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Er Wang Dong Cave (Erwan Dong)

WorldBlue  In short

Wulong Karst Area is rich with magnificent scenery, including giant sinkholes and caves. The 42 139 m long Er Wang Dong cave (Cave of two kings) is one of the most impressive landmarks in this area.

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GPS coordinates
29.5853 N 107.9997 E (main entrance near Er Wang Dong village, mistake up to 300 m)
Location, address
Asia, China, Chongqing Municipality, Wulong County, starts in Qingkou tiankeng and Niubizi tiankeng, main entrance is near Er Wang Dong village
Alternate names
Erwan Dong
Length
42 139 m
Depth
441 m
UNESCO World Heritage status
Part of "South China Karst", 2007, No.1248

Map of the site

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WorldYellow In detail

Wulong karst

The thick layer of Lower Ordovician limestone near Wulong is crisscrossed by cave labyrinths. This limestone in some areas is covered with Paleozoic sandstone, helping to preserve it from erosion.

Some of the largest sinkholes in the world – such as the exotic Qingkou tiankeng – are located here and some of the most impressive caves in the world connect these giant sinkholes. Er Wang Dong is one of the major caves here, running very close to the 67 825 m long San Wang Dong Cave.

Cave of two kings

Cave starts in the south-western side of the 195 m deep Niubizi tiankeng. The enormous cave has a huge mass of air inside and has its own climate. These clouds appear also in Niubizi tiankeng. In fact, these clouds serve for weather forecast – when in tiankeng appears fog, soon will come rain.

Cave reaches also Qingkou tiankeng – gargantuan sinkhole created by several waterfalls, which still fall into this 295 m deep sinkhole. The largest passage – Tiankeng Express – here starts from the exotic ecosystem at the bottom of tiankeng.

Er Wang Dong is a complex cave with passages in several layers, numerous passages form a true maze.

The exploration of this cave is organized by the international Hong Meigui Cave Exploration Society. The cave is known to local people since ancient times – in Er Wang Dong village it was used as a source of potable water and as a storage site but far northern passages were used for nitrate mining.

Er Wang Dong cave runs very close to San Wang Dong cave. Er Wang Dong, in general, is located higher than the other cave – but it is possible that both caves are united.

References
  1. Hong Meigui website. Accessed on October 11, 2013.
  2. Waltham Tony. The 2005 Tiankeng Investigation Project in China. Speleogenesis.Info.
  3. Marc Schwarz. Photos: exploring giant caves in China. Red Bull Adventure, 6 August 2013. Accessed on October 11, 2013.

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Karst in China: Its Geomorphology and Environment


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