Leviathan Cave

Leviathan Cave which is also known as the Grotte de Leviathan[1] is a cave in eastern Kenya. It is believed to be the second longest lava tube in the world that spans a distance of 12.5 km, formed by hot lava flowing beneath a cooled crust.[2] The leviathan cave is located at the Chyulu Hills national park which is located to the northwest of Tsavo west national park.[3] The cave was discovered in 1975 and it became one of the longest deepest lava tubes in Africa at the time.[4]

Geography

The caves are located inside the Chyulu hills national park that are located about 190kilometers from Nairobi.Some of its eruptions date back 240 years that left the Shetani lava flow and Chaimu Hill and crater, which are still covered in black solid magna that is still barren and unweathered.[5] Extensive exploration of one of these, the Upper Leviathan Cave, by the Cave Exploration Group of East Africa established it as one of the world’s longest caves with a maximum length of 11.15 km, divided into two segments of 9.15 km and 2.0 km. An international standard used by Rodney L. Crawford to rank the World’s Longest Lava Tube Caves places the Upper Leviathan Cave at third position.[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "World Cave List". Sop.inria.fr. 15 August 1997. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  2. ↑ Susan Rigby (1 October 1993). Caves. Troll Associates. ISBN 978-0-8167-2750-6. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  3. ↑ Tom Parkinson; Matt Phillips; Will Gourlay (2006). Kenya. Lonely Planet. pp. 140–. ISBN 978-1-74059-743-2. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  4. ↑ Paolo FORTI; Ermanno GALLI; Antonio ROSSI (July 2004). "MINEROGENESIS OF VOLCANIC CAVES OF KENYA" (PDF). MINEROGENESIS OF VOLCANIC CAVES OF KENYA: 6–7. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  5. 1 2 "The Caves of Chyulu Hills | Caves in Kenya". jambonairobi.co.ke. 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.

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