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This Cave Is So Large It Has Its Own Weather (Including Rain)
One of Earth’s most mysterious natural wonders
Our planet is incredibly vast. Some parts are so remote that they hide incredible secrets, far from human eyes, for centuries, if not millennia. One such secret was hidden until very recently. Hang Sơn Đoòng is a cave that lies in a remote location on the Laos border in Vietnam. It is now believed to be one of the largest, if not the largest, caves in the world. It was not discovered until 2009. Tourists were not allowed to visit until 2013. Even now, the cave is far from any major urban areas and requires special permits and long hikes to reach.
Hang Sơn Đoòn measures 38,500,000 m3 in volume. The cave stretches for 9km in length and stands 60m tall (200ft). This area is so large that it has its own weather system. Other large cave systems have their own air masses, drafts, and sometimes even wind. Hang Sơn Đoòng has its own clouds, rain, and seasons. In fact, the weather is just one piece of a vast and enclosed ecosystem that lives inside of the cave.
From inside Hang Sơn Đoòng, one can look up and see sunbeams coming through cracks in the ceiling that are quickly shrouded by clouds that form and float inside of the cave. That is because the cave hosts a massive subterranean river. The river water is at a…
