URLE 1 (Krem)

(Saipung - IN)
25.353400,92.510400
Grottocenter / carte

Description

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A cave entrance without known shape, dimensions or characteristic peculiarities gives access to a pothole which drops down into a canyon passage containing speleothems. According to Oppliger (2005.02 edited 2010.07 Mss), Cette cavité débute pour une série de puits permettant de rejoindre une zone horizontale, assez étroite par endroits. ETYMOLOGY: The Khasi verb 'ur' means to slip, to fall and -leh- means to do, to perform, to act (SINGH, N 1906: 113). Jarratt (2005.03.06 Mss: Cave Log, vol. XII: 8/2/05) and Brooks (2005 Mss: Meghalaya Diary 2005.02.08) state that -Urle- is an area name and translates as Falling Mud. This is not the case (note 1). Quentin -Cooper- Cowper (2005.02.15 Mss: Krem Urle 5) was led believe Urle means mud that has landslided (according to local kids who eat much monkey - curry). SITUATION (Brooks 2005.02.08 Mss -Meghalaya Diary 2005- Tuesday 8th February): A few hundred metres below the west side of the road between Khaidong and Shnongrim. APPROACH (Brown2005.02.11 Mss: Krem Urle 1): Follow directions for Krem Poh Lum Shyrngan to point 2. A bearing 218 shows [what was in February 2005]a prominent 800 mm Ø tree. Trending towards this leads to N25°21'12.2”: E092°30'37.5”. A 3 m high outcrop with a 1.5 m wide 2 m cleft entrance containing jammed boulders. DEVICE DESCRIPTION 1: Brown (2005.02.11 Mss: Krem Urle 1) shamelessly plays the bullshit card, refers to a bogus survey (not existing), and recommends to: See cave plan [note 2]. 18 m pitch to 3 m passage to large jammed boulders at head of 25 m pitch into 6 m x 3 m chamber. A series of pitches lands on 3 m x 3 m chamber floor with small pool. A passage leads off … DEVICE DESCRIPTION 2 (Brooks 2005 undated Mss amendment to Brown 2005.02.11 Mss): … 650 m of streamway and side passages. Some of which is walking sized whilst most is narrow or low, eventually too low and muddy for further progress. (100 m total of pitches). DEVICE DESCRIPTION 3 (Jarratt 2005.03.06 Mss: Cave Log, vol. XI) entry 8/2/05: A 14 m pot followed by a 16 m pot drops into a huge decorated canyon passage with a strong inward draught. 8/2/09: A first and second pitch, the latter an estimated 28 m deep, to a third pitch needing proper SRT rigging. 13/2/05: Below the 100 m of entrance pitches, the first part of the horizontal cave is Yorkshire style and very pleasant and the side passage --possibly the ancient downstream-- is large, dry and muddy and ends in a too low crawl and possible high level outlet. We attempted to reach this but failed and instead we dug a choked, clean washed hole in the floor which looks good but ideally needs a hammer and a crowbar. Downstream the passage deteriorates to miserable, bouldery crawls with the occasional higher bit. Through more squalor one eventually reaches a choke, which Shelley and I dug through through into larger, ongoing passage with a big muddy bedding chamber above and a couple of other ways on. 14/2/09: The muddy chamber above ends in a mud choke.The downstream passage continues as a grim crawl which goes on and on till it closes down in a very narrow rift taking the strong inward draught [airflow] and two