The largest caves in the world. The most mysterious caves of our planet

Research of caves has been going on for years, expeditions find more and more natural formations. Some caves are considered beautiful, others are difficult to navigate, and there are some of the largest caves.

The longest cave in Russia

There are many caves in Russia, both dry and flooded. The Botovskaya Cave is considered the longest. It is located near the village of Konoshalovo in the remote taiga Irkutsk region. To date, more than sixty-eight kilometers of underground passages have been explored, however for a long time it was believed that the length of this natural object about seven kilometers.

She was discovered by chance by a local hunter following the scent of a bear. This cave has a grotto containing lakes. The uniqueness of the Botovskaya cave is that it consists not only of limestone, as is most often the case in karst caves, but also of sandstone. The type of this object is horizontal.

The cave was first explored in 1947. It has about twelve thousand intersections and many intricate passages. In 2013, an expedition discovered a map of this cave carved into stone, which exactly repeats the passages. The size of this “map” is relatively large.

While studying the passages, it became clear that the Botovskaya cave was visited more than once by Neolithic researchers.

The opportunity to get into the cave appears only in winter, since it can only be reached by tractor on the ice of the Lena River. The path on the ice is almost ninety kilometers.

But the Orda Cave is recognized as the longest underwater cave in Russia. It is located in the Perm region, eighty kilometers from the city of Kungur and received its name in honor of the nearby village of Orda. It was discovered when the high left bank of the Kungur River collapsed.

Scientists first explored the cave in 1993. It is a plaster horizontal labyrinth. Most of it is filled with water. The length of the cave is four kilometers six hundred meters. Being the largest water cave in Russia, it is in second position in Eurasia.

Large and beautiful caves

Since there are many caves in the world, we can highlight several of the most beautiful and largest ones. Such is the caves of Zakynthos, located on greek island with the same name. The caves reflect the color of the sky and ocean. They are also called blue caves. The Cave of Melessani, or as it is also called, the Cave of the Nymphs, is also located in Greece.

In the southwestern part of Slovenia there are the staggeringly sized Škocjan caves. The underground halls and gorges are immense in shape. In fact, this is a whole network consisting of eleven caves.

In Chile Chico there are the most beautiful Marble Caves. The amazing thing is that they are entirely made of marble. The beauty of the naturally formed caves mesmerizes visitors who come there.

In America there is National Park with the name "Mammoth Cave". The park was founded in 1941 and is located in Central Kentucky. The cave system is recognized as the longest in the world.

It is impossible not to say about the caves of Cenota Yucatan. They formed on the Yucatan Peninsula. Even the Mayan Indians considered them sacred.

In 2000, the Crystal Cave was discovered in Mexico. Its second name is the Cave of Crystals. It contains many huge selenite crystals. You can visit the cave only with special equipment, since it is located at a depth of three hundred meters, and with a humidity of ninety-nine percent, the air temperature there reaches fifty-eight degrees.

The most amazing and unique is the Romanian cave Movile. Its uniqueness is that it is a closed ecosystem. For five million years it existed separately from the Earth's ecosystem. This was the reason that several dozen unknown plants and living creatures were discovered in this cave. It was opened only in 1996.

On the island of Borneo there is Ila National Park. There is a cave there, discovered in 1980, reaching a kilometer in length, two kilometers in width, and its height is two hundred meters.

There is a cave in the US state of New Mexico large sizes– Big Room or “Big Room”. Its length is five hundred and fifty meters and its height is seventy-seven meters.

The largest cave in Vietnam

It is in Vietnam that there is a cave that is recognized as both the largest and most beautiful in the world. Its name is Hang Son Doong or Son Doong Cave. The location of this natural site is Quang Binh province, five hundred kilometers from Hanoi, near the border with Laos in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

Local residents have known this huge cave since 1991, and it was discovered by speleologists in 2009. It was not easy to find her, since she is located in impenetrable jungle. Its width is one hundred meters. The length of Shondong has been studied for six and a half kilometers, while in some places the height reaches two hundred and forty meters.

The deepest cave in the world

Among all the caves in the world, the deepest is the Crow Cave or Krubera Cave, located in Abkhazia in the Gagra ridge. The cave is branched, there are two branches in it. The depth of one is one kilometer three hundred meters, the other is two kilometers one hundred and ninety-six meters.

