The Caves of Forgotten Dreams

Werner Herzog is a master director. He's brought us such films as Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World. This morning I came across the trailer for his next film, Caves of Forgotten Dreams, and it looks spectacular.

The documentary follows a spelunking crew that drops into a long forgotten cave that was re-discovered back in 1994. Inside the cave is an array of amazing artwork, some of which dates back more than 30,000 years. Even more impressive is the sophistication of that artwork for the time that it was created.

Check out the trailer below and then look for the film to be released sometime this spring and in 3D no less. Can't wait to check this one out.



Cave of Forgotten Dreams from Nate Calloway on Vimeo.

Lunar Spelunking!

Spelunkers across the globe have to be a little excited by the news that Japanese scientists have discovered what is believed to be an open lava tube on the surface of the moon, which could potentially offer access to what is believed to be a vast cave system under the lunar crust.

According to this story from National Geographic, this "skylight" could eventually be used as a safe haven for a permanently manned lunar base, providing shelter from the hostile environment above. The cave found underneath would also allow for a cheaper, larger, and more stable living and working environment for explorers sent to the moon.

Finding a hole, such as this one, on the surface of the moon has not been easy, and scientists have searched for a long time. It is the result of a lava tube that was created roughly 3 billion years ago, during a period of violent volcanic activity, on the small planetoid. The opening was discovered after scientists painstakingly examined a number of high resolution images of the moon's surface, sent back to Earth by the Japanese spacecraft Kaguya.

Of course, before a permanent base could be built on the moon, the cave system would have to be explored more fully, which could mean that NASA will soon be in the market for some experienced spelunkers who have yearning to be the first to go underground on the Earth's natural satellite. Sure, they can use space probes and robots to do some of that exploration, but where is the fun in that? Anyone want to visit the moon and go for a little adventure underground?

Explorers Discover 1000m Deep Cave in China

An experienced international team of spelunkers have discovered an amazing cave near the village of Tian Xing in China that stretches more than 3100 feet (1026m) down into the depths of the Earth. The team as been exploring the vast cave system for several months now, and some of the first images are now leaking out. Check out the one below for an idea of how huge this cave is.

The article notes that this isn't the deepest cave by far. They mention the 6,822ft deep cave in Krubera, Georgia and 5,354ft system in Lamprechtsofen, Austria as number one and two in the world. Still, this is one impressive looking cavern, with the team often spending 3-4 days beneath the surface at time exploring it's depths. Very cool stuff!

Thanks GoBlog!

The Ten Deepest Caves In The World

Here's an amazing article from a site called EnvironmentalGraffiti.com. It lists the Ten Deepest Caves in the World, most of which I've never head of, and each which conjures up images of The Descent.

Spelunking is one of those activities that is both strangely compelling and yet equally unnerving at the same time. Clearly not for the claustrophobic amongst us. Or anyone who is afraid of the dark for that matter. But exploring these vast underground worlds holds a certain allure as well, as you never know what geological wonders the next chamber might hold.

All of the caves on this list include photos and a brief description of what these subterranean realms have in store for the would be explorer. To put things in perspective, the number 10 cave on the list, a place called Cehi 2, is located in Slovenia and is more than 4928 feet (1502m) deep. Of course, the depth only increases from there.

The top spot on the list? That's a cave system known as Krubera-Voronja Cave which is found in the Western Caucuses mountains, and stretches an astonishing 7188 feet (2191m) in depth so far. I say so far because an international team of explorers that plumbed the depths of the place back in August of 2007 say that it's very likely that it reaches even further down. I'm guessing that once you get to the bottom, you'll find a vast underground world where dinosaurs yet live. I can hope right?

Thanks to the Geared Up Blog for this one.