Post Last Edit by naen at 9-6-2011 15:56
Mon Jan 3, 2:23 pm ET
Explorers discover spectacular caves in Vietnam B yBrett Michael Dykes
The cave in the Annamite Mountains contains a river and jungle (its name translates to "mountain river cave") and even its own thin clouds, and its end remains out of sight. It's part of a network of about 150 caves in central Vietnam near the Laotian border.
Howard and Deb Limbert of England led the first expedition to enter Hang Son Doong in 2009, but they were stopped a couple of miles in by a huge calcite wall. The team returned recently to climb the wall, take measurements and try to find the cavern's end.
(credit to Yahoo News)
Conquering an Infinite Cave. There’s a jungle inside Vietnam’s mammoth cavern. A skyscraper could fit too. And the end is out of sight.
Like a castle on a knoll, a rock formation shines beneath a skylight in Hang Son Doong. A storm had just filled the pool, signaling that exploring seasonwas coming to an end. (Photo by Carsten Peter/National Geographic)
A half-mile block of 40-story buildings could fit inside this lit stretch of Hang Son Doong, which may be the world's biggest subterranean passage. (Photo by Carsten Peter/National Geographic)
In the dry season, from November to April, a caver can safely explore Hang Ken, with its shallow pools. Come the monsoon, the underground river swellsand floods the passages, making the cave impassable
A climber ascends a shaft of light in Loong Con, where humidity rises into cool air and forms clouds inside the cave.
Navigating an algae-skinned maze, expedition organizers Deb and Howard Limbert lead the way across a sculpted cave scape in Hang Son Doong.
Moss-slick boulders and a 30-foot drop text author Mark Jenkins at the forest-shrouded entrance to Hang Son Doong.
Click here to view more pictures: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/largest-cave/peter-photography
| 
Post time 4-1-2011 11:32 PM
变色卡
Author
