Kazumura Cave is a lava tube, a remains of a former lava stream who produced a sort of tunnel by cooling down on the surface and still flowing in the center. It is located on the southeastern slopes of Mauna Loa, the southern summit on Big Island, Hawai'i. This cave is still being explored, and most important discoveries were made only ten years ago, during the 1990s, when several small caves were connected to form what is today the longest and deepest lava tube of the world.

Lava tubes are formed by the cooling lava, which means they are primary caves, they are formed together with (or at the same time as) the surrounding rocks. Also the way they are formed means that they are very close to the surface. Kazumura is for a length of 160 kilometers never deeper than about 30m.

Kazumura is not a commercial cave, but a certain part of this cave is guided by a local caver, so it is possiblle to visit it if you are generally physical fit.

External link

• Kazumura Cave