Through the survey of Cave C7 – the longest volcanic cave in Southeast Asia, experts have discovered several new branches. The length of Cave C7 has increased to over 1,240 meters.
On November 28, the management board of the UNESCO Global Geopark Dak Nong announced that, according to reports from experts, during the recent survey of Cave C7 – the longest volcanic cave in Southeast Asia (part of the Nâm Kar volcanic system, Krông Nô district), they discovered several new branches, adding approximately 175 meters to its length. With this new finding, the length of Cave C7 has increased to over 1,240 meters.
The team of experts stated that they will return to Cave C7 to conduct measurements and create a 3D map of the interior of the cave.
A moment when the surveyor crawls through a small hole and discovers new branches of Cave C7. (Source: Mr. René Haemers)
Sharing about the new discovery in Cave C7, Mr. René Haemers, a Dutch cave expert, said: “We found a very small passage at the end of the cave, then tried to squeeze through this small hole and discovered new large passages. This will be a valuable scientific resource for the internationally significant geological heritage of Dak Nong province, adding value to the upcoming re-evaluation dossier.”
Previously, Cave C7 had a length of 1,067 meters, a mouth diameter of 20 meters, a height of 16 meters, and vertical wall heights inside the cave ranging from 1.5 to 10 meters.
The Krông Nô volcanic cave system is a network of volcanic caves in basalt rock, approximately 10 kilometers long; it holds records for scale, length, and uniqueness in Southeast Asia, discovered by scientists in 2014.
The Krông Nô volcanic cave system remains relatively intact to this day. During the survey and research of the cave system, scientists discovered traces of habitation by prehistoric tribes dating back about 6,000 to 7,000 years. In September 2018, scientists announced the findings of prehistoric human habitation. Previously, the only volcanic cave system in the world known to have traces of human habitation was located in South Korea.
Here are some images from the new discoveries at Cave C7:
Mr. René Haemers – a Dutch cave expert exploring the new small passage of Cave C7
A spider living inside the cave
This will be a valuable scientific resource for the internationally significant geological heritage of Dak Nong province
Inside the new branch of Cave C7
