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A Spelunking Challenge for Adventurous Souls

Priya Johnson
How well acquainted are you with the sport of spelunking? Let's find out...
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Caving is known as spelunking in the United States and Canada, however, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, it's known as 'potholing'.
Fun Fact
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Spelunking involves squeezing through tight spaces and deep crevices. It calls for minimal equipment that will cause minimum obstruction during its course.
Quick Fact
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During the monsoons, caves with rivers mostly get flooded, so it's best to avoid them completely.
Quick Fact
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Onomatophobia is the fear of names. Acrophobia is the fear of heights, while Nyctophobia is the fear of darkness and Claustrophobia is the fear of enclosed spaces.
Quick Fact
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One can easily get lost in the underground maze of caves. Groups of 4-6 people are recommended for spelunking.
Important Fact
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An abseil rack is used while abseiling in and out of vertical caves. This same piece of equipment is used by mountaineers, canyoners, climbers, etc.
Quick Fact
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This fungal infection is seen to affect the lungs and respiratory system, often leading to pneumonia.
Quick Fact
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While the act of exploring caves for recreational purpose is also referred to as speleology, it's actually the scientific study of caves and everything pertaining to it.
Quick Fact
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In the late 1880s, Frenchman, Edouard-Alfred Martel explored the Gouffre de Padirac.
Quick Fact
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The cave interiors are pitch black and spelunkers need to depend entirely on artificial light sources. They are commonly asked to carry three different light sources along with batteries.
Interesting Fact
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A Karst landscape is formed by the weathering of porous rocks like limestone, gypsum, and dolomite. It features cave systems.
Did You Know?
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Beyond a depth of 3000m the pressure from the surrounding rocks would be so intense that it would cause the cave to collapse.
Did You Know?
You've successfully rappelled to the surface. Kudos!