Exploring Shuanghe Cave, Asia's longest cave

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An expedition team consisting of experts from China, France and Italy have explored the Shuanghe Cave in southwest China's Guizhou Province, the longest one in Asia.

File photo: Interior of Shuanghe Cave in southwest China's Guizhou Province. /VCG Photo

During the expedition, the length of the cave, located in Wenquan Township of Suiyang County in Zunyi City was updated to 257.4 km from the previous 238.48 km, according to the county government.

File photo: Interior of Shuanghe Cave in southwest China's Guizhou Province. /VCG Photo

The 30 international experts spent 20 days exploring the cave. They reached 100 sites and studied the water and underground biomass resources of the cave.

File photo: Shuanghe Cave in southwest China's Guizhou Province. /VCG Photo

The karst cave was uncovered in the late 1980s, and since then, a series of large surveys have been jointly carried out by Chinese and foreign researchers.

The complex structure dubbed as "karst natural cave museum" has water holes and dry holes coexisting at a depth of more than 550 meters. It is home to many creatures, the most common of which is a small white tadpole. Giant panda fossils were also found in the cave.

It has been named the longest cave in Asia and the sixth-longest in the world, after a recent survey showed that it's longer than Malaysia's Clearwater Cave.

(Cover images via VCG)

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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency