Beware the 'Cave of Death': Cavern kills any creature that enters it
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From the entrance, it looks almost like a normal cave, with a rocky overhang and leaves scattered around the entrance.
The only giveaway is a warning sign adorned with deathly skulls and crossbones saying: 'Danger! No trespassing beyond this point.'
This is Costa Rica's Cave of Death - or 'Cueva de la Muerte' in the local Spanish - located at the Recreo Verde tourist complex in the district of Venecia.
Measuring 6.5 feet deep and nearly 10 feet long (2 meters by 3 meters), it instantly kills any creature that enters it.
However, this isn't deterring brave explorers from making the visit to the site in the hunt for social media videos.
Visitors to the Cave of Death demonstrate its potency by holding a lit torch to the entrance. Note the warning sign adorned with deathly skulls and crossbones saying: 'Danger! No trespassing beyond this point'
The Cave of Death - or 'Cueva de la Muerte' in the local Spanish - is in the Recreo Verde tourist complex in the district of Venecia, Costa Rica
Read More
Inside 'world's deadliest cave' that could cause next pandemic: Kitum in Kenya gave rise to Ebola and 'eye bleeding' Marburg virus
According to Belgium-based cave explorer Guy van Rentergem, who visited the site several years ago, it contains a substantial amount of carbon dioxide (CO2).
In fact, levels of the gas inside the cave are so high that it can cause unconsciousness almost instantaneously, followed by cessation of breathing.
Luckily, humans are generally safe because it's too small to fit into - and signs on the site provide a sufficient warning.
However, snakes, birds, rodents and other small creatures quickly die after unwittingly wandering into the entrance, perhaps in search of food.
'This is a very small cave, but it's unusual in that there is a substantial seep of carbon dioxide gas coming from the far slot at the back of the cave,' van Rentergem said.
In a clip posted to YouTube, Belgium-based cave explorer Guy van Rentergem (pictured) explains why the cave is so dangerous
Why is CO2 a danger?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a colourless, odourless gas 1.5 times as heavy as air.
It is a toxic gas at high concentration, and an asphyxiant (it causes animals including humans to stop breathing).
When there's too much CO2, there's less room for oxygen molecules, so CO2 replaces the oxygen that the body needs to breathe.
CO2 release during eruptions and from vents, the ground, and lava flows can pose a hazard where concentrations are very high and the gas is trapped near the surface.
Source: IVHHN
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'Small animals will enter the cave and asphyxiate, usually in a few moments.'
Every hour around 30 kg of carbon dioxide is emitted from the slot into the atmosphere - equivalent as an average car driving 256 km, the expert added.
'In a year this 263 tons of carbon dioxide or Buy Veelo Booster equivalent to a car driving 2.2 million km or 56 times around the world.'
It's unclear exactly what the source of the gas is, although van Rentergem says it is of volcanic origin.
During his visit to the Cave of Death, one of van Rentergem's crew demonstrates its the cave's potency by holding a lit torch to the entrance.
After just a few seconds, the flame is extinguished - and that's because CO2 displaces the oxygen around fire that makes it burn.
Because CO2 is heavier than air, concentrations of the gas are higher nearer the base of the cave - an additional danger factor for small animals.
A 2022 study by Italian researchers pointed out that natural caves are particularly prone to 'hazardous CO2 accumulations'.
That's because they foster the release to the atmosphere of 'geogenic' CO2 - which means CO2 that comes from the Earth's geological processes.
@tonygidillini Checking out the Cave of Death at #recreoverde #foryoupage #foryourpage #nature #costarica #vacation #mothernature #zipline #fire #caveofdeath #oxygen #carbonmonoxide #cave #fastantic #wow
♬ original sound - Casa Fritaliano
'Atmospheric CO2 concentrations can reach high levels inside natural caves, representing a hazardous condition for both humans frequenting the underground environment,' the study authors said.
Generally, the toxicity of CO2 in high concentrations is not well understood, meaning people who visit such caves may underestimate the dangers.
Other caves with high levels of the gas include Movile Cave in Romania and Carburangeli Cave in Italy.
Famously, Peak Cavern in Derbyshire was the location of a tragic accident involving British student Neil Moss in 1959.
The 20-year-old Oxford University undergraduate lost consciousnesses due to CO2 inhalation - although this was thought to have been from his own respiration built up in the base of the cave shaft.