The cave was discovered and explored for the first time in 1960. The last expedition dived in 2012. Each subsequent expedition tries to reach greater depths than the previous one.

The caves surprise not only with their size, but also with their beauty. But there are other beautiful places in Russia. .
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Caves are underground cavities that communicate with the surface by one or more

inlets. Most large caves have complex systems passages and halls, often with a total length of up to several tens of kilometers.

Today we will visit some mysterious caves.

Limestone cave Tham Lod. This is one of the most ancient caves in Thailand. It is very popular among archaeologists. A human skeleton was found here, which is more than twenty thousand years old. Visitors to the cave will be able to see the dwelling primitive people. Caves were generally used by ancient people as comfortable dwellings.

Inside this cave, the walls are covered with massive formations over 20 meters high, which make you feel very insignificant in this world. There is no artificial lighting in the cave, so you need to move around inside with a flashlight. The very name of the cave - Nam Lod, which translated from Thai means “water passing through” - speaks about its essence.

Cave on the beach in New Zealand.

In most caves, the air is breathable due to natural circulation, although there are caves in which you can only be in gas masks. For example, guano deposits can poison the air. However, in the vast majority of natural caves, air exchange with the surface is quite intense.

Cave under Uluwatu Temple, Bali.

View of the Northern Lights from a cave in Northern Norway.

In addition to caves that have access to the surface and are accessible to direct study by humans, earth's crust there are closed underground cavities. The deepest underground cavity (2952 meters) was discovered by drilling on the coast of Cuba

And this is just a cave and beautiful lake. Unfortunately, the photographer forgot to leave the name of the area.

This is, rather, not a cave, but an artificial bridge in Morocco.

Castor cave Olsztyn in Poland. Caves according to their origin can be divided into five groups: tectonic, erosional, glacial, volcanic and, finally, the most large group- karst. Most of these caves are like this. It is karst caves that have greatest length and depth. Karst caves are formed due to the dissolution of rocks by water, so they are found only where soluble rocks occur: limestone, marble, dolomite, chalk, as well as gypsum and salt.

Reed Flute Cave in China. This is an iconic place in Guilin, China, located in a picturesque area with karst formations. This natural limestone cave gets its name from the reeds that grow around it, which the locals used to make their ancient wind instruments.

Read more in the article “Reed Flute Cave in China.”

Caves appear in many fantasy works (both fantasy and science fiction). Caves (more precisely, bunkers) in science fiction mainly serve as shelters after a global catastrophe that has made life on the surface impossible. In fantasy, caves are inhabited by gnomes, kobolds, goblins, dragons; V role playing games they often play the role of dungeons. In Russians folk tales among the inhabitants of the caves are the Mistress of the Copper Mountain and the Serpent Gorynych.

Ice Cave at Matthiessen State Park, Illinois.

Krubera-Voronya is the deepest (at the beginning of 2014) cave in the world (depth 2196 meters), located in the Arabica mountain range in Abkhazia. The entrance to the cave is located at an altitude of about 2250 m above sea level in the Orto-Balagan tract. A karst cave of a subvertical type is a series of wells connected by climbers and galleries. The deepest plumbs: 115, 110, 152 m:

Among the most famous literary heroes who ended up in the caves: Tom Sawyer along with Becky Thatcher, as well as Bilbo Baggins.

Cave of Crystals, Iceland. You can enter the cave from the shore, through a 7-meter hole. The tunnel gradually narrows, and at the end its height is no more than 1.2 meters. Ice caves are generally unstable and can collapse at any time. They are only safe to visit in winter, when cold temperatures cause the ice to freeze heavily. Cracking sounds are constantly heard in the cave. They are heard not because the cave is about to collapse, but because the cave is moving along with the glacier itself. Every time the glacier moves a millimeter, loud sounds are heard.

Prehistoric people used caves all over the world as homes. Even more often, animals lived in caves. Many animals died in trap caves starting from vertical wells.

Cave and view of Gibraltar.

Marble Mountains is a beautiful and mysterious place near the city of Da Nang, Vietnam. Huyen Khong cave with statues and altars inside.

