Cave system found on Easter Island

According to the article there is nothing new or unknown about these caves, they've been showing them to tourists for years. What was surprising was the extent of the system. I have to wonder, though, about the comment about it being the 11th largest in the world in in terms of area since lava tube caverns are not usually very big since they are just that, tubes formed by lava flows, not large caverns hollowed out by water eroding limestone.

i think what's most facinating is the unearthen artifacts, this might as well give a background of the ancient easter island.

I have to wonder, though, about the comment about it being the 11th largest in the world in in terms of area since lava tube caverns are not usually very big since they are just that, tubes formed by lava flows, not large caverns hollowed out by water eroding limestone. Maybe they are not usually very big, but here's an example of how big they can be: The Undara Lava Tubes:

After I saw this yesterday I Googled Easter Island and read some stuff on it. It said there is no record of the volcanos erupting since people inhabited it. So these must be REALLY old. I would love to go see this place someday. I'd love to go here and to Egypt. I always thought Egypt was fascinating.

Cool, this will make a great new episode on 'Cities of the Underworld' someday. Ahh, true that!

a six kilometer cave system, a bunch of massive heads, on a rather small island.... now I know if I was living there, I would have had time to find all this much sooner..

Mels hole in Washington state is a lava tube. Nobody knows how deep or vast it is, but it was billed as a bottomless pit that may be thirty miles deep!

nothing new Thor Heyerdahl wrote about finding theses caves in one of his books "Aku Aku The Secrets opf Easster Island" in 1958 he explored these caves

What kills me is it took this long to discover. nothing new Thor Heyerdahl wrote about finding theses caves in one of his books "Aku Aku The Secrets opf Easster Island" in 1958 he explored these caves

Maybe they are not usually very big, but here's an example of how big they can be:The Undara Lava Tubes: That's quite a large passage. Wow. That must have been some massive volcanic activity when it was active.