nearby phreatic tubes ending in a boulder choke. DEVICE DESCRIPTION 4 (JARRATT 2005): Krem Urle 1 (cave in the mudslide area) was … to provide some painful caving in an essentially flat-out, boulder and cobble floored stream passage entered via 100 m of well rigged and attractive pitches and becoming too narrow after 0.8 kms [800 m]. Only a considerable amount of squeezing and digging enabled us to get this far [note 3]. Two sections of [relatively] large, dry fossil tunnel failed to yield any easier overhead routes. The general direction of the cave was towards the ever growing Krem Liat Prah system … (note 4). ADVENTURE DESCRIPTION (YUEN 2005: 53): My first trip to ease my back into caving was down Krem Urle 1, a muddy filthy hole, just like a Derbyshire cave exported all the way to India. A total of 788 m of grotty passags, lying in fluorescent dyed water. CAVE FICTION 2005.02.09: Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt (2005.03.06 Mss: Cave Log, vol. XII, 9/2/05), Boycott, Antony 'Tony', Mark W Brown, Quentin -Cooper- Cowper and Jayne Stead went on a recce further down the hill to an area pointed out yesterday. Here two large dolines were found with a significant pot in each. We had no GPS or guide so the position and, hopefully, names will be collected when they are dropped. They both have ladderable pitches leading to possible open passages. A couple of other grotty passages were noticed nearby. CAVE FICTION 2005.08.20: Sheen, Robin F (2005.08.20 Mss: Meghalaya 05) considers the … discovery of Krem Urle, circa 800 m, is of interest because of its likely being the headwaters of Liat Prah Prah. SPELEOMETRY 1 (Arbenz, T 2005.02 Mss: Abstracts.xls): At a depth of 125 m 788.04 m long and too tight. SPELEOMETRY 2 (Brooks 2005.10.05 Mss: Meghalaya 2005 Survey Summary): 788.0. CAVE LIFE: Anthony 'Tony' R Jarrtt (2005.03.06 Mss: Cave Log, vol. XII, 8/2/06) noticed bats (Chiroptera), Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt 2005.03.06: Cave Log, vol. XII, 15/2/05) mentiones crabs (Crustacea: Palaemonida) and says Julien Oppliger identified bones from the cave as -cow- (conf. Bos). Oppliger (2005.02 edited 2010.07 Mss): Cette cavité débute pour une série de puits permettant de rejoindre une zone horizontale, assez étroite par endroits. Sans pouvoir les déterminer précisément, nous avons observé 5 chauves-souris dans la zone des puits. Sur certaines margelles dans les puits, nous avons collecté quelques vestiges osseux de Hipposideros/Rhinolophus sp., Rodentia sp., Soricidae sp. (Sorex ?) et Chiroptera sp.tt (2005.03.06 Mss: Cave Log, vol. XII, 8/2/06) noticed bats (Chiroptera), Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt 2005.03.06: Cave Log, vol. XII, 15/2/05) mentiones crabs (Crustacea: Palaemonida) and says Julien Oppliger identified bones from the cave as -cow- (conf. Bos). Oppliger (2005.02 edited 2010.07 Mss): Cette cavité débute pour une série de puits permettant de rejoindre une zone horizontale, assez étroite par endroits. Sans pouvoir les déterminer précisément, nous avons observé 5 chauves-souris dans la zone des puits. Sur certaines margelles dans les puits, nous avons collecté quelques vestiges osseux de Hipposideros/Rhinolophus sp., Rodentia sp., Soricidae sp. (Sorex ?) et Chiroptera sp.

