many cracks spread underground. Time passed, and the crater, along with the cracks, was filled with rainwater. And so it turned out to be a long deep underground channel. Local tribes, such as the Mayans, have always treated this river with respect.
The river occupies almost the entire cave, and the spectacle is extremely beautiful.
Krubera-Voronya
This cave is located in Abkhazia. Its length is just over two kilometers, and Georgian scientists began to study it in 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 record holders among insects for the depth of their habitat. Biologists also claim that many other new species can be found in this place.
The cave is mainly studied by the famous speleological group Cavex. It was this team that was the first to reach the maximum depth - 1.7 km. Research cannot be called easy: the expedition kept coming across dead ends and had to go back. It also happened the other way around: windows were discovered in the wall of the cave, leading to the opening of new paths.
The shortest river on the planet flows from Kruber-Voronya - Reprua, which is only 18 meters long.
Sarma
Sarma is located in Arabica Mountain, in Georgia. It consists of 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 conventionally divided into three levels - the first goes to a depth of 420 m, the second - to 900 m, the third - to 1830 m, further the territory has not yet been explored. Sarma received 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 local residents are afraid of.
The cave is closed to tourists, so you can get into it only as part of an expedition with the appropriate skills and equipment
Our Earth is a place filled with amazing wonders and mysteries of nature, only a small part of which has been explored by mankind. Huge and majestic caves always delight travelers.
The greatest caves in the world are caves that simply amaze with their size, their beauty or their unusualness. This article is dedicated to just such caves, caves that are worth paying attention to, and if possible, be sure to visit.
This list of the greatest caves in the world contains the most - the most caves of our planet.
Krubera Cave - Voronya, the deepest cave in the world. Its depth is two kilometers 190 meters.
This cave is located in the mountains of Abkhazia, the entrance to it is at an altitude of 2250 meters. 
The study of the cave has been going on for about fifty years; it became the deepest when speleologists once again set a record - descending to a depth of 1720 meters. This happened in 2001, and in 2007 a new record was already set - 2190 meters.
Jeita Caves are some of the most beautiful caves on earth. Jeita Caves are karst limestone caves. 
There are two caves - one lower, the other upper, and they are connected to each other. This miracle of nature is located in the vicinity of the city of Jeita, in Libya. The total length of the caves is nine kilometers. 
The lower cave was opened in 1836, the upper one only in 1958. The caves are visited by many tourists. In the lower cave, movement occurs by boat, along an underground river and lake. Also, according to some reports, this unique cave contains the largest stalactite in the world, 8.2 meters long.
The longest cave in the world is located in the USA. This is Mammoth Cave. Cave formed in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Kentucky 
The length of its explored part is 587 kilometers. The cave is karst, its discovery took place in 1797. The cave has 225 passages, more than forty large halls and shafts. It is quite dry, but there are also areas with underground rivers and lakes. 
Mammoth Cave National Park was created in 1941. Anyone can walk through the cave labyrinths, both in equipped areas with electric light and in wild places.
The guides accompanying the excursions will tell you everything about this amazing cave, its formation, and the history of its discovery.
Waitomo Cave in New Zealand also claims to be the most beautiful cave. 
The highlight of the cave is the local fireflies, or rather their larvae, which glow in the dark. The cave consists of three levels, which are connected by a shaft. Tourists moving along the underground river on a boat admire the most beautiful sight, reminiscent of a scattering of stars in the night sky.
In this case, you need to maintain silence; the larvae may go out when they hear the noise. The cave has been known for a very long time; tourists began to be taken to it back in 1889.
No less beautiful, amazing and unusual is the Son Doong Cave, located in Vietnam. The cave became widely known not long ago - in 2009. The surprise of the British speleologists who went down there is difficult to convey.
They saw huge cave halls reaching 200 by 150 meters in size, huge stalagmites, a fairly wide river and even a section of the jungle. The study of the cave has not yet been completed; perhaps in the future, local authorities will also organize tourism infrastructure here.
Probably the most unusual cave is in Mexico. This is the Crystal Cave or Cave of Crystals. 
Selenite crystals are the largest and most natural crystals in nature. The climate in the cave is special - the temperature reaches 58 degrees Celsius, and the humidity reaches 99%.
The Dragon Caves are another contender for the title of the most beautiful cave in the world. The caves are located in the eastern part of Mallorca, their length is 1300 meters. 
