Son Doong Cave
| Son Doong Cave | |
|---|---|
| Hang Sơn Đoòng (Mounting River Cave) | |
| Location | Quang Binh Province, Vietnam |
| Depth | Max 150m / 492.1ft |
| Length | Approx 9,000m / 29,527.5ft |
| Cave survey | 2009 British/Vietnamese |
| Discovery | 1991 [AD] , Ho Khanh |
| Geology | Lime Stone |
| Number of entrances | Approx 2 |
| Difficulty | 6 (Advanced) |
| Hazards | Underground River |
Son Doong cave (in Vietnamese: Hang Sơn Đoòng, meaning Mountain River Cave)[1] is a cave in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam. The cave is located near the Laos-Vietnam border ( 17°27'25.88"N 106°17'15.36"E). It has a large fast-flowing underground river inside.
The cave was found by a local man named Hồ-Khanh in 1991. The local jungle men were afraid of the cave for the whistling sound it makes from the underground river. However, not until 2009 was it made known to the public when a group of British scientists from the British Cave Research Association, led by Howard and Deb Limbert, conducted a survey in Phong Nha-Ke Bang from April 10-14, 2009.[1] Their progress was stopped by a large calcite wall.[1] According to Limbert, this cave is five times larger than the Phong Nha cave, previously considered the biggest cave in Vietnam. The biggest chamber of Son Doong is over five kilometers in length, 200 meters high and 150 meters wide. With these dimensions, Son Doong overtakes Deer Cave in Malaysia to take the title of the world's largest cave.[2][3]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Dykes, Brett Michael. "Explorers discover spectacular caves in Vietnam". Yahoo!. http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110103/ts_yblog_thelookout/explorers-discover-spectacular-caves-in-vietnam. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
- ^ "World’s largest grotto unveiled in Vietnam". http://www.lookatvietnam.com/2009/04/worlds-largest-grotto-unveiled-in-vietnam.html.
- ^ Britons claim to find world's largest cave, Daily Telegraph, 1 May 2009
[edit] External links
- "www.SonDoongcave.org - Son Doong Cave Website". http://www.sondoongcave.org/. : Overview, Cave Map, Photos & gallery, Videos, exploring tour, how to get, travel guide, latest news about hang son doong, son doong cave.
- "Vietnam's Mammoth Cavern". http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/largest-cave/jenkins-text. Retrieved 2010-12-21. National Geographic pictorial of Hang Son Doong
- "www.SonDoong-cave.com - Son Doong Cave Vietnam". http://www.sondoong-cave.com/. : Overview, Video, Photos & articles, trekking tour, guide, suggestion, latest news about hang son doong, son doong cave in Vietnam from Local Travel Expert.
Coordinates: 17°27′25″N 106°17′15″E / 17.45694°N 106.2875°E
