Conquering an Infinite Cave

Rating: ****



"Conquering an Infinite Cave" is about Hang Song Doong, the world's largest cave, located in Vietnam. The cave has an average height of about 300 feet, but in some places it reaches over 900 feet. Sinkholes in the roof allow for light to enter at certain areas in the cave. The article follows a group of explorers from all over the world. There have been previous expeditions to the cave, but groups have been stopped about halfway through the cave by a 200 foot wall of calcite.



"Hang Song Doong" means "mountain river cave." It was most likely named because the cave contains many bodies of water, and it is located in the Annamite Mountains. Explorers can only explore Hang Song Doong during the dry season, because during the wet season the water floods the cave, making it impossible to enter. The cave contains an infinite supply of calcite and limestone. Where as some areas in the cave are taken up by water, others are almost jungle-like, because of the occasional spots in the cave where rain and sunlight can enter.

Whe the group of explorers reached the end of the 3-mile long cave, they were officialy the first ones to explore Hang Song Doong, from beginning to end. I would reccomend this article to anyone who is interested in caves, or geogaphy, or also anyone who is just looking for an interesting read.