The exploration of the caves took place in 1886. There are six lakes in the caves, the largest of which, Lake Martel, measures 177 by 40 meters and is 9 meters deep. In 1935, the cave was equipped with lighting equipment. The auditorium for a thousand people, which is located near Lake Martel, was specially built for the show, which takes place underground. Musicians on boats, accompanied by beautiful classical music and beautiful lighting effects symbolizing the dawn over the lake, slowly float into the underground lake.
Our country also has quite a few amazing caves, probably the most famous of them is the Kungur Ice Cave, located in the Perm region. 
The length of the cave is not large - 5.7 kilometers, of which one and a half kilometers is equipped for tourists. The cave was explored at the beginning of the 18th century. There are 50 grottoes, 70 lakes, 146 “organ pipes” in the cave. 
The constant temperature in the center of the cave is 5 degrees plus, and in individual grottoes it can drop to -30 degrees below zero. An ancient cave painting was discovered in the cave. Every year many tourists from all over our country visit this cave.
Another one of the most beautiful and greatest caves in the world is located in China. This is the Reed Flute Cave.
The cave was discovered a long time ago, more than ten centuries ago.
In addition to the lake, numerous stalactites and stalagmites, the cave contains more than 70 rock inscriptions dating back to 792 AD.
Since 1940, tourists have visited the cave. Artificial lighting creates a fabulous atmosphere in the cave; the cave arches, illuminated in different colors, are reflected in the lake, further enhancing the fantastic picture.
The underground world has long attracted the attention of people. In ancient times it was inhabited by gods. Nowadays, we have begun to explore the deep bowels of the planet, which are unique labyrinths of underground galleries, halls and mines.
Today the caves are of interest to both speleologists and ordinary tourists. Scientists use them to study the history of the development of the Earth, explore various mineral formations, and discover new biological species. Tourists flock to caves for adventure. The underground galleries decorated with stalactites and stalagmites captivate the imagination, excite the imagination and fill even the most callous hearts with horror and romance.
On any continent, in any country, you can find underground passages, most often formed by water, which, century after century, erodes the soil and rocks. Most modern caves are classified as “dry”, but there are some among them where underground rivers still flow.
Almost all caves are actively being studied, but the longer the underground formation, the more difficult and longer this process takes.
Each of the caves has its own unique structure and system of natural entrances: somewhere there may be several of them, somewhere only one, and somewhere more than a hundred. Artificial passages are made to caves with limited access.
Many famous caves have underground camps for scientists and specially designed tourist areas for general visitors. National parks are often formed around caves, allowing the unique natural heritage to be preserved intact.
Planet Earth caves - VIDEO
Caves of the world - PHOTO
1. Mammoth Cave
The longest cave in the world was discovered in 1797 in the Appalachian Mountains, located in the US state of Kentucky. Its underground passages and halls go six hundred and fifty-one kilometers deep into the earth. The cave was formed about ten million years ago as a result of the dissolution of rocks by water. It got its name due to its size: translated from English “mammoth” - “huge”. The cave has a special microclimate. It contains amazing eyeless creatures that look like fish.
2. Sak-Actun
The Mexican cave of Sac Actun is the longest in the country and the second longest in the world. It was opened in 1987 in the north of Yucatan, near the city of Tulum. Of the three hundred and seventeen kilometers of underground passages, only six are not flooded. The “White Cave” (this is how its name is translated from the Mayan language) is of meteorite origin: scientists believe that it was formed about sixty-five million years ago as a result of the fall of a celestial body. The river of the same name flowing through the cave has perfectly clean and transparent water.
The American Jewel Cave, located in South Dakota, near the town of Custer, boasts a length of two hundred and fifty-seven kilometers. The height difference between its underground galleries is one hundred thirty-five meters, that is, four floors. The cave was discovered in 1900. Jewel has one natural (in the northwest) and one artificial (in the center) entrance. All of its galleries, except the top one, are covered with a thick layer of calcite - a transparent or white calcareous mineral. An interesting feature of the cave is the presence of strong winds, up to fifteen meters per second.
