MAWTYNHIANG (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A complex and extensive cave with relatively smallish cave passages, which, at a mapped length ranging between 3021 m (KHARPRAN DALY 2005: 16), 3160.9 m (ALLISON KOSIOR 2004: 258), 3.16 km (FOWLER 2004: 262) and 3167.2 m (XXX?), is believed to rank among the world's longest caves in sandstone (note 1) but it seems to have formed in an arenaceous facies of Eocene (Sylhet stage) limestone. The cave passages follow the local dip of the bedding planes and dip generally gently to the south-west (FOWLER 2004: 262). ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known name has been identified for this cave. The name [Krem Mawtynhiang] arose from the bare rock slab pavement [note 3] located just south of the entrance doline. Little grows on these slabs, so they provide an easy travel route through the otherwise dense vegetation of the plateau (FOWLER, J P 2004: 255). Rock Slab Cave Barbara Anne am Ende (deepcaves.net accessed 27.03.2003, 15.05.2003) Krem Maw Tynhiang W -Mike- [Mihail] Zawada (2004.04.14 Mss); FOWLER, P J (2004: 254- 262, 275); WARREN, T (2005: 250); PROKOP, P (2014: 179). Krem Maw-Tynhiang Barbara am Ende (deepcaves.net accessed 27.03.2003, 15.05.2003) Krem Mawkynthiang (note 2) Arindam Som, Commissioner & Secretary of Information and Public Relations (in: KHARPRAN DALY 2006 s.a.: Introduction) Krem Mawtynhiang --. To clothe the English field name Rock Slab Cave (note 4) into the Khasi words -Krem Maw Tynhiang- is problematic insofar as the Khasi dictionaries list no word like -tynhiang- (SINGH, N 1906: 240; SINGH, N 1920: passim; BLAH, E 1997 / 2007 passim). SITUATION: In an unidentified setting at an unspecified location somewhere on Lum Iawpaw, the hill above Nongnah (schoolhouse N25°15'56.8”: E091°19'32.9”: 1017.9 m WGS84, unidentified precision error, Scott Linn, undated December 2002, GPS Garmin Etrex). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2004a: A south-trending passage decorated with nice arrangements of calcite dripstone formations [speleothes] (WARREN 2004: 250) and a very impressive open-air sink (The Mother Sink), with several options existing on the other side. […] South-trending passages in the cave eventually came to an end in a tight bedding plane crawl, but freshly discovered leads opened new potential northward into some nicely decorated walking passage (WARREN 2004: 251). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2004b: The cave generally dips down gently to the south-west, following the local geological bedding planes. The major passages in [Krem] Maw Tynhiang, like those in most of the caves we saw on the Lum Iaw-paw plateau, appear to be largely joint-controlled. The rock is quite heterogenously bedded, with alternating layers of sandstone, siltstone, and pebble conglomerate, apparently quite variably calcareous. In the taller passages, this sometimes results in resistant layers forming false floors that segment the passages vertically. Also, where a less resistant is sandwiched between two more resistant beds, horizontal maze passags sometimes develop. Many of the beds are quite friable, and maximum passage size is probably limited by the poor overall strength of the rock. The plateau is riddled with by sinkholes presumably formed by the collapse of the larger cave passages, so most caves are likely to have multiple entrances. We were left with many questions about the speleogenesis of these caves. It is difficult to imagine just how much water must flow through them during the monsoon season. However, many passages had delicate formations [speleothems] that showed no signs of scalloping or other erosion by flood waters, so apparently the water does not back up high in all the passages. We do not really understand how much of the passage formation is by solution, and how much is by simple mechanical abrasion. Some passages bore a marked resemblence to sandstone slot canyons on the Colorado Plateau in the western U.S, suggesting that the latter mechanism may be a significant contributor (FOWLER 2004: 254- 261, 27). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2006: By attempting to profile the vast inherited natural wealth of Meghalaya, we hope that our readers will be presently surprised to discover that among other, the State boasts of housing … the country's longest sandstone cave, ka -Krem: Mawkynthiang- [sic!] … The presence of these caves in our State has placed Meghalaya as one of the greatest caving regions in the world (Arindam Som, Commissioner & Secretary of Information and Public Relations, in: KHARPRAN DALY, B D 2006 s.a.: Introduction). CAVE POTENTIAL 2003: The cave, as several others, has many leads left to explore (Barbara Anne am Ende, deepcaves.net accessed 2003.03.27). CAVE POTENTIAL 2004a: No end in sight (WARREN 2004: 251). CAVE POTENTIAL 2004b: Krem Maw Tynhiang stands now at about 3.16 km of surveyed passage, with good open leads abounding. … We do not know just how much more of it there is, but we speculate thaat it could easily be 10 km or more. … If we could successfully follow the watr donstream further, connection with other caves is quite possible. I personally speculate that the water in Krem Maw Tynhiang may in fact end up as the stream in Krem Maw Rang Naisaw, but this is not proven yet. … [Lum Iawpaw] plateau is riddled by sinkholes presumably formed by collapse [collapse dolines] of the larger cave passages, so … I would be quite surprised if there are not more sinkhole entrances to Maw Tynhiang yet to be discovered (FOWLER 2004: 262). CAVE POTENTIAL 2014: Despite there being more than a thousand explored limestone caves in the Meghalaya region, only a few sandstone caves have so far been described. An interesting example of active sandstone karstification is Krem (cave) Maw Tynhiang … It is one of the longest sandstone caves of the world (3.16 km) but has note yet been fully explored (PROKOP, P 2014: 179). CAVE CLIMATE: A temperature (in the air?) of 16.9°C (62.5°F) near a survey station A31 (Zawada 2004.04.14 personal correspondence) has been measured (unpecified method, unidentified date and time). CAVE LIFE: WARREN (2004: 250, 251) noticed interesting fauna, including hand-sized spiders [Arachnidae: Aranea: Sparassidae: conf. Heteropoda sp.], a large population of bats [Chiroptera var., including Least Horseshoe bats, Rhinolophus pusillus], and [multiple sightings of] unidentified green snakes measuring up to 1.5 meters in length. … The local guides identified the snake as Shong Shang [note 5] or Sitting Basket [note 6], assuring us it was almost certainly non-poisonous. It is likely that this cave dwelling rat snake belong to the genus Elaphe (Serpentes, poss. Elapidae var.).r donstream further, connection with other caves is quite possible. I personally speculate that the water in Krem Maw Tynhiang may in fact end up as the stream in Krem Maw Rang Naisaw, but this is not proven yet. … [Lum Iawpaw] plateau is riddled by sinkholes presumably formed by collapse [collapse dolines] of the larger cave passages, so … I would be quite surprised if there are not more sinkhole entrances to Maw Tynhiang yet to be discovered (FOWLER 2004: 262). CAVE POTENTIAL 2014: Despite there being more than a thousand explored limestone caves in the Meghalaya region, only a few sandstone caves have so far been described. An interesting example of active sandstone karstification is Krem (cave) Maw Tynhiang … It is one of the longest sandstone caves of the world (3.16 km) but has note yet been fully explored (PROKOP, P 2014: 179). CAVE CLIMATE: A temperature (in the air?) of 16.9°C (62.5°F) near a survey station A31 (Zawada 2004.04.14 personal correspondence) has been measured (unpecified method, unidentified date and time). CAVE LIFE: WARREN (2004: 250, 251) noticed interesting fauna, including hand-sized spiders [Arachnidae: Aranea: Sparassidae: conf. Heteropoda sp.], a large population of bats [Chiroptera var., including Least Horseshoe bats, Rhinolophus pusillus], and [multiple sightings of] unidentified green snakes measuring up to 1.5 meters in length. … The local guides identified the snake as Shong Shang [note 5] or Sitting Basket [note 6], assuring us it was almost certainly non-poisonous. It is likely that this cave dwelling rat snake belong to the genus Elaphe (Serpentes, poss. Elapidae var.).