Leviathan Cave, also known as the Grotte de Leviathan, is a

lava tube A lava tube, or pyroduct, is a natural conduit formed by flowing lava from a volcanic vent that moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. If lava in the tube empties, it will leave a cave. Formation A lava tube is a type of lava ca ...

in eastern

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

first discovered in 1975. Although it has been segmented by the movement of

tectonic plates Plate tectonics (from the la, label=Late Latin, tectonicus, from the grc, τεκτονικός, lit=pertaining to building) is the generally accepted scientific theory that considers the Earth's lithosphere to comprise a number of large te ...

, the overall length of the lava tube spans a distance of 11.5 km. It is the longest and deepest known lava tube in Africa. Leviathan Cave is located in the

Chyulu Hills The Chyulu Hills is a mountain range in Makueni County in southeastern Kenya. It forms a 100-kilometre-long volcanic field in an elongated northeast–southwest direction. Its highest peak is 2,188 metres high. The Leviathan Cave (also ...

National Park at the edge of the

Nyiri Desert Nyiri Desert, also called The Nyika, Taru Desert, Taru desert, is a desert in southern Kenya. It is located east of Lake Magadi and between Amboseli, Tsavo West and Nairobi National Parks. A high proportion of Kajiado County's land area is covere ...

, which is found northwest of Tsavo West National Park. In the 1980s, Leviathan Cave was the third-longest known lava tube in the world. However, modern surveys have found newer, longer tubes, and have located longer passages of known tubes. Leviathan Cave is still the longest tube in Africa, but is only the 11th-longest lava tube in the world.

Description

Leviathan Cave is divided into two sections, the Upper Leviathan and the Lower Leviathan. The Upper Leviathan is 9,152 m long, with a depth of 408 m. The Lower Leviathan is 2,071 m long, with a depth of 70 m. These segments are considered separately when ranking the length of the Leviathan, per international standard. Like all lava tubes, Leviathan Cave was formed by hot lava flowing beneath a cooled crust.

References

{{coord missing, Kenya Caves of Kenya Landforms of Kenya Lava tubes Landforms of Africa

Description

See also

References