4. Ox-Bel-Ha
“Three Ways of Water” is only a kilometer shorter than Jewel. The cave located not far from Sak-Actun has not yet been fully explored, but more than one hundred and forty natural entrances have already been discovered in it. Aux-Bel-Ha was formed eighteen thousand years ago by the waters of the world's oceans, which exceeded their level due to climate change and eroded nearby limestone rocks. The Mexican cave reaches a depth of thirty-seven meters and has about eighty branches, flooded by the waters of the Caribbean Sea.
5. Optimistic
Located in the Ternopil region, near the village of Korolevka, the Ukrainian Optimistic Cave reaches a length of two hundred thirty-six kilometers, but has a shallow depth - no more than fifteen to twenty meters. The fifth longest among all the caves in the world, it is the first among gypsum formations. Optimistic Cave was opened in 1966. Currently, the underground passages of the village of Korolevka are being actively studied: fifteen underground camps have been set up in the cave for scientists from different countries of the world.
American Wind Cave is Jewel's neighbor. It is smaller in size by forty-five kilometers and is just as deep. Wind has been known to people since 1881. Since 1903, it, together with the adjacent territory, received the status of a National Park. The cave was formed by thermal waters. Now a large number of minerals are found on its walls. From a geographical point of view, Wind is a labyrinth filled with a dense, branched network of underground galleries. The cave is equipped for excursions. About five hundred thousand tourists visit it annually.
7. Lechugia
The American Lechuguia Cave stretches underground for two hundred and twenty kilometers and goes approximately five hundred meters deep. It was opened in 1914, but until 1986 no one was interested in it, since everyone saw it as a “Dreary Hole” (the first name of Lechuguia) and nothing more. Today, the unique rock formation is part of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Speleologists consider Lechuguia the most beautiful cave in the world, thanks to the finest lace of gypsum crystals covering its walls.
The longest European cave is located in the Swiss Alps. It was opened in 1875. With a length of two hundred kilometers, its depth reaches a thousand meters with an vibration amplitude of more than eight hundred meters. There are two entrances to Hölloch: the first is located in the valley of the Muota River, the second is at an altitude of more than a thousand meters. The cave consists of a complex, multi-story system of halls and galleries, decorated with numerous stalactites and stalagmites. In summer, floods are observed on its watercourses. The lower part of Hölloch is open to tourists.
9. Gua-Air-Jernich
The longest Asian cave is located in the north of the Malaysian island of Kalimantan. Opened relatively recently, in 1978, it has a length of one hundred and ninety-seven kilometers. The amplitude of Gua-Eir-Jernich is three hundred and fifty-five meters. The cave has five levels of galleries and many entrances. The main entrance is in the river. You can get to it by boat. The lower level of Gua Eir Jernich is filled with water. The cave is part of Gunung Mulu National Park, which includes other karst formations and rainforests.
10. Fisher Ridge
Located in the western Appalachians, the Fisher Ridge karst cave reaches a length of one hundred and ninety-four kilometers. Underground labyrinths, going one hundred meters deep into the earth, were discovered in Kentucky in 1914, although they have been known to the indigenous people of the United States for the past thousand years. Fisher Ridge is located in close proximity to Mammoth Cave. It has three entrances leading to a multi-level complex of galleries and shafts. The Green River flows through the cave. The walls of Fisher Ridge contain rock art.
April 14th, 2013
Mammoth Cave is a place of beauty, mystery and paradox. This is a real kingdom of underground lakes and canyons, waterfalls and streams, narrow passages and large domed halls. Located 80 km from Bowling Green, Kentucky, the cave contains one of the world's largest underground tunnel systems, which is why it is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Mysterious sinkholes, underground waterfalls and cave formations in gypsum karst attract many visitors. No one yet knows the true size of Mammoth Cave. New caves and passages are constantly opening up, the underground boundaries of this spectacular labyrinth expanding deeper and deeper into the depths of the underworld. Mammoth Cave is the world's longest underground labyrinth system, if the second and third longest caves in the world were combined, it would still remain the longest in the world with a margin of 160 km!
People have entered Mammoth Cave and lived here since historical times. Anthropologists believe that Native Americans first discovered it about 4,000 years ago. For lighting, they used torches made from bunches of reeds still growing nearby. The charred remains of these ancient torches were found for many kilometers inside the cave. Almost 5 kilometers from the entrance, the mummified body of a gypsum miner who died about 2000 years ago was found. He was crushed to death by a huge 5-ton boulder. The human body and clothing are well preserved.
