Caves By Anne Yolland

Introduction Caves are chambers hidden within our earth’s crust, waiting to be found. Some have been discovered, some have not, and some are being created right now. They have a unique environment from elsewhere on the planet, with their own biology to go along. In one section, of the largest cave in the world, Hang Son Doong or Mountain River Cave, it is an estimated 500ft across and 650ft tall. That’s taller than three times the height of Niagara Falls! How did these magnificent caves get to be the size they are, you ask? Well they each have their own original story…

Types of Caves There are two basic types of onshore caves : Solutional and Primary. Solutional caves are formed in a dissolvable rock material. A common substance that this type of caves forms in is limestone. Water on the surface collects carbon dioxide creating a more acidic type of water that can disintegrate the rock. The cave would be formed by erosion from the acidic water on the rock, over time. Inside these caves water seeps through the roof, the water has calcium carbonate in it which helps the water form icicle-like deposits from the roof. These are called Stalactites. Stalagmites are the opposite. They are formed by the water that drips off of the stalactites. The water piles up and creates Stalagmites. Eventually these two can meet when they grow enough, to form a column inside the cave. Primary caves are formed when the original material they are in is formed. For example: a lava tube is created when lava first emerges from the volcano. When the lava settles it leaves a hollow area within it’s mass called a lava tube, a form of a cave. This cave was made when the material it is in, in this case lava, was made.

Limestone Cave (Solutional) Lava Tube (Primary)

Hang Son Doong Cave Hang Son Doong, also known as Mountain river Cave, is the world’s largest cave, located in Quang Binh province in Vietnam. It was first explored in 2009 but the expedition encountered an unexpected obstacle and so it was retackled in 2010.What made the cave so difficult to explore the first time was a 200 foot wall blocking the way. This wall is known as “The Great Wall of Vietnam”, and it is a naturally occurring calcite wall within the cave. The cave overtook the previous world record holder Deer Cave to claim the title “The World’s Biggest Cave” after the investigation in The cave is approximately 5 kilometers long and has at least one section where three Niagara Falls could stand on top of each other. It’s undeniable size and breathtaking features make it not only the world’s largest cave but also an extraordinarily beautiful one!

Hang Son Doong Cave This picture shows one of Hang Son Doong cave’s incredible caverns and the relativity of it’s size to a man standing on boulders.

Past Exploration Hang Son Doong was explored, as I previously mentioned, in 2009 and then revisited in 2010 after the unexpected obstacle of the almost insurmountable 200 foot calcite wall was discovered. These expeditions were conducted by the British Cave Research Association and led by caver Howard Limbert. The second mission brought with it a zoologist, geologist, several experienced climbers, two scientists from a Vietnamese university along with cameramen and others. To be successful the second trip the crew brought along more advanced and suitable climbing gear to help them tame the great wall. The climb was difficult because the wall itself was made of loose calcite and mud, this created a challenge for the climbing team of securing the bolts in the wall. After the week- and-a-half-long expedition and an extensive survey of the geography of the cave, it was named the largest in the world, overtaking the previous record holder Deer Cave in Borneo.

Cave Environments Caves are hostile environments within the earth. Some are very deep and some are on the smaller side. Different types of caves pose different characteristics. These can present different challenges for exploring caves. Some of the elements that pose a challenge in caves are things like darkness, cleanliness and health. Darkness must be overcome by personal lighting equipment otherwise exploration is near impossible in complete blackness. Cleanliness and health is an issue for cavers on longer expeditions because of the constant dirt and sand in your environment. You must strive to keep your clothes, body, and especially feet clean so that you don’t get any infections.

Other Challenges There are many challenges in exploring caves, another major one is accessibility. Some caves, including Hang Son Doong, are extremely deep. To explore this type of cave you must venture on a larger, longer expedition which requires a larger amount of equipment. To transport all of the tools needed for this type of trek each person usually brings a large hiking, water shielding, backpack to carry their personal equipment along with some of the group food and other accessories. Along the way, a group could encounter physical obstacles within the cave, such as a river or a wall, that need to be overcome. To do this the group would bring special equipment that could include climbing gear for repelling into the cave’s depths and/or climbing up a large wall or mountain within the cave. They may also use these tools to help them cross rivers or other obstacles. These are all different difficulties that a group exploring a cave may face.

Technology Up to date technology can save hours of work for cavers. In the old days, to survey a cave a caver must measure by hand the width and height of a cave. Now, with new laser technology, speleologists(people who study caves) can easily measure the size of a cavern. They do this by shooting a laser across the cavern using a special device onto a light disc on the other side. This is still painstaking work but it takes much less time and effort than it used to. When geologists study caves they also use special technology to measure things like water acidity. For this geologists can use a PH pump. With a reading between 0 and 14 scientists can tell how much acid is in the water. 7 is neutral, and the lower the number the stronger the acid. These are just a couple different types of the technology used to explore caves.

Climbing Gear Laser Surveyor

Canadians In Caving There are hundreds of caves in Canada, particularly in British Columbia and Alberta. In fact, both of these provinces have their own speleological societies. Some members of the Alberta Speleological Society, including lead designer Ian Drummond, created “portable long-wave transmitters and receivers that can work through rock. This can be a vital communication tool to cavers when working in different parts of a cave. Being able to work in different parts of a cave allows expeditioners to be more efficient in their exploration of the cave. There are some other Canadian caving innovations including: a cave mapping computer program and light activated caver counter to count the number of people who enter a cave. These are just a few examples of how Canadians are involved in the caving world.

Safe Exploration Caves are magical, mystical, environments, but they won’t stay that way if the public starts tramping around in them uncontrollably. They need to be enjoyed responsibly. Besides, some caves, like Hang Son Doong, are only safe for experienced cavers to enter. If the public are to enter it is important that there is no waste left behind otherwise this could cause damage to unique cave biology. Also, it is important that the people are controlled: these dramatic land formations should not become a free-for-all tourist ground, this could also cause damage to the caves, not to mention possibly the tourists as well. Lastly when cavers enter and are venturing throughout the cave it is important that they be aware of their surroundings, and not to rupture any part of the cave or cave life. Though these places are spectacular they must be respectively appreciated.

Conclusion I hope that through this PowerPoint you have learnt some of the basic concepts of caves and cave exploration. Caves are one of several extreme environments in the world and they have unique biology and formation. There are many different types of caves but the two main onshore ones are primary caves and solutionol caves. Cave exploration is hard work. It involves patience, experience and persistence. There are many different technologies used in caving for the different tasks associated. Also, I hope you enjoyed learning about The World’s Biggest Cave, Hang Son Doong, which is located in Vietnam and is an undeniable, limestone cave.

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