Dragon's Breath Cave is located in the Otjozondjupa Region of Namibia on private land, not accessible to the general public. The cave was discovered by Roger Ellis during a caving expedition to the area in 1986. It is named for the moist air rising from its entrance which resembled the breath of a dragon.[1]
The cave contains the world's largest non-subglacial underground lake,[1] with an area of almost 2 hectares (4.9 acres).[2] The lake is located around 100 metres (330 ft) below the surface.[3] Its total depth is 205 metres (673 ft).[4][5] Although it has been reported that the rare fish species, Clarias cavernicola, lives in the lake in the Dragon's Breath Cave, this is an error. It is only known from the nearby Aigamas Cave.[6]
Martyn Farr records in his book "The Darkness Beckons" the exploration of the cave by a team of divers and cavers led by Roger Ellis and Charles Maxwell of the South African Spelaeological Association a year after the cave was identified in 1986 by cavers as being of significant size.[7]
See also edit
- Caves of Namibia
- Great Man-Made River – Network of pipes that supplies water to the north of Libya, a project based on another fossil water store in an arid area in Africa
- Kalahari – Semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa
- Southern Africa – Southernmost region of the African continent
References edit
- ^ a b Kelly, Daniel (24 January 2014). "Dragon's Breath Cave Holds the World's Largest Underground Lake". Lake Scientist. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
- ^ Africa, Wanted in (2020-06-12). "Dragon's Breath Cave: Namibia has the worlds largest underground lake". Wanted in Africa. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
- ^ "Namibia's hidden depths". Travel Namibia Magazine. Retrieved 2012-08-28.
- ^ Vickie Siegel Presenting 2019 Expedition to Dragon's Breath Cave, Namibia - March 4, 2020, retrieved 2022-03-19
- ^ Fileccia, Alessio (2012). "Namibian ground water systems" (PDF). Speleo Diversity. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-10-18. Retrieved 2013-01-07.
- ^ Proudlove, G.H. (2018–2019). "Clarias cavernicola". cavefishes.org.uk. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ Farr, Martyn (1991). The Darkness Beckons : The History and development of cave diving. London: Diadem Books. p. 264. ISBN 0-906371-87-2.
External links edit
- Discovery Channel: Video: Dragon's Breath Cave
- (af) Nuwe duikrekord opgestel ("New dive record set", Republikein, 13 June 2012. URL accessed on 20 October 2015.
- (af) Dieper die aarde se maag in[permanent dead link] ("Deeper into the bowels of the earth"), Republikein, 13 July 2012. URL accessed on 20 October 2015.
19°28′05″S 17°47′08″E / 19.46806°S 17.78556°E
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