Question 2 of 11

The largest known cave system in the world boasts 348 miles (560 kilometers) of passageways. Where is it located?

... Kentucky's Mammoth Cave park features the greatest total length of surveyed passageways. In order to preserve this natural treasure, it has been named both a U.S. National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Question 3 of 11

In 2007, researchers used seismic analysis to discover the presence of a subterranean water deposit 400 to 800 miles (644 to 1,288 kilometers ) beneath eastern Asia. The liquid deposit was roughly equal in size to which surface body of water?

... Researchers indicated that the underground "ocean" was roughly the size of the Arctic Ocean, which covers an area of 5.4 million square miles (14 million square kilometers). However, scientists stress that the water amounts to less than 1 percent of the rock it is trapped in.

Question 4 of 11

In Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth," a team of adventurers travels impossibly deep into the Earth's interior. Outside the world of science fiction, what is the deepest cave system known to man?

... Located in Georgia, the Voronya Cave is the deepest known cave on Earth. Also called Krubera Cave, it plunges more than 6,562 feet (2,000 meters) into the planet's crust.

Question 5 of 11

So-called never-ending pits figure heavily into cartoons, fantasy and science fiction. Where else are you going to drop your Balrogs, Sith Lords and skull-faced sorcerers? In reality, however, your choices are far more limited. Where can you find the deepest known vertical shaft (or "pit cave") for all your villain-plummeting needs?

... At 1,980 feet (603 meters) deep, Slovenia's Vrtoglavica Cave offers the longest pit-based drop a villain can hope for. Croatia's Patkov Gušt comes in second at 1,810 feet (553 meters) and El Capitan Pit is the deepest vertical shaft in the United States at 598 feet (182 meters).

Question 6 of 11

Human fascination with caves has its roots in prehistoric times. Where would you go to find the oldest-known cave paintings in the world?

... Descend into Chauvet Cave in southern France, and you'll find handprints and animal sketches between 30,000 and 32,000 years old. The Cave of Swimmers contains depictions of human swimmers approximately 10,000 years old, and the Bhimbetka rock shelters feature art that dates back an estimated 9,000 years.

Question 7 of 11

Not all caves are made of rock. Glacier caves, as the name implies, carry draining meltwater through and under masses of glacial ice. As such, these splendid passageways of ice undergo a much faster rate of change. Which glacier caves disappeared around the turn of the 21st century?

... Mount Rainier's lengthy Paradise Ice Caves once attracted naturalists from around the world. Ongoing recession of the Paradise Glacier caused the caves to completely vanish by the end of the 1990s.

Question 8 of 11

While cave environments can prove challenging, a number of organisms have evolved to thrive entirely within the subterranean dark. In fact, many troglobites (cave-limited species) have evolved to live exclusively in specific cave environments. For example, where would you travel to see the planet's few remaining tooth cave spiders?

... Biologists estimate the global population of tooth cave spiders to be less than 250 -- and all of them reside in the caves of Edwards Plateau in Travis County, Texas. Urban development continues to threaten the species' survival.

Question 9 of 11

A virtual cathedral of subterranean crystal formations, the Chandelier Ballroom in Lechuguilla Cave is as fragile and restricted as it is beautiful. In which country is it located?

... Lechuguilla Cave is part of New Mexico's Carlsbad Caverns National Park in the United States. Should you travel there, you'll find no shortage of wonderful subterranean sights to behold, but the Chandelier Ballroom is off-limits to the public.

Question 10 of 11

Just because you're enclosed within a sunless cavern doesn't mean you have to go without naturally occurring light. Travel to Glowworm Cave, and you'll enjoy an amazing boat ride beneath a ceiling lit by bioluminescent insect larvae. In what country can you do this?

... The Waitomo Glowworm Caves in New Zealand are an excellent place to observe this bioluminescent spectacle. Additional caverns in both New Zealand and Australia are also home to these curious arthropods.

Question 11 of 11

Not all caves form naturally. Which of the following is actually a man-made cave?

... Chislehurst Caves, just outside of London, are entirely man-made mines. They are the result of chalk and flint mining, which occurred from at least A.D. 1250 to the 1830s. Since that time, they have served as a bomb shelter, mushroom farm, tourist attraction, music venue and a film set for the likes of "Doctor Who."

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