A newly discovered karst cave dating back 480 million years in remote southwest China has revealed a pristine sediment “gene pool” that experts say has not been seen before.
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But they say it must be protected before it is too late, warning it is under threat from people – particularly social media influencers – entering the cave and causing irreversible damage to its fragile structures.
Cave explorer Zhao Jieyu first ventured into the cave – which is hidden beneath a steep mountain in Daozhen county, Guizhou province – in 2021.
He describes a rich subterranean world of snow-white crystal flowers, luminescent “cave pearls” and gravity-defying cone-shaped formations – all sculpted over time by the mineral-rich water that filters down through the cave’s ancient sedimentary rock.
Zhao and geologist Zhang Yuanhai, who visited the cave for the first time earlier this month, say the calcite deposits that have formed have been seen in hypothetical models before, but never in real life.
Zhao is the deputy secretary general of the Geological Society of China’s Speleology Committee and has been exploring caves for nearly two decades. He had kept the discovery quiet until recently to protect the cave.
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It has now drawn the attention of state media – official news agency Xinhua reported on the cave in mid-April – and online influencers. According to Zhao, visitors have been entering the cave and trampling on its delicate formations, and in some cases snapping off centuries-old crystals and taking them away.
