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Kazumura 🌋 40.7 mi (65.5 km) long and 3,614 ft (1,102 m) deep, making it the worlds longest and deepest lava tube. ——— My first-time caving in a lava tube. They’re so different from caves formed in limestone. For one, they are rarely very far below the surface. This combined with very porous rock enables roots to come in through the ceiling, forming chandeliers (or root stalactites?) throughout the cave. You are never far from an entrance. In fact, if you come across an obstacle, you can usually find another entrance on the other side, rather than trying to rig anything. The walls have a metallic sheen to them. If you thought limestone was sharp, volcanic rock is a whole nother level. The joke when crawling across the floor was, “the floor is lava,” so don’t touch it or else you will cheese grade your skin. ——— Photo 1: Steve took the time to show us one of his favorite spots, where the roots come in from an entrance. Photo 2: Many passages are coated in magnesio-ferrite because of prolonged exposure of the high-oxygen atmosphere with remelted wall rock, giving them a metallic appearance. ——— #lavatubes #caving #Hawaii #geology #Kazumura #MaunaLoa #volcano #island

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