| Shuanghedong | |
|---|---|
| 双河洞 | |
  | |
| Location | Suiyang County,Guizhou,China |
| Coordinates | 28°14′31″N107°16′34″E / 28.24199°N 107.27608°E /28.24199; 107.27608 (Shuanghe Dongqun) |
| Depth | 912 metres (2,992 ft) |
| Length | 437.4 kilometres (271.8 mi) |
| Geology | Dolomite[1] |
| Entrances | 115 |
Shuanghedong (Chinese:双河洞;pinyin:Shuānghédòng;lit. 'twin rivers cave') is the longestcave inChina[2][3][4] and inAsia, the largestdolomite cave system in the world,[5] and thethird longest cave in the world as of May 2023.[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Its current explored length is 437.4 kilometres (271.8 mi).[2]
The cave network is located in Suiyang Shuanghe Cave National Geopark, near the town of Wenquan inSuiyang County,Zunyi,Guizhou Province.[4][13] It is situated within theFurong River basin, a primary tributary of theWu River.[3][5]
The cave contains numerous waterfalls and at least three underground rivers, some of which contain caveshrimp and fish weighing several pounds.[14]Tadpoles, frogs,giant salamanders, insects, spiders, crabs, bats,leeches,blind fish, and mushrooms have also been found.[5]
Manyfossils from theQuaternary period have been discovered in the cave, includingmammalian species such asgiant pandas,serows,Sumatran rhinoceroses, andstegodons. Nearly 50 individual giant panda fossils ranging from 100,000 years to merely centuries old have been identified, with over 20 skeletons intact.[5]
Since exploration began in 1987, at least 20 expeditions from China,France,Japan,Portugal,Belgium, and other countries have explored the cave, including researchers from the Guizhou Institute of Mountain Resources and the Guizhou Cave Association.[1][15]
In May 2023 the network reached 400 kilometres (250 mi) of development.[16] As of 2024, there are 115 known entrances to the cave network. The average annual temperature inside the cave is 13 °C (55 °F), and its maximum explored depth is 912 metres (2,992 ft).[2][5]
