List of lava tubes explained

A lava tube, or pyroduct,^[1] is a natural conduit formed by flowing lava from a volcanic vent that moves beneath the hardened surface of a lava flow. If lava in the tube empties, it will leave a cave.

Africa

Democratic Republic of the Congo

• Unnamed cave along the Kakomeru climbing route of Mt. Nyamulagira

Ethiopia

• 70 m lava tube cave has been recorded southeast of Addis Ababa and a smaller example on K'one Volcano

Kenya

• Chyulu Hills – contains nearly 100 tubes
• Elmenteita Badlands north of Mt. Eburru – several small caves
  • Leviathan Cave – At 12.5 kilometres, it is the longest lava tube in Africa.^[2]
• Emuruangogolak Volcano caves
• North Chyulu hills area – 20 caves are known^[3]
  • Hells Teeth
  • Kimakia Caves
  • Mathioni
  • Skull Caves
  • Kimakia Cave
• Lake Tillam, near Korosi Volcano – several known lava tubes
• Mount Suswa – around 40 known caves totaling around 11 km
• Menengai Caldera – single vent-like cave
• Nyambeni Mountains near Maua – 2 known caves

Rwanda

• Musanze System – total 5.1 km
  • Ubuvomo bwa Musanze – 4.56 km
  • Ubuvomo bwa Nyrabadogo – 1.5 km

Tanzania

• Mount Kilimanjaro Mawenzi lava tube system (at least 5)^[4]

Uganda

• Garama Cave – Kigesi District, is 342 m long

Asia

China

• Wudalianchi National Park and Global Geopark^[5]
  • Laoheishan volcano
    • Fairy Palace Cave
    • Waterfall Palace Cave
  • East Jiaodebushan volcano
    • Ice Cave
    • Underground Ice River
• Jingpo Hu National Park and Global Geopark
  • Weihuting Cave
  • Longyandongtian Cave (Dragon Rock Cave)
  • Shenshui Cave (Driven Water Cave)
  • Gubingdong Cave (Ancient Ice Cave)
  • Jiemei Cave (Sisters Cave)
  • Kanlianmiying Cave (Anti-J Allied Army Secret Camp)
• Leiqiong Global Geopark – More than 30 tubes
  • Seventy Two Cave Lava Tunnel

Japan

• Fugaku Wind Cave
• Lake Sai Bat Cave
• Narusawa Ice Cave

Saudi Arabia

• Harrat Khaybar lava field – Umm Jirsan lava tube – 1.5 km long (Pint 2009)

South Korea

• Geomunoreum Lava Tube System
  • Gimnyeonggul
  • Manjanggul – more than 8 kilometers long, located in Jeju Island, is a popular tourism spot.^{[6] [7]}

Europe

Iceland

• Búri (cave)
• Raufarhólshellir
• Surtshellir – For a long time, this was the longest known lava tube in the world.^[8]
• Víðgelmir

Italy

• Grotta del Gelo on Mount Etna

Portugal

• Azores
  • Algar do Carvão
  • Furna de Água
  • Furnas do Cavalum
  • Galerias da Feteira
  • Gruta Brisa Azul
  • Gruta das Agulhas
  • Gruta das Cinco Ribeiras
  • Gruta das Mercês
  • Gruta das Torres
  • Gruta do Carvão
  • Gruta do Natal
  • Gruta do Zé Grande
  • São Vicente Caves

Spain

• Canary Islands
  • Cuevas de los Murciélagos
  • Cueva de los Verdes
  • Cueva del Viento
  • Jameos del Agua
  • Tunnel de la Atlantida
  • Cueva de los Verdes

