Hang Sơn Đoòng
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Sơn Đoòng cave ( vi, hang Sơn Đoòng,
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: ), in
Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park Phong may refer to: Computer graphics * Phong shading * Phong reflection model * Blinn–Phong shading model * Bui Tuong Phong - creator of the Phong shading interpolation method and reflection model. Other * Phong-Kniang language * Nam Phon ...
, Bố Trạch District, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam, is one of the world's largest natural caves. Located near the
Laos–Vietnam border The Laos–Vietnam border is the international border between the territory of Laos and Vietnam. The border is 2,161 km (1,343 m) in length and runs from the tripoint with China in the north to tripoint with Cambodia in the south. Descripti ...
, Hang Sơn Đoòng has an internal, fast-flowing
subterranean river A subterranean river is a river that runs wholly or partly beneath the ground surface – one where the riverbed does not represent the surface of the Earth. It is distinct from an aquifer, which may flow like a river but is contained within a per ...
and the largest cross-section of any cave, worldwide, as of 2009, believed to be twice that of the next largest passage. It is the largest known cave passage in the world by volume. Its name, Hang Sơn Đoòng, is variously translated from Vietnamese as 'cave of the mountain river' or 'cave of mountains behind Đoòng illage. As a
solutional cave A solutional cave, solution cave, or karst cave is a cave usually formed in the soluble rock limestone. It is the most frequently occurring type of cave. It can also form in other rocks, including chalk, dolomite, marble, salt beds, and gypsum. ...
, it was formed in soluble
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
and is believed to be between 2 and 5 million years old.


Discovery

The entrance to Hang Sơn Đoòng was found in 1991 by a local man named Hồ Khanh, while searching for
agarwood Agarwood, aloeswood, eaglewood or gharuwood is a fragrant dark resinous wood used in incense, perfume, and small carvings. This resinous wood is most commonly referred to as "Oud" or "Oudh". It is formed in the heartwood of aquilaria trees when ...
, a valuable timber. Although he initially went to investigate further, he was discouraged upon approach by the sound of rushing water and the strong wind issuing from the entrance. Not thinking it to be of any great importance, by the time he returned to his home he had forgotten the exact location of the entrance. Later, he mentioned his discovery in passing to two members of the
British Cave Research Association The British Cave Research Association (BCRA) is a speleological organisation in the United Kingdom. Its object is to promote the study of caves and associated phenomena, and it attains this by supporting cave and karst research, encouraging orig ...
who were exploring in the local area. They asked him to attempt to rediscover the entrance, which he eventually managed to do in 2008, and in 2009 he led an expedition from the BCRA to the entrance. This expedition, conducted between 10 and 14 April 2009, performed a survey of the cave and gave its volume as . Their progress in exploring the cave's full length was stopped by a large, high
flowstone Flowstones are sheetlike deposits of calcite or other carbonate minerals, formed where water flows down the walls or along the floors of a cave. They are typically found in "solution caves", in limestone, where they are the most common speleothe ...
-coated wall, which the expedition named the Great Wall of Vietnam. The expedition returned in March 2010 and successfully traversed the wall, which allowed the explorers to reach the end of the cave passage. They estimated that the overall length of the cave system exceeded .


Description

Formed in
Carboniferous The Carboniferous ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic that spans 60 million years from the end of the Devonian Period million years ago ( Mya), to the beginning of the Permian Period, million years ago. The name ''Carbonifero ...
/
Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last period of the Paleoz ...
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
, the main Sơn Đoòng cave passage is the largest known cave passage in the world by volume – , according to BRCA expedition leader Howard Limbert. It is more than long, high and wide. Its cross-section is believed to be twice that of the next largest passage, in
Deer Cave Deer Cave ( ms, Gua Rusa), located near Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia, is a show cave attraction of Gunung Mulu National Park. It was surveyed in 1961 by G. E. Wilford of the British Borneo Geological Survey, who predicted that Mulu would yield many ...
,
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. The cave runs for approximately and is punctuated by two large dolines, areas where the ceiling of the cave has collapsed. The dolines allow sunlight to enter sections of the cave, resulting in the growth of trees as well as other vegetation. By mid-2019, it became clear that the cave is connected by its underground river with a nearby cave called
Hang Thung Hang or Hanging may refer to: People * Choe Hang (disambiguation), various people * Luciano Hang (born 1962/1963), Brazilian billionaire businessman * Ren Hang (disambiguation), various people Law * Hanging, a form of capital punishment Arts, e ...
. This increases the effective volume of the cave by more than . The cave contains some of the tallest known
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 in the world, which are up to tall. Behind the Great Wall of Vietnam were found
cave pearl A cave pearl is a small, usually spherical, speleothem (cave formation) found in limestone caves. Cave pearls are formed by a concretion of calcium salts that form concentric layers around a nucleus. Exposure to moving water polishes the surface ...
s the size of baseballs, an abnormally large size. The cave's interior is so large that it could fit an entire New York block inside, including skyscrapers, or could have a
Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
fly through it without its wings touching either side. File:Son Doong Cave Doline with Scale.jpg, Sơn Đoòng cave doline File:Son Doong Cave 1.jpg, Another view out the mouth of the cavern, showing the rainforest in its doline. File:Son Doong Cave 6.jpg, Reflecting pool further inside File:Son Doong Cave DB (1).jpg, Large stalagmites in the passage of Hang Sơn Đoòng in Vietnam. The tallest has been measured at in height. File:Son Doong Cave DB (2).jpg, Large stalagmites in Hang Sơn Đoòng. This passage is said to have the greatest cross sectional area of any cave in the world. File:Son Doong Cave DB (3).jpg, The massive second doline in Hang Sơn Đoòng is so large that trees grow inside.


Tourist activities

In early August 2013, the first tourist group explored the cave on a guided tour at a cost of US$3,000 each. Permits are required to access the cave and are made available on a limited basis, limited to January to August. After August, heavy rains cause river levels to rise, making the cave largely inaccessible. , only Oxalis Adventure Tours have permission to enter the cave for tourism purposes.


Development plans

Plans were considered to build a cable car through the cave. The proposed system would be long, and cost between US$112 and $211 million. However, the plans were opposed by environmentalists and locals because of the damage mass tourism could cause to the cave and local environment. The plan was ultimately cancelled by local government.


References


External links

* ''National Geographic'' pictorial of Hang Sơn Đoòng * ''Saigon-online-SonDoong-cave'' *
Chùm ảnh khám phá hang động đẹp và lớn nhất thế giới
includes images) '' Quảng Bình Province'' * ''The Telegraph Online'' * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Son Doong cave Caves of Vietnam Landforms of Quảng Bình province 2009 in Vietnam Hang Sơn Đoòng Show caves in Vietnam