Hidden Earth 2026

Perlis, Malaysia: From the Nakawan Range to the Towers of Chuping

30 minute Lecture|Zarris Kem

Abstract

Perlis, Malaysia, hosts a distinctive and often overlooked karst landscape, spanning from the Nakawan Range to the limestone towers of Chuping. These formations include some of the oldest limestone in the country and feature caves historically associated with tin mining, reflecting both geological and cultural significance.

The Perlis Caves Project 2026 focused on exploration and preliminary documentation across the Setul and Chuping formations, recording new passages, revisiting known systems, and documenting notable geological features. Fieldwork also highlighted the contrasting characteristics of these formations and the challenges of working across fragmented karst landscapes.

Despite these efforts, much of the cave extent and subsurface connectivity remains unknown, underscoring the need for continued and more systematic exploration.

This presentation highlights key findings from the expedition while outlining opportunities for future work, including deeper investigation of cave systems, improved documentation, and stronger coordination across teams. It also emphasises the importance of developing local caving capacity, establishing standards, and supporting a more connected and sustainable caving community in Perlis and hopefully peninsula Malaysia.