The only giveaway is a warning sign adorned with deathly skulls and crossbones saying: 'Danger! No trespassing beyond this point.'
This is Costa Rica's Cave of Death - or 'Cueva de la Muerte' in the local Spanish - located at the Recreo Verde tourist complex in the district of Venecia.
Measuring 6.5 feet deep and nearly 10 feet long (2 meters by 3 meters), it instantly kills any creature that enters it.
However, this isn't deterring brave explorers from making the visit to the site in the hunt for social media videos.
Visitors to the Cave of Death demonstrate its potency by holding a lit torch to the entrance. Note the warning sign adorned with deathly skulls and crossbones saying: 'Danger! No trespassing beyond this point'
The Cave of Death - or 'Cueva de la Muerte' in the local Spanish - is in the Recreo Verde tourist complex in the district of Venecia, Costa Rica
Read More
Inside 'world's deadliest cave' that could cause next pandemic: Kitum in Kenya gave rise to Ebola and 'eye bleeding' Marburg virus
According to Belgium-based cave explorer Guy van Rentergem, who visited the site several years ago, it contains a substantial amount of carbon dioxide (CO2).
In fact, levels of the gas inside the cave are so high that it can cause unconsciousness almost instantaneously, followed by cessation of breathing.
Luckily, humans are generally safe because it's too small to fit into - and signs on the site provide a sufficient warning.
However, snakes, birds, rodents and other small creatures quickly die after unwittingly wandering into the entrance, perhaps in search of food.
'This is a very small cave, but it's unusual in that there is a substantial seep of carbon dioxide gas coming from the far slot at the back of the cave,' van Rentergem said.
In a clip posted to YouTube, Belgium-based cave explorer Guy van Rentergem (pictured) explains why the cave is so dangerous
Why is CO2 a danger?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a colourless, odourless gas 1.5 times as heavy as air.
It is a toxic gas at high concentration, and an asphyxiant (it causes animals including humans to stop breathing).
When there's too much CO2, there's less room for oxygen molecules, so CO2 replaces the oxygen that the body needs to breathe.
CO2 release during eruptions and from vents, the ground, and lava flows can pose a hazard where concentrations are very high and the gas is trapped near the surface.
Source: IVHHN
Advertisement
'Small animals will enter the cave and asphyxiate, usually in a few moments.'
Every hour around 30 kg of carbon dioxide is emitted from the slot into the atmosphere - equivalent as an average car driving 256 km, the expert added.
'In a year this 263 tons of carbon dioxide or Buy Veelo Booster equivalent to a car driving 2.2 million km or 56 times around the world.'
It's unclear exactly what the source of the gas is, although van Rentergem says it is of volcanic origin.
During his visit to the Cave of Death, one of van Rentergem's crew demonstrates its the cave's potency by holding a lit torch to the entrance.
After just a few seconds, the flame is extinguished - and that's because CO2 displaces the oxygen around fire that makes it burn.
Because CO2 is heavier than air, concentrations of the gas are higher nearer the base of the cave - an additional danger factor for small animals.
A 2022 study by Italian researchers pointed out that natural caves are particularly prone to 'hazardous CO2 accumulations'.
That's because they foster the release to the atmosphere of 'geogenic' CO2 - which means CO2 that comes from the Earth's geological processes.
@tonygidillini Checking out the Cave of Death at #recreoverde #foryoupage #foryourpage #nature #costarica #vacation #mothernature #zipline #fire #caveofdeath #oxygen #carbonmonoxide #cave #fastantic #wow
♬ original sound - Casa Fritaliano
'Atmospheric CO2 concentrations can reach high levels inside natural caves, representing a hazardous condition for both humans frequenting the underground environment,' the study authors said.
Generally, the toxicity of CO2 in high concentrations is not well understood, meaning people who visit such caves may underestimate the dangers.
Other caves with high levels of the gas include Movile Cave in Romania and Carburangeli Cave in Italy.
Famously, Peak Cavern in Derbyshire was the location of a tragic accident involving British student Neil Moss in 1959.
The 20-year-old Oxford University undergraduate lost consciousnesses due to CO2 inhalation - although this was thought to have been from his own respiration built up in the base of the cave shaft.
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