Asia's longest cave continues to be explored

Shuanghe Cave is 409.9km long, the longest cave in Asia and the 3rd longest in the world, it is also the longest dolomite (a type of carbonate sedimentary rock) cave in the world.

Scientists from China, France, Portugal, Belgium and many other countries gathered at Shuanghe Cave - known as the longest cave in Asia, in Guizhou Province, Southwest China, to attend the announcement ceremony of the 23rd international scientific expedition.

The Shuanghe Cave expedition is scheduled to take place from October 7-24, after which scientists will announce the results on October 24.

Previous scientific expeditions have found 44 individual giant panda fossils, with the oldest specimen dating back 100,000 years and the most recent dating back a few hundred years.

Fossils prove that Guizhou was once a habitat for giant pandas - which now live in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces.

Scientists from China, France, Portugal, Belgium and many other countries gathered at Shuanghe Cave to attend the announcement ceremony of the 23rd international scientific expedition. (Photo: THX/TTXVN)

The upcoming cave expedition will further study the cave's resources, formation and evolution, said Zhou Wenlong, deputy secretary general of the Guizhou Cave Association.

According to the results of the 2023 joint expedition, Shuanghe Cave is 409.9km long. It is the longest cave in Asia and the third longest in the world. It is also the longest dolomite (a type of carbonate sedimentary rock) cave in the world.

French cave explorer Jean Bottazzi, who has more than 30 years of experience exploring caves in China, is the head of the upcoming research team.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/cac-nha-khoa-hoc-tiep-tuc-kham-pha-hang-dong-dai-nhat-chau-a-post832580.html