Leviathan Cave

Located in Kenya's Chyulu Hills, Leviathan Cave is a lava tube system with explored passages extending more than eleven kilometers. It belongs to the volcanic terrain of the hills and is notable among Africa's long lava caves. Such tubes form when the surface of a lava flow cools while molten rock continues moving beneath it; drainage can then leave a passage enclosed by the solidified crust. Its scale makes Leviathan relevant to speleologists, specialists who study caves, and to geologists examining how volcanic flows produce underground networks.

Exploration can reveal changes in passage shape and evidence of the movement of lava through the system. The cave is especially suited to research interest in subterranean volcanic environments, rather than being described simply as a scenic hollow in rock. Its defining character comes from the combination of extensive passages and their origin within the Chyulu Hills' volcanic setting.