Recently, a stunning large double-layered ice cave has been discovered in Changdu, Tibet.
Located within the boundaries of Puyu Er Village, Bianba Town, Bianba County, Changdu City, the cave, named Ranpu Ice Cave, is a large double-layered ice cave. The interior of the cave forms a spiral ascending structure, with a preliminary survey indicating a length of about 300 meters. The lower layer of the cave has an entrance approximately 30 meters high and 9 meters wide, while the upper layer features dual entrances each about 12 meters high and 8 meters wide.
Ranpu Ice Cave is approximately 15 kilometers linear distance from Gongga Ice Cave and is the third large blue ice cave discovered in Bianba County.
It is understood that the formation of ice caves follows a process similar to the development of karst caves in karst regions, requiring the involvement of water flow. Rivers on the surface of glaciers can also penetrate beneath the ice to form subglacial rivers. When these channels change their course to form new ones, the old channels become hollow, thus forming ice caves.
Ice caves, like karst caves, are creations of rivers, albeit forming within glaciers. However, in terms of formation time, ice caves resemble a “fast-forward version” of karst caves. It takes over ten thousand years for a karst cave to form through water erosion of limestone, whereas the formation of an ice cave may take only a few years or even shorter.