Often when we think about the Earth’s surface we imagine it to be completely homogeneous, perhaps due to the constant images of a perfectly spherical planet. However, it is known that it is not a flawless sphere. It has previously been described as having an elliptical shape, although it is more accurate to say that it is a geoid. This implies that it has very prominent reliefs and also large slits, a gigantic ball with great differences in its surface. Everest is well known for having the highest altitude on the entire Earth’s surface, but its counterpart, the deepest cave in the world called Krubera-Voronya, is widely unknown.
Where is the Voronya Cave?
Located in Arabika, Georgia, Krubera-Voronya Cave is the deepest cave in the world and the closest crevice to the heart of the Earth. It is so extensive towards the bowels of the planet that man has not been able to explore it in depth. When it was discovered in 1960, explorers did not venture beyond 180 meters deep. Although since then the records have been expanded more and more.
Nowadays it has become a challenge for the most experienced cavers who try to reach the bottom. However, it seems that the cave is so majestic that even having reached 2,191 meters deep, they have not managed to discover its end.
But interesting facts have been discovered about the Voronya cave. The expeditions have revealed that it is not a linear cave as many may imagine. But rather it is an underground labyrinth full of complicated paths that lead to different false bottoms. It is so complex that for its exploration, underground camps have had to be set up in order to decipher its mysteries.
Underground camps
The first team of speleologists to achieve this milestone was a Ukrainian team that at the end of the 90s settled at -700 meters below the earth’s surface. Later, the same Ukrainian team managed to reach 1,200 meters underground and set up a second camp. Once the -1000 meter barrier was crossed, the curiosity of speleologists around the world became an obsession to reach the end of the deepest cave in the world.
Little by little, various teams from all over the world discovered the paths to continue descending, since there are many areas where there is no way to continue. They have also discovered underground lakes more than 50 meters deep, which make the search for the bottom even more difficult. Added to this are the extremely narrow sections that, if attempted to be crossed, any rescue would be in vain.
Even with all these dangers, a new historical record was reached at the end of 2004. The UkrSA team managed to reach -2080 meters, a point known as ‘Game Over’ because it is the lowest point discovered so far and where it apparently can no longer advance. Although this has not represented an impediment for Gennadiy Samokhin, who holds the record for the longest descent in the Voronya cave.
Image: Map of the cave system in Georgia.
Shamokhin continues the path not on foot, but using diving equipment to immerse himself in one of the lakes. This feat allowed him to reach 2,191 meters below the earth’s surface, which is the most current record. As expected, it is not a simple path, it involves living for some time in underground camps, crossing straits up to 40 centimeters wide that, if flooded, mean death. Even diving and then avoiding the icy waterfalls that form as a result of the rain.
Although all these challenges have been overcome, speleologists are still not clear where the end of the cave is. It is likely that this geological wonder still has much more to amaze us. You just have to take a look at the map of Voronya, which seems to have no end.