PUKTHIM

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A gravitational rift cave at 1680 m asl and, at the current state of knowledge (27th April 2001), the cave at the highest location in Mizoram. SITUATION: Near the top of the ridge rising from the upper part of South Lungleng village (ca. 1400 m asl) to the south-west and towards the Lunghmingthang Tlang (Famous Rock). CAVE DESCRIPTION: Entry is gained by descending through fallen boulders to a 20 m long and east - west (100° - 280°) running rift passage (on average 1.1 m wide and 5 m high) which provides most the cave's volume. Both ends of the rift lead to boulders clogging collapsed ends: The distal end in the west descends to a sandy mud floor, and the eastern one ascends free climbable into a steep rock pile with several more or less impenetrable cracks and voids between slidden and fallen boulders. A secondary rift at right angles, again of gravitational origin, adds a few metres of tight shoulders crawls at two converging levels. CAVE POTENTIAL: Alfred Vanchhawng, Tlau Laltanpia and K. Lalengzuala spent another hour hunting for caves in the vicinity. They found some 10 distinct cracks and crawls but none of considerable size: Some 5 or 10 m long, other 3 m or … 1 foot. CAVE LIFE: Bats (Chiroptera) in addition to a few trogloxene cave guests: numerous spiders (3 cm in diameter) with strong legs, a few Harvestman (Arachnida: Opiliones) and a short legged mite, some tiny flies (Diptera?) and several empty snail shells.