Tham Ban Luk Khao Lam - MH0016

(TH)
19.546799,98.155230
Length 485m Depth 113m
Grottocenter / carte

Location

The village of Ban Luk Khao Lam is to the south of the H1095 road to the west of Ban Soppong. At the turning there is a large billboard advertising the Spirit Well (Bor Nam Phi) which is a well known local attraction. Ban Luk Khao Lam is a large village and the cave is at the bottom of the doline. Martin Ellis - 11/04/2020

Description

Martin Ellis - 11/04/2020

Tham Ban Luk Khao Lam drains the large, 150 m deep Luk Khao Lam doline, also known as Pak Kut. The cave is one of the few open vertical systems in the area, though the cave does suffer from high carbon dioxide. A 2 m climb followed by a 12 m pitch drop into the entrance chamber. The pitch is rigged with a long belay to boulders and there is a thread deviation half way down. In this chamber a climb up boulders leads to an unexplored inlet and boulder choke. The way on is down the free-climbable 5 m second pitch. After 40 m the 12 m third pitch is reached which is rigged with a long belay to rock knobs. The cave then follows a narrow, very high vadose canyon which has several short climbs to the fourth pitch. This pitch is 15 m deep and was rigged with three 8 mm spit belays. After a 3 m climb the fifth pitch is soon reached. The fifth pitch is 22 m deep and was rigged from a flake thread and two 8 mm spit belays. At the bottom of the fifth pitch a couple of short climbs give access to the main stream way. Downstream can be followed for about 80 m before the way on become too small. However, this small passage was draughting strongly. Upstream ascends a flowstone slope and gours to reach a narrow, joint controlled section of passage that is waist deep in water and mud. In places it is necessary to duck under various stal obstructions which reduce the airspace to 20 cm. After 30 m the passage opens up again as it ascends a couple of climbs, passes under a 15 m aven to where exploration ended at the base of a 20 m aven. This section of the cave has cave fish.

Topography

Martin Ellis - 11/04/2020

The cave was surveyed by Dean Smart, et al., in 1993. Grade UISv2 3-3-A. The survey notes are extant. Published surveys:- ELLIS, MARTIN (2009) SIDISUNTHORN, PINDAR; GARDNER, SIMON; SMART, DEAN (2006)

Fauna

Martin Ellis - 11/04/2020

Schistura oedipus (Kottelat, 1988) (Chordata, Actinopterygii, Cypriniformes, Balitoridae) (Trajano et al. 2002)

Documents

[Topo] Tham Ban Luk Khao Lam 11/05/2019
Bibliography 11/04/2020

History

Tham Ban Luk Khao Lam was first explored by the 1992 Australian expedition as far as the top of the fourth pitch who were stopped by bad air. The cave was bottomed and surveyed by Dean Smart, John Spies and others in March 1993 who did not encounter any bad air. It was visited again in 1995 by Borowsky and in January 2003 by Borowsky, Cosslett, Cahill, et al. It is thought that the most likely destination for the water is Tham Nam Lang which is about 3km to the south. Martin Ellis - 11/04/2020

Caves nearby

Distance (km)NameLength (m)Depth (m)
0.0Cave MH0203 - MH02032000
0.1Sink MH0202 - MH0202
0.8Tham Makaeng - MH0067
1.5Tham Yin Lee Nan Nam - MH0230
2.0Cave MH0235 - MH0235
2.0Coffin Cave MH116 - MH0116
2.1Nam Bor Phi - MH0017106106
2.2Leopard Cave - MH0018800
2.4Nam Lang Old Sink [MH0247]1500