This more than 100-meter-deep ice cave can make the sun "dance" and also hides geological "codes"

Author: Duan Yuechu and Huang Xianghong

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In the vast and mysterious land of Tibet, the third pole of the earth, there are countless natural wonders hidden, each of which is like a masterpiece carefully carved by the god of nature, carrying the key code of the earth's evolution. This time, our scientific expedition team will focus on a mysterious ice cave in Puyuyi Village, Bianba Town, Bianba County, hoping to unveil its mystery and explore the natural mysteries contained therein.

Our scientific expedition team is composed of several members, each with unique skills and distinct personalities. The captain, Li Yue, is an experienced, calm and resolute senior explorer. The traces of time on his face seem to tell the hardships and glory of his countless expeditions in the past. His deep eyes reveal his persistence and spirit of exploration of the unknown. He can always make wise decisions at critical moments and lead the team forward. Lin Xiao, a female member of the team, is a meticulous and energetic young scholar. Her smart eyes and passion for scientific research seem to hide her curiosity and desire to explore everything in the world. Whether it is recording data or observing subtle phenomena in ice caves, she is meticulous and rigorous. There is also Zhang Qiang, who has a cheerful and generous personality. You can always hear his hearty laughter and heroic words along the way. He is physically strong and took the initiative to undertake most of the heavy equipment handling work, silently contributing his strength to the team, adding a lot of relaxation to the tense scientific expedition.

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With a car full of professional equipment and full of expectations, we set out from the camp and embarked on the journey to the ice cave. The vehicle bumped forward on the winding and rugged mountain road. Outside the window were rolling mountains and vast grasslands. The scenery was magnificent but also lurking dangers. On the way, Lin Xiao excitedly pointed to the snow-capped mountains in the distance and talked endlessly about its formation principles and unique ecosystems. His eyes flashed with a desire for knowledge and a love for nature; Zhang Qiang hummed a little song while checking whether the equipment was fixed and secure, and joked with everyone from time to time to ease the tense atmosphere in the car; and Captain Li Yue kept a close eye on the road conditions. He repeatedly checked the map in his hand, not missing any details that might affect the itinerary, to ensure that we arrived at our destination safely.

After a long and arduous journey, we finally arrived near the ice cave. Before we got close, the biting coldness hit us, like a majestic warning from the ice cave. But our scientific expedition team members did not retreat, and headed towards the cave entrance with awe and excitement. Approaching the ice cave, the entrance was like the open mouth of a sleeping giant beast, or the entrance to a door of time and space. The surrounding rocks were eroded by time into various strange shapes, as if telling the ancient story of this land.

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Stepping into the cave, it feels like entering an isolated kingdom of ice and snow. Under the weak light, the ice wall sparkles with charming luster, as if countless tiny diamonds are carefully inlaid by nature. The ice bodies are in various shapes, some are like jade pillars, towering, as if they are the guardians of the ice cave; some are like blooming white flowers, delicate and soft, exuding a quiet and mysterious atmosphere. The sunlight pours down through the gaps in the cave ceiling, and is refracted by the ice ridges into a colorful light curtain, just like a dream painting painted by nature with light, adding a bit of sacred and solemn color to this ice world.

Lin Xiao immediately got busy, holding a high-precision thermometer and hygrometer, carefully moving between the ice bodies, carefully measuring and recording the temperature and humidity data in the cave. Every movement was precise and elegant. She looked focused as if everything around her had nothing to do with her, and only the data in her hands was her whole world at the moment. Zhang Qiang quickly assembled the lighting equipment and sampling tools, with skilled and agile movements. His strong figure appeared particularly firm in the dim light of the ice cave, and from time to time he loudly reminded everyone to pay attention to the ice layer under their feet to prevent slipping. Captain Li Yue stood aside, observing the overall structure and geological characteristics of the ice cave with a keen eye, gently tapping the ice wall and rock with the geological hammer in his hand, listening to the subtle sounds they made, as if he was having a dialogue across time and space with the ice cave, trying to decipher the geological code of its formation.

