We human fight over such trivial issues. No matter whether it is politics, religion or simply our point of views, all these things do not really deserve our attention. When you come to know that we have yet to explore 99% of the ocean and caver in the world, all these other matters trivial. What are we fighting for when we don’t even know yet who we are and what we have? Therefore, it is essential that we make a stop and take our attention to better things. So, let us talk about the caves. Depending upon where you go, they could prove to be archives or wonders of nature. People have found crystals inside the caves. Some even started living there! In fact, what we know about our earliest ancestors, we owe it to some of the deepest caves in the world.
History of humans and caves
Long ago, our ancestors were using caves as shelter from wild animals and the forces of nature. Perhaps, this base necessity, however, has always been eclipsed by man’s curiosity and desire to explore the mystical and enigmatic air inside the abyss. In the past, Environmental Graffiti has explored some amazing uses of caves from discotheques, temples and underground cities to hotels and primary schools. Today, with all sorts of equipment, caving has turned into something of an extreme sport – it involves climbing, crawling and sometimes even swimming.
Here is a list of 10 deepest caves in the world. Have a look.
1. Krubera cave
Krubera cave or often called as Voronya cave sometimes spelled Voronja cave was known as the deepest cave on earth. It is located in the Arabika Massif of the Gagrinsky range of the Western Caucasus, in the Gagra district of Abkhazia, Georgia. The difference in the altitude of the cave’s entrance and its deepest explored point is 2,191 ± 20 meters (7,188 ± 66 ft). It became the deepest known cave in the world in 2001 when the expedition of the Ukrainian Speleological Association reached a depth of 1,710 m (5,610 ft) which exceeded the depth of the previously deepest cave, Lamprechtsofen, in the Austrian Alps, by 80 m.
2. Illuzia Snezhnaja Mezhonnogo
Two times larger than the worldâs deepest cave, the Illuzia-Snezhnaja-Mezhonnogo cave is the second deepest in the world. Located on the Bzyb massif in Abkhazia, Georgia, the cave is renowned for being dangerous and very difficult to work in. A team led by Aleksey Shelepin, in July 2007, came out with a very spectacular discovery exploring the cave system Illuzia-Sneznaja-Mezonnogo. Apparently there are two caves, Illuzia (Illusion) and Sneznaja (Snowy), that connect together and go down 5,751 feet (1,753 meters).
3. Gouffre Mirolda
Gouffre Mirolda is the deepest cave of France, located in the Savoy Alps, in the village of Samoëns, near the Italian and Swiss borders. In 1998, the French-English team got to a depth of 1626 meters after staying underground for almost 103 hours and the cave at that moment became the deepest cave in the world. New measures and explores have been done in January 2003, and the depth of this cave has been increased to 1733 meters. This makes it the third deepest cave in the world (after the Krubera (Voronja), Cave in Georgia 2191m and Illyuzia-Mezhonnogo-Snezhnaya Cave in Georgia â 1753 m) and the deepest cave in Europe.
4. Vogelshacht and Lamprechtsofen
A Polish expedition connected the two caves: Vogelshacht and Lamprechtsofen, located in the Leoganger Steinberger area, in Salzburg, Austria. The cave system has so far been proven to be 5354 feet (1632 m) deep. Incredible really, thatâs over a mile. Notwithstanding this, explorations continue, so this could be only the tip of the iceberg.
5. Gouffre Jean-Bernard
Also known as the Reseau Jean-Bernard or simply Jean Bernard, this is a 5256 feet (1602m) deep cave in the French Alps in Samoëns. The cave has at least eight entrances and was first discovered by the Groupe Vulcain back in 1959. Until 1980, it was considered to be the deepest cave in the world. Despite this, professional cavers consider the Jean Bernard not very interesting to climb.
6. Torca del Cerro del Cuevon
It is also famous as T-33 and La Torca de las Saxifragas. Together, these two form the deepest cave in Spain. Lying in the Picos de Europa mountains in the northern coast of the country, there are very few entrances to the cave, thus rendering it incredibly difficult to explore, so much so, that people call it the most technically difficult in the world. It usually takes explorers three days to go to 5213 feet (1589 m) down.
7. Sarma
The seventh deepest cave in the world is in the Caucuses range in Abkhazia, Georgia and it goes down up to 5062 feet (1543 m). Speleologists that attended the expeditions from December 18, 2007 to January 12, 2008, mentioned that Sarma has the biggest potential to surpass Voronja. In the future, it might break the world record for being the deepest cave. They are still exploring the interior of this unfathomable enigma.
8. Shakta Vjacheslav Pantjukhina
As you notice from the next few items on the list, the Bzybsky Massif in Georgia is renowned and very rich in caves. More than 400 are present there. However, just one of them that made it to our list of the deepest caves in the world. It is the Shakta Vjacheslav Pantjukhina, which is 4948 feet (1508) m deep.
9. Sima de la Cornisa – Torca Magali
This is a caving system in the Picos de Europa mountains in Spain. An international team of speleologists including Valencian Silvino Villa and the Belgian Jan Masschelein explored the cave last summer and managed to go down, in what they call a “bottomless pit”, to 4944 feet (1507 m).
10. Cehi 2
Slovenia’s deepest cave was mapped by Italian explorers from the Club Alpino Italiano of Trieste. They published a very interesting document, called Progressione 50: although it is in Italian, you can see how the expedition went inside the Cehi 2 (or Ceki 2). The cave, which is in the Canin Massif, is located in the Western Julian Alps, on the Italian-Slovenian border. The alpinists managed to go as deep as 4928 feet (1502 m). To put this in perspective, the depth is over twice the height of the tallest manmade structure in the world.
Final Words
After reading about these deepest caves in the world, you might be wanting to visit one of them. Well, it won’t be hard to do so, especially when one lies near you. Furthermore, apart from these, there are also many breathtakingly beautiful caves around the world. Nevertheless, while opting for something like that, you should remember one thing. These caves have a very fragile eco-system. We need to be very cautious when we go there. Therefore, take a proper guide with you, follow everything he or she says, and make sure that you enjoy these deep vaults of our planet without causing any harm.
