Ghar Parau
| Porow Cave | |
|---|---|
| Location | Zagros Mountains, Iran |
| Depth | 751 m (2,464 ft) [1] |
| Length | 1.36 km (0.85 mi)[1] |
| Discovery | 1971 |
| Geology | Limestone |
| Difficulty | High |
| Hazards | Vertical pitch |
Porow Cave is a limestone cave in the Zagros Mountains, north of Kermanshah in Western Iran.[2] At 751 m deep, it is the deepest cave in Iran.[3] Joujar Cave has been reported as the second deepest, at 568 m deep.[3]
History
[edit]A British-led caving expedition to the Zagros Mountains in 1971 led to the discovery of the cave.[1] The cave was explored to a depth of 742 m when the expedition was forced to return to the surface.[1] The explorers believed that the cave might go on much further, possibly surpassing the Gouffre de la Pierre-Saint-Martin system, which at that time was the world's deepest known cave.[4]
The team returned the following year and passed their previous limit, but to their great disappointment, the cave sumped almost immediately at a depth of 751 m and could be explored no further.[1] To be "Ghar Paraued" became a term used in British caving for a small, disappointing breakthrough following the great effort to discover new passage.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Scheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World. United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. p. 158. ISBN 0-89577-087-3.
- ^ "The Russian Iran-Ghar Parau Expedition 2006". Caving in Iran. 14 October 2009. Archived from the original on 6 January 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- ^ a b "Iran's second-deepest cave discovered". www.iran-daily.com. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
- ^ "Ghar Parau: past and present / English. Adventure / Mountain.RU". www.mountain.ru. Retrieved 2017-03-12.
External links
[edit]
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