Dark Star, Cave system in Baisun-Tau mountains, Uzbekistan.
Dark Star is an extensive cave system in the mountains near Baisun that stretches across about 17 kilometers below the surface. The underground passages cut through limestone formations and descend several hundred meters into the earth.
The cave entrance was discovered by Russian explorers in 1984, but it took six years before British cavers first entered the system in 1990. Expedition teams then began systematically exploring and mapping the underground passages.
The cave system took shape as water dissolved limestone over countless centuries, carving out vast underground chambers. The passages reveal how natural forces gradually transformed solid rock into the network visible today.
Getting there is challenging and requires a bus ride from Tashkent followed by truck transport to the mountains. From there, visitors need at least two days on foot with pack animals to reach the cave entrance.
The Lunar Path is a roughly 250-meter-long corridor with mineral deposits that document climate changes over thousands of years. These layers allow researchers to study the region's natural history without needing to drill into rock elsewhere.
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