Slashdot Mirror
World's Deepest Cave Explored Further
DiniZuli writes "Australian Alan Warild led a 25-strong team of cavers from Russia and Ukraine on a world-record 1830-metre descent into the Krubera-Voronia cave in Abkhazia, Georgia. Read about it here (sacrifice of goat might be required). Here's a nice map of the cave."
forget the sacrifice to a goat, lets safe our Aussie friends bandwidth by posting this here...
[...]
On the other side of the globe, nearly two kilometres beneath the earth, in a cold, gloomy chasm, you can find a small slice of Australia.
The sheer plunge near the bottom of the world's deepest cave, in a remote part of Georgia, doesn't automatically instantly inspire comparisons with Alan Warild's home country. It's bitterly cold, forever dark and usually damp. But since the veteran caver climbed to its dank depths last month it has incongruously borne Australia's name.
The 49-year-old from Newtown was invited to lead a 25-strong team of cavers from Russia and Ukraine on a world-record 1830-metre descent into the Krubera-Voronia cave in Abkhazia, Georgia.
At the end of the nine-day journey down the corkscrew-shaped hole, the triumphant team told Mr Warild it would name the final drop "Viva Australia" in his honour.
"One of the Russians had the idea to name it in my honour since I was the first to go down - I suppose I was pretty chuffed," the self-effacing caver said.
"It's not my favourite cave, because it's about 3 degrees at the bottom and it's muddy and you have to dive in one part. But it's a great challenge and a bit of a thrill to stand somewhere where no human being has ever stood before."
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The previous world record for the deepest caving expedition, 1710 metres, was set in the same cave in 2001. But Mr Warild and his fellow travellers took a different route, passing through a sump filled with icy water to descend 120 metres further. "We went as far as we could, we hit a pit full of water and decided to leave it for another trip."
The Australian Speleological Federation said it had received an unconfirmed report that a team of Ukrainians was currently attempting to better Mr Warild's record. But the name for the drop would remain, it said.
"People like Alan are the modern-day equivalent of the explorers in the 19th century, others like me follow in their footsteps later," said federation president, John Dunkley.
"That name will stay and be put on maps of the cave in future. It's a significant achievement and shows the respect Alan has overseas. He's a well-known name and one of the top three in the world when it comes to deep and difficult caves."
Mr Warild discovered his unusual hobby when he was 13, on a school excursion to the Wee Jasper caves near Yass. Since then he has explored deep caves around the world.
"Australia doesn't really have any deep ones," he said. "The deepest is in Tasmania, almost 400 metres. The best, in my opinion, is Muruk, in New Guinea. It's about 1250 metres.
"I grew up in the Sutherland Shire and I always loved the outdoors. I think that's the only way I can explain it.
I never want to see 'deep caves' and 'goat' mentioned in the same paragraph....ever....
In another interview, the lead explorer has revealed the discovery of the initials of Arne Saknussemm in one of the deeper caves...
/sig
... don't want to end up like this guy.
http://www.holyshiite.com/caver/
Comment removed based on user account deletion
...I don't know, I've seen Clinton dig himself out of deeper holes...
"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to govern any other" -John Ada
"It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black."
Sorry, off topic and all, but it cracks me up every time.
This issue is a bit more complicated than you think.
I find this to be pretty interesting. There are so many terrains on our earth that we have yet to explore. And I think there are deffinite chances of there being some extremely unique creatures at these depths of a cave. People go nuts over exploring Mars. But I think we should put some effort into Earth as well.
I like how at the end of the article, the man who likes to run around underground talks about how much he loves the outdoors.
Conor
Programmer, Consultant, Geek, CTYer.
The sheer plunge near the bottom of the world's deepest cave, in a remote part of Georgia, doesn't automatically instantly inspire comparisons with Alan Warild's home country.
Probably explains why he was trying to find a short cut home...
"I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
When going down the Rabbit-Hole^W^W Krubera-Voronia, did they meet Alice?
Did I ever tell you about the time Brasky explored the world's deepest cave? To Bill Brasky!
She's my ex-girlfriend, and I still hate her, but DAMN I never expected to hear about her private parts on Slashdot.
Man, I feel a sudden urge to play NetHack...
I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
"I smell a wumpus."
http://www.gamespp.com/cgi-bin/dungeonsanddragons
http://www.gamespp.com/cgi-bin/dungeonsanddragons
intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it
All the goatse jokes aside, I find this very interesting. I still remember the impact Jules Vernes "A Journey to the Center of the Earth" had on me when I was a kid. I so wanted them to find som eerie remains of some unknown creature at the bottom of the cave.
/me walks out of the office "So long suckers!"
When I read stories like this, I get an urge in my stomach to give up life as a geek and become an explorer. I reckon I'm not the only one, since the story was posted on slashdot?
Underholdning.info
Here is a link with better spelling and geographical accuracy (Abkhazia is not in Georgia) : http://www.bask.info/exp/read.php?id=43
And here is a blog : http://speleolog.ru/news/10krubera/
Did anyone else notice that this is two months' old news?
That was an interesting read.... it's just a story though, the original seems to be a story written by Thomas Lera, as seen here in pdf format.
(\(\
(^v^)
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This is the cute vorpal bunny virus, copy to your sig or runaway, runaway in fear!
It's so cold because you get no sunlight to heat things up, yet you are so far from the centre of earth that the molten lava can't warm you either.
Interestingly enough, the longest cave penetration was made in a completely flooded cave using scuba (rebreathers). They are the EKPP http://www.ekpp.de/projects/doux02/index.html.
The cave explores YOU
For anyone interested, Bob Guilden of the National Speleological Society (NSS) keeps a list of the worlds deepest caves on his website at:
: //www.cancaver.ca/canadian.htm
http://www.pipeline.com/~caverbob/wdeep.htm
and the NSS American Caving Accidents website always makes for a realistic read.....
http://caves.org/pub/aca/
If you really are interested in caving in North America, instead of taking the joe sixpack approach, contact a local grotto: you're bound get taken on a real caving trip.
http://www.caves.org/io/grottos.shtml
or
http
cheers
I've been in caves in Wyoming where the temperatures are around 50 F year around. That may seem cool, but it was a nice temperature when you're actively crawling around in the cave.
Seriously though, if we could somehow dig a hole straight into the mantle of the earth, wouldn't that ... be called 'how to make your own volcano in one easy step'? Note to self: make sure drilling machine is automated.
Presumably by the most common process of cave formation; i.e. by CO2 rich rainwater dissolving limestone. Dissolution typically starts at weak areas in the limestone; e.g. faults. Over time, the dissolution creates tiny channels through the limestone. These join together and acquire flow, eventually growing into passages that are large enough for cavers.
Generally speaking, cave formation is determined by the direction of water flow. Vertical cave formation will stop either at the level of the water table or at an impermiable rock layer beneath the limestone. At that point, the cave tends to form horizontal passages in the direction of the flow. If the water table drops, or the water finds a fissure in the impermiable rock, vertical formation can resume.
Normally, limestone beds are not that deep; e.g. less than 100 metres. However, in mountainous regions, geological processes can result in major faulting and tilting of the originally horizontal limestone beds. In unusual cases, this can lead to very deep limestone beds ... and very deep caves.