The cave has been known to Indian tribes since time immemorial. In a cave speleologists mummies of Indian tribes were found. Mammoth Cave was discovered by American colonists back in 1797. Legend has it that the first European to discover Mammoth Cave was either John Houchine or his brother Francis Houchine. In 1797, while hunting, Houchin pursued a wounded bear and discovered the entrance to a cave near the Green River.
Then in 1798, Valentine Simon acquired a cave for the development and extraction of potassium nitrate. As a result of the Anglo-American War of 1812-1814, prices for saltpeter skyrocketed. During the War of 1812, the cave served as an important source of saltpeter, which was extracted using labor mainly from the black population of America. The extraction of saltpeter was of great importance at that time, as it served as a key component for the manufacture of gunpowder. During the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain, much of the saltpeter needed for the war effort was mined from Mammoth Cave. Its owners relied on the labor of 70 African slaves to extract this valuable mineral.
Further, Mammoth Cave was purchased by entrepreneurs Charles Wilkins and Hyman Gratz for the industrial production of nitrate and calcium nitrate. But the war ended and, as a result of the decline in demand for saltpeter, prices began to fall, which made the extraction of saltpeter extremely unprofitable. The mining and production of saltpeter was stopped, and the cave was turned into a tourist attraction of local importance, and subsequently of global significance. 
At the end of the war in 1815, prices for saltpeter fell sharply, and its extraction became unprofitable. However, people who learned about the cave began to visit it to see with their own eyes the enormous size of this underground miracle. In the following decades, the cave became a popular tourist attraction.
In 1838, the cave was purchased by slave owner Franklin Gorin. Gorin appointed one of his slaves, Stephen Bishop, as an escort for the then visitors to the cave. Bishop made attempts to explore the cave, which were fairly successful. AND Bishop became the first explorer of the cave. Bishop discovered many interesting and beautiful places in the cave, to which he also gave his names. Bishop was the first to successfully cross the so-called. Bottomless pit. After which Bishop concluded that the cave has a much greater extent than previously thought. Subsequently, Bishop compiled a map, which included more than 16 kilometers of routes he laid out. This map was the only guide to Mammoth Cave for 40 years. 
Stephen Bishop turned out to be a talented explorer and guide. He made many discoveries that increased the cave's popularity over the next decade. Stephen became the first person to cross the Bottomless Pit, a large hole over 30 meters deep. Stephen Bishop became one of the most famous guides in the history of Mammoth Cave, and almost everyone who visited the cave needed his advice. Many of his discoveries are described in the guidebook Rambles in the Mammoth Cave.
Later in 1839, doctor John Croghan bought the cave along with slaves, including Bishop, from Gorin. John Krogan made attempts to turn the caves into a medical and preventive hospital, but without much success.
Dr. Krogan was interested in the possible healing properties of the cave. He believed that the cave's constant temperature and humidity could be beneficial for people suffering from tuberculosis. In the spring of 1842, he housed those suffering from this disease in wooden and stone houses built in the center of the cave. Visitors from that period spoke of the constant coughing they heard from patients living in these houses. In 1843, the experiment ended in complete failure. Several patients died and the condition of others worsened. Obviously, the high humidity inside the cave and the low temperature only harmed and did not help sick people. Two stone houses are still preserved in Mammoth Cave as a memory of this experiment. Ironically, Dr. Croghan himself died from this serious illness in 1849.
Attempts to turn the cave into a tuberculosis sanatorium were unsuccessful. And in 1845, Alexander Bullitt published the book Rambles in Mammoth Cave, during the Year 1844, by a Visiter. Gradually, Mammoth Cave became more famous. And with the construction of transport arteries to nearby cities at the end of the 19th century, it made it possible for tourists to visit the caves. This is what later made the Mammoth Cave an important tourist attraction. USA.
In the 1920s and 1930s, attempts were made, which were subsequently crowned with success, to acquire land holdings around the cave. And thanks to these efforts, both on the part of the authorities and on the part of interested citizens, the Mammoth Cave National Park was created in 1941.
Further in the course scientific research from 1954 to 1961, speleological expeditions found that Mammoth Cave, as well as a number of other nearby caves, Kristalnaya, Neizvestnaya and Solyonaya, are part of one karst cave system. In 1972, a speleological expedition that conducted research in Mammoth Cave, based on its research, concluded that Mammoth Cave was connected to the nearby Flint Ridge cave system. This means that all the caves in this area are nothing more than one whole cave system.
