Scientists have recognized two caves in the mountains of Abkhazia as the deepest on the planet

Two main contenders for the title of the deepest cave have been identified on the planet, and both of them are located in the same mountain system on the territory of Abkhazia. This was reported by Live Science magazine on June 7.

According to the current list, which is maintained by Paul Burger, a regional hydrologist of the US National Park Service in Alaska, the Verevkin Cave holds the lead. Its depth is 2212 m. In second place, with a minimal margin, is the Krubera-Voronya cave, which goes down to 2199 m.

Both sites are located in the Arabica massif of the Gagra Range of the Western Caucasus. This relief is formed by easily soluble rocks, in particular limestone from the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous periods, which range in age from 163.5 million to 100.5 million years.

As explained by Hazel Barton, a microbiologist and geologist at the University of Alabama, tectonic forces turned limestone layers into vertical stone walls. According to the expert, water is always looking for the shortest way down, and the vertical position of the strata in this region contributes to the formation of extremely deep cavities.

The conditions inside such caves remain extremely harsh: it is dark, humid, and the average annual temperature is about 2-3 degrees Celsius. Ana Sofia Reboleira, an ecologist from the University of Lisbon, noted that organisms living at such depths are forced to adapt to nutrient deficiencies by slowing down their metabolism.

Most animals living on the bottom lack pigment and eyes. At the same time, they have developed long appendages, hairs and antennae for orientation in the dark. One of these creatures is Plutomurus ortobalaganensis, a wingless insect from the blacktail group, discovered in 2010 in the Krubera cave at a depth of about 1980 m. It is still considered the deepest land animal.

According to Reboleira, underground ecosystems are absolutely vital and strategically important for life on Earth. She also stressed that caves play a key role in water purification, nutrient cycling, and carbon storage in stone, making them a fundamental part of the global ecosystem.

On January 22, Arkeonews magazine reported the discovery of the oldest drawings in caves in Indonesia. According to the publication, the oldest handwritten hand stencils have been found on the stone walls of caves on the island of Sulawesi. According to scientists, the age of the images is about 67.8 thousand years.