North America

Canada

• Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park

United States

• Ape Cave – Washington (state)
• Bandera Volcano Ice Cave – New Mexico
• Cheese Cave – Washington (state)
• Indian Tunnel lava tube (and more than 250 other examples) in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho^[9]
• Derrick Cave – Oregon
• El Malpais National Monument, in western New Mexico^[10]
• Hālona Blowhole
• Kaumana Cave – Hawaii
• Kazumura Cave, Hawaii – Not only the world's most extensive lava tube, but at 40.7miles, it has the greatest linear extent of any cave known.
• Kuna Caves – Idaho
• Lava Beds National Monument – California
• Newberry National Volcanic Monument – Oregon
  • Arnold Lava Tube System
  • Boyd Cave – Oregon
  • Horse Lava Tube System
    • Redmond Caves
  • Lava River Cave^[11]
  • Lava Top Butte basalt^[12]
  • Skeleton Cave
• Lava River Cave – Arizona
• Mammoth Cave – Utah
• Niter Ice Cave – Idaho
• Pluto's Cave – California
• Skylight Cave – Oregon
• Snow Canyon State Park - Utah^[13]
• Subway Cave Lava Tubes – Lassen National Forest, California^[14]
• Wilson Butte Cave – Idaho

Oceania

Australia

• Undara Volcanic National Park – Queensland

Galapagos

• Bellavista lava tunnel^[15]

New Zealand

• Auckland volcanic field Includes more than 50 lava tubes
  • Wiri Lava Cave

Samoa

• Alofaaga Blowholes

Extra Terrestrial

• Lunar lava tube
• Martian lava tube

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park – Lava Tubes . . 28 April 2020 . 21 July 2020.
2. July 2004. Minerogenesis of Volcanic Caves of Kenya. International Journal of Speleology. 32. 3–18. Forti. Galli. Rossi. 10.5038/1827-806X.32.1.1. 7 Apr 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170409021026/http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1220&context=ijs. 2017-04-09. live. free.
3. Jim W. Simons "Volcanic Caves of East Africa – An Overview " Int. J. Spelenl.. 27 B (1/4), (1998): 11–20
4. Clive Ward "Lava Caves of Kilimanjaro. Mawenzi Lava Tubes" Int. J. Speleol., 27 I3 (1/4), (1998): 53.56.
5. Chris Wood & Haiyan Zhang "Volcanic Centres and Lava Caves in China" Proceedings 14th International Symposium on Vulcanospeleology, 2010 pp. 123–129
6. Web site: Barclay . Jennifer . 10 Reasons Travelers Can't Keep Away from Jeju Island . CNN Travel . 2012-04-27 . 2015-12-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151224052542/http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/play/10-things-do-jeju-island-045157/ . 2015-12-24 . live .
7. Web site: Manjanggul Lava Tube [National Geopark] (만장굴 (제주도 국가지질공원)) : VISITKOREA ]. 2023-12-11 . Manjanggul Lava Tube [National Geopark] (만장굴 (제주도 국가지질공원)) . en.
8. Web site: Surtshellir-Stefánshellir System. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120424083400/http://www.showcaves.com/english/misc/caves/Surtshellir.html. 2012-04-24. 2007-08-07. Caves of Iceland. Showcaves.
9. Web site: Caves of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, Idaho . . 2018-02-08 . 2021-01-25.
10. Polyak . Victor J. . Provencio . Paula P. . The 'hornito-style' lava stalagmites and lava column in Lava Column Cave, El Malpais National Monument . New Mexico Geological Society Special Publication . 2020 . 14 . 37–40 . 2020-10-24.
11. http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/newberrynvm/index.shtml Newberry National Volcanic Monument
12. Book: Donnelly-Nolan . J. M. . Stovall. W. K. . Ramsey. D. W. . Ewert. J. W. . Jensen. R. A. . Newberry Volcano – Central Oregon's Sleeping Giant: USGS Fact Sheet 2011–3145 . 2011 . Hendley II . J. W. . United States Geological Survey.
13. https://stateparks.utah.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2023/07/Lava-Flow.pdf Snow Canyon State Park
14. https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/lassen/recarea/?recid=11435 Subway Cave
15. Web site: Lava Tubes of Bellavista on Santa Cruz, the Galápagos. 27 June 2016.