The longest cave in the world is Mammoth Cave (USA) - karst, built in limestone. It has a total length of passages of more than 600 km. The length of the explored part of the cave system is more than 587 km. In the surveyed part there are 225 underground passages, about 20 large halls and more than 20 deep shafts:

The extremely slow evolution of caves, their constant climate, and protection from the outside world have preserved a huge number of archaeological finds to us. This is pollen from fossil plants, bones of long-extinct animals (cave bear, cave hyena, mammoth, woolly rhinoceros), rock paintings of ancient people.

Luray Caverns in Virginia. There is even an underground organ.

The cave monastery is located in Moldova. The archaeological complex “Old Orhei” is located 60 km northeast of Chisinau.

Rainbow and frozen waterfall in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Although the living world of caves, as a rule, is not very rich (except for the entrance part, where sunlight), however, some animals live specifically in caves or even only in caves. First of all, this bats, many of their species use caves as daily shelter or for wintering. Moreover, bats sometimes fly into very remote and hard-to-reach corners, perfectly navigating the narrow labyrinthine passages.

Cave system in Halong Bay in Vietnam.

Cave off the coast of San Francisco, California.

Birds, sunlight and temple. Batu Caves is a complex of cave hills and Hindu shrines in the Gombak district, 13 km from the center of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. (Photo by Danny Xeero) The Batu Caves were created by nature more than 400 million years ago. IN XIX century one merchant from India built a temple to the god Muruga in this secluded place.

About ten kilometers from the city of Kuala Lumpur are the Batu caves (karst caves), with a 42-meter statue erected at the entrance in honor of the Hindu god Murugan.

Marble Caves, Chile

The main attraction of Lago General Carrera, the Marble Caves in bluish hues, is one of the unique and beautiful places in the world, located on the border between the countries of Chile and Argentina. beautiful music for relaxation

Son Doong Cave (Hang Son Dong)

The largest and one of the most beautiful caves on the planet is located in Vietnam and is called Son Doong. The cave is striking in its scale - its height is about 200 meters, and its width is up to 150 meters.

Thamlod Cave

Located in the Thai province of Mae Hong Son, Thamlod Cave is one of the oldest in the country. It is very popular among archaeologists and tourists.

Mendenhall Glacier Caves

The picturesque Mendenhall Glacier, located in Alaska, is famous for its amazing ice caves with its own fantastic world.

Cave of Giant Crystals

In the desert of Mexico at a depth of three hundred meters lurks amazing world giant crystals.

Kyaut Sae Cave in Myanmar

Another one on the list of amazing caves is the place where a Buddhist temple was built, the Kyaut Sae cave, which amazes with its views and size.

Vatnajokull glacier and its caves

The impressively sized Vatnajokull glacier in Europe (which means “glacier that gives water”) is home to picturesque caves in the ice.

Phraya Nakhon Cave in Thailand

Not quite a cave, but rather a valley 50 meters wide and 65 meters deep, over which hang walls covered with vegetation and stalactites.

Muntovsky volcano cave

This cave of indescribable beauty, created by lava, ice, geysers and light, is located in Kamchatka, not far from the Muntovsky volcano.

Reed Flute Cave in China

Fabulously beautiful, similar to fantasy world The karst cave is located in Guilin, China.

The underground world has long attracted the attention of people. In ancient times it was inhabited by gods. Nowadays, we have begun to explore the deep bowels of the planet, which are unique labyrinths of underground galleries, halls and mines.

Today the caves are of interest to both speleologists and ordinary tourists. Scientists use them to study the history of the development of the Earth, explore various mineral formations, and discover new ones. biological species. Tourists flock to caves for adventure. The underground galleries decorated with stalactites and stalagmites captivate the imagination, excite the imagination and fill even the most callous hearts with horror and romance.

On any continent, in any country, you can find underground passages, formed, most often, by water, century after century, eroding the soil and rocks. Most modern caves are classified as “dry”, but there are some among them where underground rivers still flow.

Almost all caves are actively being studied, but the longer the underground formation, the more difficult and longer this process takes.

Each of the caves has its own unique structure and system of natural entrances: somewhere there may be several of them, somewhere only one, and somewhere more than a hundred. Artificial passages are made to caves with limited access.

Many famous caves have underground camps for scientists and specially designed tourist areas for general visitors. National parks are often formed around caves, allowing the unique natural heritage to be preserved intact.

