Discovering the new dimension of Son Doong cave, increasing 1.6 million m3

Cave experts have recently revealed the new size of Son Doong cave (Quang Binh) after the dive expedition discovered underground river connecting caves.

In April, a team of companies specializing in providing caving tours and forests in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park area and 3 members contributed to rescue Thai football team in 2018 ( Rick Stanton, Jason Mallinson, Chris Jewell) combined diving equipment coordinator Laura Jewell to Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park (Quang Binh) to explore the largest underground river cave in the world, Son Doong cave .

During the expedition, divers discovered the underground river, connecting Son Doong with another giant cave named Hang. Before the underground cave was discovered, the total area of ​​Son Doong's announced area was 38.5 million m3. Currently, the new area (including Thung cave area) increased by 1.6 million m3 compared to the original size.

Son Doong Cave is a place that attracts many adventurers to learn and explore.(Photo: Nat Geo).

Howard Limbert, head of the Royal British Cave Research Association (BCRA), technical advisor of the Quang Binh-based adventure travel company, shared with CNN about the new discovery: "The diving trip The unprecedented Son Doong underground cave connection is unprecedented, and this measurement is similar to the fact that a mountain climber who explores Everest's true height is actually 1,000 meters taller than the height of ordinary people. known ".

Before participating in the underwater expedition this time, the experts knew the existence of a cave system connected by the underground river in Son Doong cave. However, no one has discovered the true size of the cave.

The divers made a 77m deep dive to find the passage through Thung cave and stopped at a depth of 60 m, because the diving device did not allow deeper diving. Experts believe that the underground river has a deeper depth, hitting the bottom from 120m to 1km.

Initially, the team had no hope of the width of Thung cave. However, after the first diving expedition, they were amazed at the enormous depth of the cave hidden in Son Doong cave. "Now that we feel the huge depth of the cave, we will bring Helium gas to continue diving deep 120-200 m for the next deep diving expedition," said cave specialist Howard. Limbert shared with CNN.

The diving team rescues the Thai team to join the expedition to the underground river at Son Doong cave.(Photo: AFP).

"The next expedition will take place in April 2020. It is the best time of the year to dive due to the relatively low water level and better visibility than usual," Oxalis representative said of the plan. Underground cave exploration in Son Doong in the near future.

In 1990, Mr. Ho Khanh, local people found Son Doong cave during the forest trip. In 2009, Mr. Khanh and the British expedition explored the cave for the first time. After careful measurement, the experts concluded that this is the largest cave in the world. Due to its large scale, up to now, Son Doong cave is still a mystery with many mysterious things.

Cave specialist Howard Limbert said that Son Doong cave belongs to Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, but now explorers have only discovered 30% of this area."In the future, there are many interesting mysteries that people will find here" , he shared with CNN.

During the press conference about the expedition of Son Doong cave last April, Mr. Tran Tien Dung, Vice Chairman of Quang Binh People's Committee affirmed that Son Doong in particular and Quang Binh province in general had many favorable conditions to distribute. Adventure tourism with diverse cave and mountain forest systems. However, this is a problem that needs to be carefully calculated before being put into operation.

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2. Set of photos inside Son Doong - the largest cave in the world