Ghar Parau
Limestone cave in Western Iran
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Porow Cave is a limestone cave in the Zagros Mountains, north of Kermanshah in Western Iran.[2] At 751 m deep, it is the deepest cave in Iran.[3] Joujar Cave has been reported as the second deepest, at 568 m deep.[3]
| Porow Cave | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Porow Cave | |
| Location | Zagros Mountains, Iran |
| Coordinates | 34°24′44″N 47°14′38″E |
| Depth | 751 m (2,464 ft) [1] |
| Length | 1.36 km (0.85 mi)[1] |
| Discovery | 1971 |
| Geology | Limestone |
| Difficulty | High |
| Hazards | Vertical pitch |
History
A British-led caving expedition to the Zagros Mountains in 1971 led to the discovery of the cave.[1] The cave was explored to a depth of 742 m when the expedition was forced to return to the surface.[1] The explorers believed that the cave might go on much further, possibly surpassing the Gouffre de la Pierre-Saint-Martin system, which at that time was the world's deepest known cave.[4]
The team returned the following year and passed their previous limit, but to their great disappointment, the cave sumped almost immediately at a depth of 751 m and could be explored no further.[1] To be "Ghar Paraued" became a term used in British caving for a small, disappointing breakthrough following the great effort to discover new passage.[citation needed]