Planet Earth caves - VIDEO

Caves of the world - PHOTO

1. Mammoth Cave

The longest cave in the world was discovered in 1797 in the Appalachian Mountains, located in American state Kentucky. Its underground passages and halls go six hundred and fifty-one kilometers deep into the earth. The cave was formed about ten million years ago as a result of dissolution rocks water. It got its name due to its size: translated from English “mammoth” - “huge”. The cave has a special microclimate. It contains amazing eyeless creatures that look like fish.

2. Sak-Actun

The Mexican cave of Sac Actun is the longest in the country and the second longest in the world. It was opened in 1987 in the north of Yucatan, near the city of Tulum. Of the three hundred and seventeen kilometers of underground passages, only six are not flooded with water. The “White Cave” (this is how its name is translated from the Mayan language) is of meteorite origin: scientists believe that it was formed about sixty-five million years ago as a result of a fall celestial body. The river of the same name flowing through the cave has perfectly clean and transparent water.

The American Jewel Cave, located in South Dakota, near the town of Custer, boasts a length of two hundred and fifty-seven kilometers. The height difference between its underground galleries is one hundred thirty-five meters, that is, four floors. The cave was discovered in 1900. Jewel has one natural (in the northwest) and one artificial (in the center) entrance. All of its galleries, except the top one, are covered with a thick layer of calcite - a transparent or white calcareous mineral. Interesting feature cave is the presence of strong winds, up to fifteen meters per second.

4. Ox-Bel-Ha

“Three Ways of Water” is only a kilometer shorter than Jewel. The cave located not far from Sak-Actun has not yet been fully explored, but more than one hundred and forty natural entrances have already been discovered in it. Aux-Bel-Ha was formed eighteen thousand years ago by the waters of the world's oceans, which exceeded their level due to climate change and eroded nearby limestone rocks. The Mexican cave reaches a depth of thirty-seven meters and has about eighty branches, flooded by the waters of the Caribbean Sea.

5. Optimistic

Located in the Ternopil region, near the village of Korolevka, the Ukrainian Optimistic Cave reaches a length of two hundred thirty-six kilometers, but has a shallow depth - no more than fifteen to twenty meters. The fifth longest among all the caves in the world, it is the first among gypsum formations. Optimistic Cave was opened in 1966. Currently, the underground passages of the village of Korolevka are being actively studied: for scientists from different countries In the world there are fifteen underground camps in the cave.

American Wind Cave is Jewel's neighbor. It is smaller in size by forty-five kilometers and is just as deep. Wind has been known to people since 1881. Since 1903, it, together with the adjacent territory, received the status of a National Park. The cave was formed by thermal waters. Now they find on its walls large number minerals. WITH geographical point From view, Wind is a labyrinth filled with a dense, branched network of underground galleries. The cave is equipped for excursions. About five hundred thousand tourists visit it annually.

7. Lechugia

The American Lechuguia Cave stretches underground for two hundred and twenty kilometers and goes approximately five hundred meters deep. It was opened in 1914, but until 1986 no one was interested in it, since everyone saw it as a “Dreary Hole” (the first name of Lechuguia) and nothing more. Today, the unique rock formation is part of Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Speleologists consider Lechugia to be the most beautiful cave peace, thanks the finest lace gypsum crystals covering its walls.

The longest European cave is located in the Swiss Alps. It was opened in 1875. With a length of two hundred kilometers, its depth reaches a thousand meters with an vibration amplitude of more than eight hundred meters. There are two entrances to Hölloch: the first is located in the valley of the Muota River, the second is at an altitude of more than a thousand meters. The cave consists of a complex, multi-story system of halls and galleries, decorated with numerous stalactites and stalagmites. In summer, floods are observed on its watercourses. The lower part of Hölloch is open to tourists.

9. Gua-Air-Jernich

The longest Asian cave is located in the north of the Malaysian island of Kalimantan. Opened relatively recently, in 1978, it has a length of one hundred and ninety-seven kilometers. The amplitude of Gua-Eir-Jernich is three hundred and fifty-five meters. The cave has five levels of galleries and many entrances. The main entrance is in the river. You can get to it by boat. The lower level of Gua Eir Jernich is filled with water. The cave is part of Gunung Mulu National Park, which includes other karst formations and rainforests.

