MUHABON PHRARYNSANG (Krang)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A perennial stream of water (unidentified name; unidentified flow rate) issued on 25th February 2014 from an about 8 x 8 m large cave entrance which faces south and represents the terminal end of an active stream cave passage with secondary calcite formations (speleothems), which were interpreted as more or less large gours (rimstone dams and, perhaps, rimstone pools) right after the entrance and regarded as contributing to initially visible and subsequently nice and easy to photograph aspects of a somehow well decorated active passage (anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 25th February, Tuesday). ETYMOLOGY: Inaccessible for expedition cavers is the meaning, origin and history of the cave name Mahabon, Muhabon or Muhubon, which, in this case, is rather specified by -phrah- (note 1) combined with -rynsan- (note 2) than by the cardinal number -phra- or eight (8) combined with -ka rynsong- (noun) a kind of flute made of bamboo (SINGH, N 1906: 178.So far created (January 2015), however, have been only the following five different cave names: Krang Mahabon Kharpran Daly, B D (1995.12.02 personal communication with the then Lakadong Sardar, Umlatdoh) Krem Muhabon Phraryngjang Arbenz, T (2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx) Krem Muhabon Phraryngjong Anonymous (2014.05.05 Expedition Survey Log 2014 (8-3-2014).xls); Arbenz, T (2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx) Krem Muhabon Phraryngsang Arbenz, T (2014.12.30 Mss: Des McNally 26-02-2014 Krem Muhabon.doc) Krem Muhubon Cooke D (2014.02.25 survey data file: Muhubon_02.Text); anonymous Brooks, S J et al. (2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 22th February, Saturday; 25th February, Tuesday) SITUATION: On the Lakadong - Umlatdoh Plateau in an area about 45 minutes on foot approximately south (or so) from an unspecified place called Lakadong (with unidentified GPS position) and at a location described as the base of a cliff with undentified dimensions and an unidentified orientation, which exposes unidentified material (anonymous Cookie, Tudor, Des and Oana in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 25th February, Tuesday). The GPS position recorded for the cave entrance near (unidentified precision error; unspecified number of satellites) N25°10'11.4”: E092°16'32.0”: 479 m asl (Cooke D 2014.02.25 Mss -Muhubon_02.Text- survey data file) indicates a spot which lies horizontally about 1.8 km in a direct line south from the Ummat church (±5.9 m, WGS84, N25°11'06.2”: E092°16'07”: 759 m asl Brown, M W 2002.02.23 GPS Garmin 12) but vertically about 280 m lower down. APPROACH: In case of starting in the north-western corner of Ummat village at what had been in February 2014 the house (N25°11'11.8”: E092°16'00.2”) of Spellmoon Shilliangam (then the village headman), cross what Europeans must identify as a case of the footbal pitch (sic!) but, being in India, is a cricet ground. Continue east to a path junction (near N25°11'05.9”: E092°16'10.3”) where a person without orientation has to turn right, then left at standing stones (unidentified GPS position) and proceed eastwards to a spring of water with a washing place or washing area (N25°11'01.3”: E092°16'23.1”). Descend from here along a path south (if facing east on the right) to a junction (N25°10'47.9”: E092°16'25.6”). Staying on the right-hand (outch), the path crosses a more or less large limestone pinnacle breakdown with a possible cave near N25°10'13.7”: E092°16'30.0” (AA Cave McNally 2014). The path beyond the -pinnacle breakdown- proceeds south and past the cave entrance of Krang Um Krung (N25°10'26.4”: E092°16'29.1”) to a junction (N25°10'13.7”: E092°16'30.0”). Turn south-east (left) and 100 m further on leave the path near N25°10'12.3”: E092°16'32.9” in the area above Krem Muhabon to scramble south-east down through vegetation to the cave entrance of this Krag Mahabon, Muhabon or Muhubon (note 3). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1995a: Krang Mahabon is very big (Kharpran Daly, Brian D 1995.12.02 personal communication with the then Lakadong Sardar, Umlatdoh). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.04.05: An 8 x 8m resurgence at the base of a cliff, with large gours right after the entrance … [to] about 90 m of large, well decorated active passage … [and] an extremely strong draught blowing from a 6 m aven through which they could see a high level passage leading upstream (anonymous Cookie, Tudor, Des and Oana in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 25th February, Tuesday). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.04.29: Resurgence, large stream passage, gours (Arbenz, T 2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.12.30, literally quoted: The known cave entrance is 8 m x 8 m at the base of a cliff and gives access to a lage stream passage flowing over numerous calcite dams is followed to the left (past a largegour dam from an inlet on the right) before decreasing in size to 3 m wide x 2 m high. After ca 90 m a 14 m wide x 7 m high chamber is reached with a continuation visible above (6 m climb) through a 4 m x 2 m hole with a huge draught (Arbenz, T 2014.12.30 Mss: Des McNally 26-02-2014 Krem Muhabon.doc). TACKLE, literally quoted: Climb up 6 m needs bolting or bamboo maypole and ladder (Arbenz, T 2014.12.30 Mss: Des McNally 26-02-2014 Krem Muhabon.doc). To climb up an 6 m aven with an apparently visible high level passage leading upstream … a bamboo ladder (or bamboo with an electron ladder) is needed (anonymous Cookie, Tudor, Des and Oana in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 25th February, Tuesday). PROSPECTS 2014.12.30: 1) good lead by climbing up gours on the [east] right 20 m inside the entrance. 2) 6 m climb with 6 m high passage visible above at the end of present survey (Arbenz, T 2014.12.30 Mss: Des McNally 26-02-2014 Krem Muhabon.doc) PROSPECTS 2014.04.29: Hopes of continuing aspects of a speleotopographical progress are ongoing because a preliminary survey started and the very first glance was maximally reduced to big potential (Arbenz, T 2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx).CAVE CLIMATE: Somebody noticed on 25th February 2014 at an unidentified time an air current (airflow), which was not only interpreted as an extremely strong draught blowing from a 6 m aven (anonymous Cookie, Tudor, Des and Oana in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 25th February, Tuesday) but also as a huge draught (Arbenz, T 2014.12.30 Mss: Des McNally 26-02-2014 Krem Muhabon.doc) and probably is, as usual in active streamcave passages, controlled by the concurrent flow of water. CAVE LIFE: Somebody noticed on 25th February 2014 the presence of shrimps, frogs (Arbenz, T 2014.12.30 Mss: Des McNally 26-02-2014 Krem Muhabon.doc) or relatively many fish, crayfish and frogs which as interpreted to indicate that the water in the stream seems to be quite clean (anonymous Cookie, Tudor, Des and Oana in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 25th February, Tuesday). PROSPECTS 2014.04.29: Hopes of continuing aspects of a speleotopographical progress are ongoing because a preliminary survey started and the very first glance was maximally reduced to big potential (Arbenz, T 2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx).CAVE CLIMATE: Somebody noticed on 25th February 2014 at an unidentified time an air current (airflow), which was not only interpreted as an extremely strong draught blowing from a 6 m aven (anonymous Cookie, Tudor, Des and Oana in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 25th February, Tuesday) but also as a huge draught (Arbenz, T 2014.12.30 Mss: Des McNally 26-02-2014 Krem Muhabon.doc) and probably is, as usual in active streamcave passages, controlled by the concurrent flow of water. CAVE LIFE: Somebody noticed on 25th February 2014 the presence of shrimps, frogs (Arbenz, T 2014.12.30 Mss: Des McNally 26-02-2014 Krem Muhabon.doc) or relatively many fish, crayfish and frogs which PROSPECTS 2014.04.29: Hopes of continuing aspects of a speleotopographical progress are ongoing because a preliminary survey started and the very first glance was maximally reduced to big potential (Arbenz, T 2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx).CAVE CLIMATE: Somebody noticed on 25th February 2014 at an unidentified time an air current (airflow), which was not only interpreted as an extremely strong draught blowing from a 6 m aven (anonymous Cookie, Tudor, Des and Oana in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 25th February, Tuesday) but also as a huge draught (Arbenz, T 2014.12.30 Mss: Des McNally 26-02-2014 Krem Muhabon.doc) and probably is, as usual in active streamcave passages, controlled by the concurrent flow of water. CAVE LIFE: Somebody noticed on 25th February 2014 the presence of shrimps, frogs (Arbenz, T 2014.12.30 Mss: Des McNally 26-02-2014 Krem Muhabon.doc) or relatively many fish, crayfish and frogs which PROSPECTS 2014.04.29: Hopes of continuing aspects of a speleotopographical progress are ongoing because a preliminary survey started and the very first glance was maximally reduced to big potential (Arbenz, T 2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx).CAVE CLIMATE: Somebody noticed on 25th February 2014 at an unidentified time an air current (airflow), which was not only interpreted as an extremely strong draught blowing from a 6 m aven (anonymous Cookie, Tudor, Des and Oana in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 25th February, Tuesday) but also as a huge draught (Arbenz, T 2014.12.30 Mss: Des McNally 26-02-2014 Krem Muhabon.doc) and probably is, as usual in active streamcave passages, controlled by the concurrent flow of water. CAVE LIFE: Somebody noticed on 25th February 2014 the presence of shrimps, frogs (Arbenz, T 2014.12.30 Mss: Des McNally 26-02-2014 Krem Muhabon.doc) or relatively many fish, crayfish and frogs which as interpreted to indicate that the water in the stream seems to be quite clean (anonymous Cookie, Tudor, Des and Oana in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 25th February, Tuesday).