Kentucky Cave Wars
The difficulties of farming on infertile, poor soils caused the desire of the owners of small caves located near Mamontovaya to switch from farming to other types of business. Thanks to the development of transport in the first quarter of the 20th century - rail and road - the number of visitors to the cave increased significantly. In the mid-1920s, the area around Mammoth Cave became the center of what historians have called the “Kentucky Cave Wars,” a period of intense competition between local cave owners to generate money from tourism.
A widespread practice of deception was used to lure tourists into other small caves. Fake road signs were installed along the roads leading to Mammoth Cave, misleading tourists and directing them to other caves. The owners of these small caves made visitors think that they had visited Mamontova, when in reality it was a completely different cave. A typical strategy at the initial stage of the emergence of automobile travel was that the capper (a person luring simpletons), jumping on the step of a passing tourist’s car, convinced passengers that Mammoth Cave was closed, quarantined, collapsed, in a word, inaccessible for visiting and suggested they visit another cave.
Creation of Mammoth Cave National Park
After Dr. Krogan's death, his nephews and nieces held the cave as trustees until the last of his heirs died in 1926. According to his will, after the death of the last heir, Mammoth Cave should be sold at an open auction. With the death of Dr. Krogan's last heir, a movement spread among wealthy residents of Kentucky to create a national park on the territory of the cave. Citizens of the state formed a public organization, the Mammoth Cave National Park Association. They believed that the only way to ensure its protection for future generations was to create a national park.
Mammoth Cave was considered a clear candidate for park status and state support. In reality, the national park project proved difficult because, unlike parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite, the area around Mammoth Cave was occupied by farmers and local businesses, many of whom were unwilling to leave their lands and opposed the creation of a national park. parka.
On May 25, 1926, President Calvin Coolidge signed legislation creating Mammoth Cave National Park. The law made the creation of the park contingent on donations of land to the federal government.
Some farm lands were acquired using donations from wealthy citizens, while other plots of land were acquired under the state's legal right to alienate private property. Unlike the formation of other US national parks in sparsely populated areas of the country, thousands of people were forced to forcibly move to other places of residence. Like the American Indians who originally inhabited the area, the descendants of European settlers who arrived in the Green River Valley in the 1790s were also forced to leave the area.
Mammoth Cave National Park was officially opened on July 1, 1941 to "protect the unique underground labyrinth, the rolling hills above, and the Green River Valley."
How was the cave formed?
An ancient sea covered the central part of the modern United States 325 million years ago, depositing more than 180 meters of soluble limestone, later covered by a layer of sandstones and shales deposited by an ancient river. The top layer covered the bottom like an umbrella. The sea and river disappeared, and the forces of erosion eroded this top layer about 10 million years ago, when cracks and holes exposed the limestones outward. Geologists believe that the old part of Mammoth Cave began to form about 10 million years ago. Rainwater, oxidized by carbon dioxide in the soil, seeped through the cracks and began to dissolve the limestone, creating a labyrinth of passages, amphitheatres, rooms and voids that we know as Mammoth Cave.
Many internal features, such as stalagmites, stalactites and columns, formed at the rate of one cubic inch every 100 to 200 years.
Why is it called “Mammoth Cave”?
The name Mammoth was first used to describe the cave in the early 1800s. The name was used due to the enormous size of the labyrinth and passage systems, and has nothing to do with the mammoth. Any information about the discovery of mammoth remains here is untrue.
How long is Mammoth Cave?
To date, researchers have mapped 584 km of passages, making Mammoth Cave the longest cave system in the world. Explorers are still discovering new passages, and, as they often say, “there is no end in sight.” Professional speleologists continue to study the cave system, compiling new maps and discovering new passages, many of which constitute difficult-to-reach corridors.
The bats
Mammoth Cave once had a population of 9-12 million bats in its historical section alone. Although bats continue to live in the cave, today their numbers do not exceed several thousand. Now ecologists are working on a program to restore the bat population.
Tourism and attractions of Mammoth Cave
The US National Park Service offers visitors a number of cave tours. Tours last from one to six hours. Two excursions are conducted using only paraffin lamps, and are a popular alternative to the electrically lit routes. Several "wild" tours veer away from the well-developed parts of the cave and lead into dusty tunnels.