10. Fisher Ridge

Located in the western Appalachians, the Fisher Ridge karst cave reaches a length of one hundred and ninety-four kilometers. Underground labyrinths, going one hundred meters deep into the earth, were discovered in Kentucky in 1914, although they have been known to the indigenous people of the United States for the past thousand years. Fisher Ridge is located in close proximity to Mammoth Cave. It has three entrances leading to a multi-level complex of galleries and shafts. The Green River flows through the cave. The walls of Fisher Ridge contain rock art.

The largest caves on the planet are stunning in their grandeur, which can fascinate anyone. It's scary to look into a trap huge cave. It seems impossible to get back out of this place. This mysterious separate world of silence and silence is capable of sucking any unwary tourist into its vastness.
Expeditions to study the most complex caves began in the 18th century. The then famous scientist I. Nagel led the largest expedition to the caves of Moravia. During the expedition, the group reached a depth of 138 m.

M. Lomonosov contributed a large amount of knowledge about underground depths. Explanation of the chemical nature of caves - Lomonosov's theory. The movement of air at the depths of caves and the formation of stalactites and stalagmites, as well as the formation of ice in caves - this knowledge is the merit of our scientist.
Absolutely all caves are different from each other, but they can safely be included in the list of the most unusual places on Earth. The presence of wells, lakes, grottoes, waterfalls and glaciers are the elements of caves that create the overall picture and make certain differences.

Caves are a natural underground cavity accessible to human penetration. They are the object of study of the science of speleology. It is speleologists who make the greatest contribution to cave exploration. Some of nature's creations amaze with their beauty, others with their bizarre shapes, and others with their size. The top 10 includes the largest caves in the world by length, volume or area.

Optimistic Cave

Optimistic Cave (Ukraine) opens the top ten largest caves. It is also the longest gypsum cave in the world. The explored territory is 230 kilometers long, but the cave itself is much longer.
The rest of it has not yet been studied by researchers. The Optimistic Cave was discovered in 1966 by Lviv speleologists. Initially it was assumed that its length was no more than 3 meters, but further persistent research showed that the cave is one of the longest in the world.
It got its name because speleologists who were skeptical about exploring the cave called Lviv residents optimists. Since then, more than 200 expeditions have been made here.

Sarma Sarma (Abkhazia) is included in the list of the most deep caves world, which is located in the Arabica mountain range. It was discovered in 1990 by Sergei Shipitsin. The entrance to it is located at an altitude of 2150 meters above sea level.

The maximum known depth of Sarma is 1830 meters. The cave is formed by limestone and gypsum rocks. Many speleologists took part in her research. Among them are Rudko Pavel, Koreshnikov Evgeniy, Plotnikov Vladimir, Osintsev Alexander, Sukhachev Vasily, Zakrepa Andrey, Safin Rafail, Bezverkhy Anatoly, Verbitsky Alexander, Kalachev Artem and many others.

Krubera-Voronya
Krubera-Voronya (Abkhazia) is the deepest cave in the world, known for speleology. Its depth is 2.2 kilometers, and it is located in the Arabica mountain range in Georgia. The entrance to it is located at an altitude of 2250 meters above sea level. It is a subvertical type cave, consisting of a series of wells, which are connected by climbers and galleries. Another entrance to Krubera Voronya was opened in 2014 and is located at an altitude of 2253 meters above sea level. At a depth of two hundred meters, the cave branches into the Main and Nekuibyshevskaya branches, which are the main ones.
Then there are many smaller branches. Krubera-Voronya was first discovered in 1960 by a speleological expedition of the Institute of Geography named after. Vakhushti Bagrationi AN GSSR. In 2014, a team of speleologists opened a new entrance, located above the main one, which made it possible to set a new world record for the depth of the cave system, which became equal to 2199 meters.

Jeita Caves

The Lebanese Great Caves are some of the most magical caves on Earth. The upper cave was opened in 1836, the lower one much later - in 1958.
The length of the cave is 2250 m.
Jeita is very popular among tourists, who have the opportunity to visit only part of the cave, 700 m deep, the rest of the path is blocked.
The upper cave has 3 halls and special underground reservoirs. Stalagmites and stalactites also decorate the view of the Lebanon Cave.

