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1 May, 2009
A 13-man British caving team has claimed that they have discovered the world’s largest cave, called the Hang Son Doong cave or Mountain River Cave, in the jungles of Hang Son Doong, in Vietnam.
The British team was assisted by representatives of the Hanoi University of Science in the expedition.
Reports say that the Hang Son Doong (Mountain River cave) measures more than 650 ft in height and 500 ft in width.
The Hang Son Doong cave is said to be nearly twice the size of the current largest cave in the world, the Deer Cave in Sarawak, Malaysia this is over 100 yards high and 90 yards wide.
As we know only too well, pictures speak a bloody lot more than words. And so we have collected a set of photos of the world"s largest cave for you here. Enjoy the photo gallery!
Hang Son Doong cave photo - water gushing through the world"s largest cave.
The joint British-Vietnamese Caving Expedition 2009 was conducted over five days in Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in mid-April 2009.
Adam Spillane, a member of the British caving team was quoted as saying, "It is a truly amazing sized cave and one of the most significant discoveries by a British caving team."
Photo: Hang Song Doong cave mouth
"The complete survey is at present being drawn up but initial estimates show the main passage to be 200 metres (656 ft) high in places and possibly greater in some sections. Much of the passage width is over 100 metres (328 ft) but certain sections are over 150 metres wide (492 ft)," he added.
Hang Son Doon cave looks magical in this photo
The mouth of the Hang Son Doong cave was first discovered by a local, Ho Khanh, in 1991.
“Khanh has been a guide for the team in many expeditions to the jungle to explore caves and this year he took a team to the cave which had never been entered before by anyone including local jungle men,” Spillane said.
What the hell - Cave interior looks like a miniature underground Grand Canyon in this photo!
He explained that one one entered the Hang Son Doong cave because "the entrance was small by Vietnamese cave standards and emitted a frightful wind and noise which was due to a large underground river.”
The British caving team had to trek for six hours through the jungle to access the Hang Son Doong cave. They had to contend with two underground rivers to reach the main passage of the Hang Son Doong cave.
And there"s the light, at the end of the cave!
Climbing down into a large chamber, they had to negotiate two underground rivers before reaching the main passage of the Hang Son Doong.
PIcture: Hang Son Doong stream
Using the LaserRace 300, a laser measuring device, the British caving team has returned to the UK to analyse the data it has collected.
Sometime later in 2009, the caving team will return to Vietnam for a full survey of the Hang Son Doong cave.
Spillane has said that the Hang Son Doong cave is 6.5km long at present but the end of the main passage still continues with a calcite wall of over 45m high, which has halted the progress of the expedition.