The park's tours are distinguished by the quality of their explanatory programs. Tourist information varies depending on the tour chosen, so by taking multiple tours, tourists will learn about different aspects of the cave's formation and history.
The six-hour tour is most popular among tourists. The groups pass through Cleveland Avenue, which is a long cylindrical hall carved out by underground water. Its walls shine with white plaster, crystallized under a layer of limestone. The route then passes through the Snowball Dining Room, where you can stop and grab a bite to eat. The tour then proceeds through Boone Avenue, a deep ravine so narrow in width that you can easily touch the opposite walls of the passage with both hands. The tour ends at Frozen Niagara. Water saturated with minerals, seeping through the rock, gradually formed Frozen Niagara, a characteristic feature of which is the presence of stalactites, stalagmites, and images of stone waves on the walls, simulating falling water.
One part of Mammoth Cave is called the Methodist Church, where religious ceremonies are believed to have been held in the early 1800s. Visitors to this part of the cave are given the opportunity to experience what the first tourists felt. The guide turns off the lights and lights the torches, and visitors see with their own eyes what the cave looked like before electric lighting was installed here.
Booth Amphitheater is another famous site of Mammoth Cave and was visited by actor Edwin Booth, brother of Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth. Edwin Booth is said to have read Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy at this location.
Nearby is a deep hole in the ground known as the Bottomless Pit. It was named by the first guides of the cave, unable to see its bottom through the weak light of oil lamps. The depth of the Bottomless Pit is 32 meters.
Entrance to Mammoth Cave. One of the most famous and most photographed objects in the park. It is especially good when you look out from the middle of the cave.
The once most famous and popular Eco River Tour, during which tourists had the opportunity to ride a boat on an underground river, was canceled in the early 1990s due to environmental reasons. In addition, maintaining the cave passages for public viewing, subject to periodic floods, was incredibly expensive. During the season, tourists are offered a cave tour that allows them to see the underground river.
Visitors to the national park rarely see more than 20 km of passages available for excursions. If you have free time, you can explore the cave on your own. Other activities include hiking and horseback riding in the park's more than 112 km2 of surface area, fishing and boating on the Green River.
The park's peak tourist season is during the summer, when an average of 5,000 to 7,000 visitors visit the park daily. Approximately 500,000 tourists visit the cave every year.
Mammoth Cave formed more than 10 million years ago in a thick limestone bed beneath the Big Clifty Sandstone in the western foothills of the Appalachians under the Flint Ridge. The top layer of sandstone covers and protects most of the cave from seeping water. Therefore, the upper passages of the cave are very dry, which explains the absence stalactites, stalagmites and other sinter formations. But in some places, thanks to erosion and cracks, water still penetrates into the cave, forming beautiful panoramas, for example in the “Frozen Niagara” hall. Water, accumulating at lower levels, forms lakes and rivers. One of these underground rivers, the Echo River, is up to 60 meters wide and about 10 meters deep. Until the 1990s, frequent tourist boat excursions were held on the river, but were subsequently discontinued due to financial difficulties and environmental concerns.
Caves are a natural underground cavity accessible to human penetration. They are the object of study of the science of speleology. It is speleologists who make the greatest contribution to cave exploration. Some of nature's creations amaze with their beauty, others with their bizarre shapes, and others with their size.
The top 10 included largest caves in the world by length, volume or area occupied.
(Ukraine) opens the ten largest caves. It is also the longest gypsum cave in the world. The explored territory is 230 kilometers long, but the cave itself is much longer. The rest of it has not yet been studied by researchers. The Optimistic Cave was discovered in 1966 by Lviv speleologists. Initially it was assumed that its length was no more than 3 meters, but further persistent research showed that the cave is one of the longest in the world. It got its name because speleologists who were skeptical about exploring the cave called Lviv residents optimists. Since then, more than 200 expeditions have been made here.