Sak-Actun

Sac Actun (Mexico) is one of the largest caves in the world, almost completely flooded with water. It is also included in the list of the longest caves in the world.
Its total length is more than 317 kilometers, of which only 5 kilometers are not flooded. Speleologists began studying it in the second half of the 20th century.

Marble caves in Chile

One of the most beautiful places on our vast planet is located on the border of Chile and Argentina in the Patagonian Andes. A fabulous creation, created by nature itself, located in South America in one of the deepest lakes in the world - Buenos Aires.
Locals majestically call it the Marble Cathedral, but in many tourist brochures it is referred to as Las Cavernas de Marmol or the Marble Caves of Chile. This is the most striking and memorable attraction of Patagonia, which is visited annually by tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world.
The pristine beauty of blue-blue rocks, shimmering in crystal clean waters lakes, according to most travelers who have seen this miracle of nature, makes one believe that paradise on earth still exists. I would like to note that in some sources you can find information that Las Cavernas de Marmol are located in the waters of Lake General Carrera (Lago General Carrera). This is not a mistake or a typo, the whole point is in the territorial location of the marble caves: General Carrera is the Chilean name, Buenos Aires, as you might guess, is Argentine.
The intricate labyrinths of the Marble Caves will not leave any traveler indifferent. Greatness and some unearthly beauty carved marble vaults, which on a sunny day is emphasized by the bright rays of the sun peeking here and there, is a truly unforgettable sight. The reflections of light in the emerald blue water, as if playing in a lake, create amazing optical illusions every second. That is why the Marble Caves look different on a bright sunny day and in cloudy weather.
The variability of the water level, which is caused by the seasonal melting of glaciers, also contributes to the “reincarnation” of the fantastic tunnels of the cave. Travelers who have already been there amazing corner, advise all those who are just deciding to go to Chile to the marble caves to make their excursion before the beginning of spring. During this period of time, the low water level in the caves allows curious tourists to take pleasure boats provided by local guides and enjoy the splendor of nature inside the caves. A walk under the arches of the miraculous Marble Cathedral on the water allows you to see this miracle of nature up close, look into the so-called “dark windows” of the cave, which are more reminiscent of an endless tunnel. However, who lives there remains a mystery to tourists, because a boat can no longer get deep into the caves...

Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave (USA) is recognized as the longest in the world. It is located in the state of Kentucky, USA, in the eponymous national park. Its length is more than 587 kilometers. In fact, the cave is much longer, but researchers have only studied this part so far.
Now in this cave system there are 225 known underground passages and about 20 huge halls. It got its name because of its impressive dimensions. There is quite a flow in one of the passages large river Echo, whose width is 60 meters and depth is 10 meters.
Mammoth Cave was formed approximately 10 million years ago. The Indians have known about its existence since ancient times. Subsequently, scientists discovered Indian burials in the cave.
Its discovery by Americans took place at the end of the 18th century.

It is famous not only for volcanoes and geysers, but also for other amazing natural phenomena!
These are unique ice and snow caves, which were formed by the forces of nature, and are amazing tourist sites!
Photographic tours are held here especially for those who like to take an unforgettable photo; it is likely that such a sight cannot be found anywhere else in the world!

On Far East Russia, in the area of ​​the Mutnovsky volcano in Kamchatka, it was formed under very interesting conditions.

Hot lava flows, ice, geysers and sunlight created a fabulously beautiful cave. IN lately The glaciers on the Kamchatka volcanoes are melting very quickly, so the upper ice layer of the cave has become very thin. Because of this, bright sunlight penetrates the layers of ice, creating an incredible glow.

Snow in these latitudes lies from October to the end of May. The peninsula also has a chain of active volcanoes that form the spine of the peninsula.

It's interesting that before the breakup Soviet Union in 1991 Kamchatka was closed to foreigners and most Russians.
Based at the southern end of the peninsula military base submarines with nuclear warheads.
After the collapse of the USSR, Kamchatka became a popular place for adrenaline junkies; it especially attracts fans of extreme sports. winter species sports

Photographers come here in search of amazing shots untouched nature. Photographer Denis Budko presented to our attention an amazing ice cave, which until recently was hidden from view. prying eyes under a large layer of snow.

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