Record #00411Nature archive
Kazumura Cave on the flank of Kīlauea in Hawaiʻi is the longest known lava-tube cave, with approximately 65.5 kilometres of mapped passages.
Current Record
about65.5km
Current record value
A lava tube forms when the surface of moving basaltic lava cools and solidifies, while molten lava continues through insulated passages below. When the lava drains, branching and sometimes multilevel cave passages remain.
The US National Park Service lists Kazumura Cave at 40.7 miles (65.5 km) of mapped passages and 3,614 feet (about 1,101.5 m) of vertical relief. Its record length is the total surveyed passage extent, not a straight-line end-to-end distance. The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory likewise describes it as the longest lava-tube cave.
The record conclusion has sufficient verification support.
Basis: direct confirmation by an authority
The US National Park Service lists Kazumura Cave at 40.7 miles/65.5 km of mapped passages and 3,614 ft/1,101.5 m of relief, and describes it as the longest lava tube cave. A USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Volcano Watch article independently calls the open Kazumura cave system the world's longest lava-tube cave. The metric is surveyed passage length.
This is the published total of mapped cave passages, not the main trunk or straight-line end-to-end distance, and does not imply that exploration is complete. No exact natural formation date is assigned.
Current Entry identifies the current entry in this archive; it does not establish that the record is still held today.
The record value on this page is organized from the public sources above. Measurement methods may differ; JiLuDB follows the unified method described for each entry.
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