Furong Cave
Encyclopedia
Furong Cave is a karst
cave located on the banks of the Furong River
, 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) from Wulong County
town, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
UNESCO
World Heritage Site
; the only cave in China on the UNESCO list.
In 1994, 1996 and 2001, cave experts from countries including China, the UK, USA, Ireland and Australia undertook comprehensive explorations of the cave.
In the vicinity of the cave spread over a total area of around 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi), there are more than 50 vertical shafts with a depth of over 100 metres (328.1 ft). including the 920 metres (3,018.4 ft) deep Steam Shaft (汽坑洞), the deepest in Asia.
Formed during the Cambrian
/Ordivician Periods some 500 million years ago, the cave features numerous rarely found speleothem
s including coral and dog-tooth like crystalline calcite
flowers as well as a variety of helictite
s, and crystalline gypsum flowers.
On January 26, 2003, 29 days after filling of the nearby Jiangkou Reservoir
began, an earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter magnitude scale
hit the reservoir's dam causing stalactite
s on the roof of the cave to collapse. Changes to the water table brought about by the reservoir's construction have also affected the cave and drainage of the surrounding karst landscape.
KARST
Kilometer-square Area Radio Synthesis Telescope is a Chinese telescope project to which FAST is a forerunner. KARST is a set of large spherical reflectors on karst landforms, which are bowlshaped limestone sinkholes named after the Kras region in Slovenia and Northern Italy. It will consist of...
cave located on the banks of the Furong River
Furong River
The Furong River , also known as the Pangu River is the largest tributary of the Wu River and flows through Guizhou Province and Chongqing Municipality, People's Republic of China.-Description:...
, 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) from Wulong County
Wulong County
Wulong County is a county of Chongqing Municipality in China. It is the location of Wulong Karst which is part of the South China Karst UNESCO World Heritage Site....
town, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
History
First discovered by local farmers in 1993 the cave was opened to tourists in 1994. It became a national 4A tourist site in 2002 then in June 2006 part of the South China KarstSouth China Karst
The South China Karst , a UNESCO World Heritage Site since June 2007, spans China's southern provinces of Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan. The region of south China is particularly noted for its karst features and landscapes as well as rich biodiversity. The site comprises three clusters: Libo...
UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
; the only cave in China on the UNESCO list.
In 1994, 1996 and 2001, cave experts from countries including China, the UK, USA, Ireland and Australia undertook comprehensive explorations of the cave.
Description
Furong Cave has a total length of 2846 metres (9,337.3 ft) and a width varying from 30 metres (98.4 ft)–50 metres (164 ft). Inside, the cave is divided into three sections, with the first featuring colorful subterranean features. The remaining two areas focus on the science of cave formation. There are more than 30 features inside the cave including the 15.76 metres (51.7 ft), 21.04 metres (69 ft) stone waterfall (巨型石) at the foot of which coral-like projections extend to 120 centimetres (47.2 in).In the vicinity of the cave spread over a total area of around 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi), there are more than 50 vertical shafts with a depth of over 100 metres (328.1 ft). including the 920 metres (3,018.4 ft) deep Steam Shaft (汽坑洞), the deepest in Asia.
Formed during the Cambrian
Cambrian
The Cambrian is the first geological period of the Paleozoic Era, lasting from Mya ; it is succeeded by the Ordovician. Its subdivisions, and indeed its base, are somewhat in flux. The period was established by Adam Sedgwick, who named it after Cambria, the Latin name for Wales, where Britain's...
/Ordivician Periods some 500 million years ago, the cave features numerous rarely found speleothem
Speleothem
A speleothem , commonly known as a cave formation, is a secondary mineral deposit formed in a cave. Speleothems are typically formed in limestone or dolostone solutional caves.-Origin and composition:...
s including coral and dog-tooth like crystalline calcite
Calcite
Calcite is a carbonate mineral and the most stable polymorph of calcium carbonate . The other polymorphs are the minerals aragonite and vaterite. Aragonite will change to calcite at 380-470°C, and vaterite is even less stable.-Properties:...
flowers as well as a variety of helictite
Helictite
A helictite is a speleothem found in limestone caves that changes its axis from the vertical at one or more stages during its growth. They have a curving or angular form that looks as if they were grown in zero gravity...
s, and crystalline gypsum flowers.
On January 26, 2003, 29 days after filling of the nearby Jiangkou Reservoir
Jiangkou Reservoir
The Jiangkou Reservoir is a large scale reservoir in Wulong County, Chongqing Municipality, People's Republic of China constructed for the primary purpose of generating hydroelectricity....
began, an earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter magnitude scale
Richter magnitude scale
The expression Richter magnitude scale refers to a number of ways to assign a single number to quantify the energy contained in an earthquake....
hit the reservoir's dam causing stalactite
Stalactite
A stalactite , "to drip", and meaning "that which drips") is a type of speleothem that hangs from the ceiling of limestone caves. It is a type of dripstone...
s on the roof of the cave to collapse. Changes to the water table brought about by the reservoir's construction have also affected the cave and drainage of the surrounding karst landscape.
External links
- http://english.cri.cn/4406/2009/04/23/2062s477933.htmFurong Cave, Chongqing (China Radio InternationalChina Radio InternationalChina Radio International , the former Radio Beijing and originally Radio Peking, founded on December 3 of 1941, is one of the three state-owned media in China along with China National Radio and China Central Television in the People's Republic of China .As the PRC's external radio station, CRI...
)] - Furong Cave, Chongqing - Photo gallery