World’s largest underground thermal lake discovered in Albania’s 330-feet abyss

This new research has confirmed the largest underground thermal lake on the planet, buried deep inside a cave in southern Albania. It has been brought to light for the first time by the new expedition in 2024. The lake was initially discovered four years ago by researchers from the Czech Republic, but the researchers did not possess necessary tools to carry out proper measurement and verification of these treasures. Now that they possess state-of-the-art 3D scanning technology, they can accurately assess the size of the lake, thus regarding it as the largest thermal lake described in science.

Found in a cave along Albania's border with Greece, the underground thermal lake was historically much-laid upon by political tensions, limiting its prior research. The Czech expedition team led by Marek Audy discovered the lake as they saw a considerable column of steam rising above the mountain range of the region. On inspection, steam was found to emanate from an abyss measuring 100 meters deep (330ft). A vast network of caves were discovered by descending into the pit, some of which contained thermal springs, while in one of them was found the massive thermal lake.


The underground lake has now been baptized Neuron after the foundation of that name that financed the expedition. The lake is 454 feet long (138 m) and 138 feet wide (42 m). With access to new tools such as lidar scanning, it was possible to make a three-dimensional model of the lake and detail its mapping. It indicates that the lake has a total water volume of about 294,350 cubic feet, or, to put it slightly differently, about 3.5 Olympic swimming pools-in terms of normal pool shape.

It is classified as a thermal lake, because geothermal heating deep under the earth crust continues to heat the very lake; it is such a trap for heat from below, which is simply held in water and retained at the same temperature. Indeed, thermal lakes have proved to be of great geological importance but also very relevant to how they might change our perception of underground ecosystems, particularly in showing how these ecosystems thrive under completely different conditions compared to those above the ground.
The great success of the first expeditions clearly calls the team back to Lake Neuron to continue research on this area. This research aims to understand how the internal cave system geology, biology, and other aspects have developed. Such research could provide significant contributions toward understanding the processes occurring in these underground environments and ecosystems, which could ultimately change what is known about these worlds so hidden.
Now that Lake Neuron is the most significant underground thermal lake in existence, it is the latest to be discovered. A similar, albeit much smaller, underground thermal lake was discovered in 2008 under the Turkish baths of Budapest, Hungary. Its former standing was that of the largest working, filled thermal water cave in the world, but with Lake Neuron's vastness and the depth at which it was found, it has taken on a whole new meaning.

With ongoing investigations by researchers, the significance of Lake Neuron and its ecosystem will emerge in even sharper focus. "It's something that could have a huge impact on understanding underground ecosystems and geological processes," said Marek Audy, the expedition leader. However, scientists hope that study about this extraordinary thermal lake will provoke even more discoveries-in geology, biology, and environmental science-with implications that may stretch far beyond the borders of Albania.
Lake Neuron exemplifies enigma and promise in underground environments, showcasing at once the merit of cutting-edge technology in modern exploration. The continuations of this research could perhaps unlock even deeper vaults of edification about wonders under the earth and the active forces shaping our planet.
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