Earth's deepest cave mapped: Amazing diagram charts every twist and turn of the terrifying 7,200ft deep abyss

The Krubera cave is located in the Arabika Massif on the edge of the Black Sea in Abkhazia, which is a disputed territory bordering Georgia



Extends for 8.346miles (13.432km) and since 1956 when French explorers first descended below 3,281ft (1km) cavers have tried to get deeper

In 2007, a Ukrainian diver called Gennadiv Samokhin extended the map of the abyss by diving in ‘the terminal sump’

It is said to be bottomless, but experts have managed to map Earth’s deepest cave.



Intrepid explorers have charted every known twist and turn of the terrifying Krubera cave that measures 7,208ft (2,197metres) deep.



And with every expedition the chasm seems to become deeper as divers plunge to new depths never visited by humans to extend the cave’s reach into the Earth.



Mapped: Intrepid explorers have charted every twist and turn of the terrifying Krubera cave that measures 7,208ft (2,197metres) deep. The final segment was revealed by a brave diver and camps are marked on the map where explorers have rested

THE WORLD'S DEEPEST CAVE The Krubera cave is the deepest cave on Earth and is located in the Arabika Massif of the Gagrinsky Range in Abkhazia.

It is the only cave on Earth deeper than 6,561ft ( 2,000metres).

The cave is called Voronya in Russia, which means crow's cave. The name was used as slang by Kiev cavers during the 1980s because of the number of crows nesting in the entrance pit.

The Arabika Massif is one of the largest high-mountain limestone karst massifs (the main mass of an exposed structure) in the Western Caucasus, which is an area of southern Russia.

It is composed of Lower Cretaceous and Upper Jurassic limestones that dip continuously southwest to the Black Sea and plunge below the modern sea level.

The Krubera cave is located in the Arabika Massif on the edge of the Black Sea in Abkhazia, which is a disputed territory that borders Georgia.

It is a kaist, which means it is formed from the dissolution of soluble rock - in this case, limestone.



It extends for 8,346miles (13,432km) and since 1956 when French explorers first descended below 3,281ft (1km) cavers have dreamed of exploring deeper.

The cave is currently thought to be around the same height as six-and-a-half Eiffel Towers stacked on top of one another.

A map marks when explorers discovered different routes and where they camped as well as its remarkable depth.



According to Ukrainian caver Alexander Klimchouk, the ‘trail’ is formed of a chain of pits, cascades and pitches, some of which are over 300ft (100 metres) deep and connected by very narrow passages.



One 300ft (100 metre) long passage is charmingly named ‘Way to the Dream’ although for people who suffer from claustrophobia, such a narrow channel might seem more of a nightmare.



The cave extends for 8,346miles (13,432km) and since 1956 when French explorers first descended below 3,281ft (1km) cavers have dreamed of exploring deeper (pictured)

The Krubera cave is located in the Arabika Massif on the edge of the Black Sea in Abkhazia, which is a disputed territory that some argue belongs to Georgia

The cave, which is named after Russian geologist Alexander Krubera, is the only chasm on Earth that's known to be deeper than 6,561ft (2,000m)

The cave, which is named after the Russian geologist Alexander Krubera, is the only chasm on Earth that is known to be deeper than 6,561ft (2,000 metres).

In 2007, a Ukrainian diver called Gennadiv Samokhin extended the map of the abyss by diving in ‘the terminal sump’. He increased the cave's known depth by 150ft (46metres) in 2007 and 170ft (52 metres) in 2012, Gizmodo reported.



His fearless endeavour earned him world records on both occasions.



Mr Klimchouk explained in an article for National Geographic that cavers use dye traces to record where they have been and to prove the potential depth of Krubera cave.



In 2005 he organised a series of expeditions and his team of 56 carried some five tonnes of equipment into the chasm.



Much like scaling a mountain, the team had to cover certain distances so they could set up camp at depth of 2,300, 3,986, 4,630, and 5,380ft (700, 1,215, 1,410, and 1,640metres).

