Boysuntov Mountain Range hides a dark secret: a cave named Dark Star which may well be the deepest in the world. This cavern sometimes referred to as the ‘Everest of the underground,’ is actually more a labyrinth than a chamber and has only been explored on eight separate expeditions.
Nat Geo Takes Us Deep into “Dark Star” – Potentially the Deepest Cave System in the World https://t.co/Aq1lud0gJ9 pic.twitter.com/UgbumCRYAm
— Jagged Edge Gear (@Jaggededgegear) February 9, 2017
The cave is so large that it has not yet been mapped in its entirety, so its exact dimensions are not known but experts say they have reason to believe it’s the biggest on earth. Dark Star has a recorded depth of 900 meters. Its main competitor, Krubera in Georgia, is 2,196m deep, but speleologists believe that because they have not been able to reach the end of Dark Star, it is likely to surpass Krubera.
Dark Star has seven entrances, the first of which were discovered by Russians explorers in 1984.
Known as “Dark Star”, this mysterious underground labyrinth may be the world’s deepest cave: https://t.co/Yl4Q1QbWYb pic.twitter.com/VhGAOT0XyT
— Nat Geo Photography (@NatGeoPhotos) March 6, 2017
Caves are usually formed when limestone is dissolved. Rainwater picks up carbon dioxide from the air and sifts through the soil. The acidity dissolves limestone under the earth until a space large enough to form caves appear underground.
Much like the ocean and outer space, humankind have not nearly discovered the full extent of all the caves and underground labyrinths on our planet and scientific information they hold.
Image: Unsplash
