Tham Lot
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Tham Lot cave ( th, ถ้ำลอด) is a cave system with a length of 1,666 meters near Sop Pong in Pang Mapha District, Mae Hong Son Province, northern Thailand. The Nam Lang River flows through the cave which is filled with
stalactite A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...
s and
stalagmite A stalagmite (, ; from the Greek , from , "dropping, trickling") is a type of rock formation that rises from the floor of a cave due to the accumulation of material deposited on the floor from ceiling drippings. Stalagmites are typically ...
s. The cave is home to large numbers of bats and swifts. In Tham Lot and other caves nearby
teakwood Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panicl ...
coffin A coffin is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, either for burial or cremation. Sometimes referred to as a casket, any box in which the dead are buried is a coffin, and while a casket was originally regarded as a box for jewel ...
s have been discovered which are thought to have been carved by the
Lawa Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is the airport authority that owns and operates Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Van Nuys Airport (VNY) for the city of Los Angeles, California. LAWA also owns and manages aviation-related property n ...
tribes people thousands of years ago. Another cave in the area, the second longest known cave in Thailand, is Tham Mae Lana, which is 12 kilometres long. This was explored by Australian expeditions between 1984 and 1986. Other caves in the area which are over one kilometre long include Tham Nam Lang (8,550 m), Tham Bung Hu (4,442 m), Tham Pha Mon (4,050 m), Tham Seua/Tham Lom (3,100 m), Tham Susa (2,617 m), Tham Huai Kun (1,747 m), Tham Pang Kham (1,370 m) and Tham Plah (1,365 m). Spirit Well (Nam Bua Phi), a large collapsed sinkhole, one of the largest known natural holes in Thailand, is south of the Hwy 1095. It is more than 200 m across and 90 to 130 m deep. It was first descended, by Australians, in 1985.


See also

* List of caves * Speleology


References


Further reading

* "Karst and Caves of the Nam Lang - Nam Khong Region, North Thailand" John R. Dunkley (1985) ''Helictite'' Vol. 23 No. 1 pp3-22 * "Expédition Thaï-Maros 85" Louis Deharveng (ed.) (1986) ''Association Pyrénéenne de Spéléologie'', Toulouse * "Expéditions Thaï 87-Thaï 88" Louis Deharveng (ed.) (1988) ''Association Pyrénéenne de Spéléologie'', Toulouse * ''Caves of Thailand'' John R. Dunkley (1995) pg1-44 Caves of Thailand {{MaeHongSon-geo-stub