Anou Boussouil (in English "Great Chasm") is a limestone

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

located in the mountains of

Djurdjura The Djurdjura or Jurjura Range ( ar, جبال جرجرة, ''Jabal Jurjura''; Berber ''Adrar n Jerjer'') is a mountain range of the Tell Atlas, part of the Atlas Mountain System. It is located in Kabylie, Algeria. Geography The Djurdjura is a mass ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. The cave is long and deep. The entrance to the cave is up the mountainside. During the springtime

rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * ''T ...

, melting snow pours through a channel leading directly to the cave mouth, continuing the process of erosion. This distinguishes it from other caves in the Djurdjura range, which are inactive and no longer being enlarged through erosion. The cave was first scientifically explored in 1933 by the cavers Fourastier and André Belin. Later expeditions found that the cave was actually composed of two separate segments. The first segment is twisted and relatively narrow, eventually opening up into a larger cavern. The entrance to the second segment is a sinkhole descending approximately into a sequence of pit chambers. Within this sequence is a gallery known locally as ', or "the hall of the hungry". This segment eventually opens into a flooded vault chamber. In 1950, it was explored to a depth of ; at that time it was known as the second-largest pit in the world. An expedition in 1980 found that the cave reaches a maximum depth of . It was briefly known as Africa's deepest cave before

Anou Ifflis The Anou Ifflis cave (french: Anou Ifflis, Anu Ifflis) is a cave located in Tizi Ouzou in the mountains of the Kabylie. It is one of the deepest caves in Africa at . Notes and references Caves of Algeria Geography of Tizi Ouzo ...

was explored to a depth of .

References

See also