(Abkhazia) is included in the list of the deepest caves in the world, which is located in the Arabica mountain range. It was discovered in 1990 by Sergei Shipitsin. The entrance to it is located at an altitude of 2150 meters above sea level. The maximum known depth of Sarma is 1830 meters. The cave is formed by limestone and gypsum rocks. Many speleologists took part in her research. Among them are Rudko Pavel, Koreshnikov Evgeniy, Plotnikov Vladimir, Osintsev Alexander, Sukhachev Vasily, Zakrepa Andrey, Safin Rafail, Bezverkhy Anatoly, Verbitsky Alexander, Kalachev Artem and many others.
(Abkhazia) - the deepest cave in the world, known for speleology. Its depth is 2.2 kilometers, and it is located in the Arabica mountain range in Georgia. The entrance to it is located at an altitude of 2250 meters above sea level. It is a subvertical type cave, consisting of a series of wells, which are connected by climbers and galleries. Another entrance to Krubera Voronya was opened in 2014 and is located at an altitude of 2253 meters above sea level. At a depth of two hundred meters, the cave branches into the Main and Nekuibyshevskaya branches, which are the main ones. Then there are many smaller branches. Krubera-Voronya was first discovered in 1960 by a speleological expedition of the Institute of Geography named after. Vakhushti Bagrationi AN GSSR. In 2014, a team of speleologists opened a new entrance, located above the main one, which made it possible to set a new world record for the depth of the cave system, which became equal to 2199 meters.
(Mexico) - one of the largest caves in the world, almost completely flooded with water. It is also included in the list of the longest caves in the world. Its total length is more than 317 kilometers, of which only 5 kilometers are not flooded. Speleologists began studying it in the second half of the 20th century.
(USA) is recognized as the longest in the world. It is located in the state of Kentucky, USA, in the national park of the same name. Its length is more than 587 kilometers. In fact, the cave is much longer, but researchers have only studied this part so far. Now in this cave system there are 225 known underground passages and about 20 huge halls. It got its name because of its impressive dimensions. In one of the passages flows the rather large Echo River, whose width is 60 meters and depth is 10 meters. Mammoth Cave was formed approximately 10 million years ago. The Indians have known about its existence since ancient times. Subsequently, scientists discovered Indian burials in the cave. Its discovery by Americans took place at the end of the 18th century.
(Russia, Crimea) is one of the longest caves, the length of which is 16 kilometers. Its area is 52 thousand square meters. m., and the volume is 200 thousand cubic meters. m. The Red Cave is located on approximately 30% of the territory of Crimea, and in length it occupies approximately 19%.
(Austria) - the world's largest ice cave, where permafrost remains throughout the year. Its length is 42 kilometers and its depth is 407 meters. People have known about its existence for a long time, but in fact it was discovered in 1879 by naturalist Anton von Posselt-Kzorich. The most thorough study of it was carried out by the Salzburg speleologist Alexander von Mörck, who died during the World War (1914) and was buried in one of the niches of the Eisreisenwelt. Currently, this cave is one of the most popular vacation spots. The first excursion here was made in 1920. About 150 thousand tourists visit Eisreisenwelt every year. Excursions are conducted from May to October, but in winter, visiting the cave is prohibited due to the danger of avalanches.
(China) is one of the largest caves in the world by volume. It was discovered in 1989 by a Chinese-European expedition. Miao is located in the largest Gebihe cave system in China's Ziyun Getu He Chuandong National Park. The only way to get to Miao is through an underground stream. To determine the boundaries of the cave, the researchers used laser scanning. According to the data obtained during the study, the volume of Miao was 10.78 million cubic meters. m.
(Malaysia) - cave with the world's largest grotto Sarawak. The length of the grotto is 600 meters and the width is 415 meters. It reaches a height of one hundred meters, and its area is 163 thousand cubic meters. m. The total volume of the grotto is 25 million cubic meters. m. It was discovered in 1981 by three English speleologists who were exploring a karst massif in Gunung Mulu National Park. The British climbed up the river flowing from the cave and found themselves in a grotto, which the researchers’ lanterns could not illuminate. The area of the hall turned out to be so huge. Sarawak can accommodate 50 huge aircraft.
(Vietnam) - the largest cave in the world. It is located in the Vietnamese Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Quang Binh Province. Local residents learned about its existence back in 1991, and in 2009 it was discovered by a British group of speleologists. In some places Shondong reaches two hundred meters in height and one hundred and fifty meters in width. It is recognized as the cave with the highest and widest passages. Its volume is approximately 38.5 million cubic meters. m. In places where light penetrates, grass and even trees grow.