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After detailed survey, the ice cave is about 152 meters deep, and there are complex climate and ecological micro-environment gradients inside. From the entrance to the bottom of the cave, the temperature gradually decreases, the humidity rises, and the air pressure changes accordingly. This gradient change affects the physical state and chemical composition of the ice body. It is about 18.2 meters wide, providing a broad display space for the rich and diverse ice forms in the cave. It also plays a key role in the air circulation and heat exchange in the cave. The wind speed and heat distribution in different areas are significantly different. It is about 6.6 meters high, allowing sunlight to pour in at a specific angle and intensity, which not only gives the ice body a colorful visual effect, but also plays an important role in the melting and recrystallization process of the ice body, forming a unique ice texture and structure. Its overall shape is an arc arch. This structure has excellent mechanical stability, can withstand the huge pressure of the rocks and ice above, and creates special conditions for climate regulation and water circulation inside the ice cave, promoting the formation and evolution of the unique ecosystem in the cave.

The formation of ice caves is closely related to the local geological structure and climatic conditions. From the perspective of geological structure, the rocks in this area are mainly limestone, which has a certain porosity and permeability, providing a natural channel for the flow of groundwater. Over the long years, after the snow on the mountains melted, the snow water seeped into the ground along the pores and cracks of the rocks, forming groundwater runoff. When winter comes and the temperature drops sharply, the water in these water-filled rock pores and cracks gradually freezes, and ice begins to form and continues to accumulate. Over time, the growth of the ice gradually shapes the ice cave we see today.

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From the perspective of climatic conditions, the region has a plateau mountain climate with cold and long winters, which provides sufficient cold sources for the formation and maintenance of ice caves, allowing the ice to exist and develop stably in a low-temperature environment. The summer is relatively short and cool, with relatively concentrated precipitation. Some precipitation will seep into the ground to replenish water sources, but overall the summer climatic conditions also help the ice in the ice cave to remain relatively stable and not melt too quickly. According to our preliminary estimates, the temperature in the ice cave is maintained between -5℃ and 0℃ all year round, and the humidity is maintained at around 80% - 90%. This relatively stable temperature and humidity environment plays an indispensable role in the preservation of the ice and the formation of the unique ecosystem in the cave.

The discovery of this ice cave is of extraordinary significance to earth science research. It is like a natural "history book" that faithfully records the climate changes and geological evolution over the long years of the past. Through the analysis of the ice layer in the ice cave, we can obtain precious meteorological information, such as fluctuations in precipitation and temperature. These data are crucial for reconstructing ancient climate models, and can help us grasp the evolution of the earth's climate more accurately, and thus provide a solid and powerful scientific basis for predicting future climate change trends. At the same time, the geological structure of the ice cave also provides a unique sample for studying crustal movement and rock properties, which helps us to explore the mysteries of the earth's interior in depth and enhance our understanding of the earth's evolution mechanism.

Deep in the ice cave, the blue hue becomes more intense, as if it is swallowing us into this mysterious abyss. The ice beneath our feet occasionally makes a slight "crunching" sound, as if the ice cave is humming its ancient and mysterious ballad, and each note seems to carry the memory of the past years. The ice cones hanging from the top of the cave are like the sword of Damocles and the sharp fangs of the ice cave. They show a thrilling beauty in danger, which makes people feel awe at the majestic power of nature while marveling at it.

When we reached the bottom of the cave and looked back at the way we came, the ice-blue passageway was shining with mysterious light in the darkness, like a secret path connecting the earthly world and the fairyland. This Tibetan ice cave is undoubtedly a priceless treasure gifted to mankind by nature. With its deepness, clarity and fantasy, it is deeply imprinted in the hearts of each of our scientific expedition team members and has become one of the most brilliant memories of our scientific expedition career.

This ice cave expedition made us realize how small and insignificant humans are in front of nature. Each of our team members knows that it is our unshirkable responsibility to protect these natural wonders and our home planet. With this precious experience and profound insights, we will continue to devote ourselves to the great cause of natural science research, and contribute our own strength to reveal more natural mysteries and protect the beauty and tranquility of the earth.

Reference: Absolutely beautiful! Another large dreamlike ice cave was discovered in Bianba, Tibet | People's Daily