Documents

Bibliography 06/01/2018

History

EXPLORATION HISTORY: 2005.02.08, trip 1: Raplang Shangpliang, in company with several Shnongrim kids, guided Gregory D. Diengdoh, Boycott, Antony 'Tony', Jayne Stead and Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt to the entrance of a first cave in the Urle area (Jarratt 2005.03.06 Mss: Cave Log, vol. XII, 8/2/05; Brooks 2005 Mss: Meghalaya Diary). Jarratt (2005.03.06 Mss: Cave Log, vol. XII, 8/2/05): After a beer at camp … the three of us returned to Krem Urle 1 which I descended for 14 m to find another c.16 m pitch immediately beyond. 2005.02.09, trip 2: Mark, Tony B., Tony J., Jayne, and Quentin … descended the first two pitches (18m and 30m). A lack of rigging kit caused them to come out … (Brooks 2005.02.08 Mss: Meghalaya Diary 2005). Anthony 'Tony' R. Jarratt (2005.03.06 Mss: Cave Log, vol. XII, 9/2/05) explains: At Urle 1 the rigging team of Mark and Quentin [Mark W. Brown, Quentin 'Cooper' Cowper] realized that neither of them had the battery drill so that effectively put the mokers on the trip! Tony [Boycott, Antony 'Tony'] suffered a bout of vertigo so he was unable todescend the first pot. Jayne [Stead], Quentin and I surveyed the first and second pitches –the latter being laddered for c.28 m by Mark to the head of a deep third pitch needing proper SRT rigging. We alle then left the cave and went on a recce further down the hill to an area pointed out yesterday. Here two large dolines were found with a significant pot in each. We had no GPS or guide so the position and, hopefully, names will be collected when they are dropped. They both have ladderable pitches leading to possible open passages. A couple of other grotty passages were noticed nearby. 2005.02.10, trip 3: MWB (Mark W. Brown), QC (Quentin 'Cooper' Cowper), SAD (Shelley A. Diengdoh) rigged an intricate series of pitches to horizontal passage (Brooks 2005.02.08 Mss: Meghalaya Diary 2005) and 'surveyed' 340.38 m (Brooks 2005.10.05: Mss Meghalaya 2005 Survey Summary), mostly in a flat ut bouldery crawl continuing downstream with strong inward draught (Brooks 2005 Mss: Meghalaya Diary). 2005.02.11, trip 4: Mark W. Brown discovered the cave entrance (Arbenz, T 2005.02 Mss: Abstracts.xls). 2005.02.13, trip 5: Quentin 'Cooper' Cowper, Shelley A Diengdoh and Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt (2005.03.06 Mss: Cave Log, vol. XII, 13/2/05) descended the 100 m of entrances pitches superbly rigged by Mark and proceeded through the first part of the cave to the end of side passage, which ends in a too low crawl and possible high level outlet. They attempted to reach the latter but dug a hole in the floor instead. Then they surveyed on beyond a Fossil Downstream passage detriorating in miserable, bouldery crawls with the occasional higher bit to survey from the end through more squalor till they eventually reached a choke which Shelley and Jrat dug through into larger, ongoing passage with a big muddy bedding chamber above and a couple of other ways on. Looks good but is gettin to be a hardish trip… 138.43 m surveyed. Brooks (2005 Mss: Meghalaya Diary) agrees: Jrat, Quentin and Shelley continued Krem Urle 1, surveying a high level side passage, then continuing downstream to a big chamber, still going. 138 m surveyed . Brooks (2005.10.05 Mss: Meghalaya 2005 Survey Summary) takes the chance to fine the meterage even if it is only 5 cm: QC, ARJ, SAD 138.48 m. 2005.02.14, trip 6: Quentin 'Cooper' Cowper, Fraser E. Simpson, Peter Ludwig and Anthony 'Tony' R. Jarratt (2005.03.06 Mss: Cave Log, vol. XII, 14/2/05): Fraser, on contract to the Assamese film team, videoed Peter and I abseiling down the pitches and some of the roomy passages below. Peter and I went to the dig at the end of the large tunnel and after a lot of tiring, sweaty hammer and crowbar work I got through into 3 m of tiny tube which closed down. … Quentin, assisted by Peter, climbed up the mud wall at the end to find that it also closed down. Back at the streamway I was filmed putting fluoescein into the pools and then we surveyed 59 m of attractive upstream walking sized passage to an aven. Brooks (2005 Mss: Meghalaya Diary): Jrat, Fraser, Quentin and Peter went to Krem Urle 1 to film on the pitches and to do some pushing of side passages to a conclusion [of either the pushing of the side passages]. They surveyed 59 m up an inlet passage. 2005.02.15, trip 7: Jarratt (2005.03.06 Mss: Cave Log, vol. XII, 15/2/05), Shelley A. Diengdoh and Quentin 'Cooper' Cowper surveyed on downstream for 204 m … a grim crawl which went on and on. At one point I had to dig through. … We were actually relieved that the bloody place had fizzled out and made our way back out suffering a few route finding problems but strangely quite enjoying the pitches. Hopefully tomorrow we will go somewhere pleasant. Brooks (2005 Mss: Meghalaya Diary): Quentin Jrat, Shelley, Julien, Robin and Lesley go to Krem Urle 1. Quentin, JRat and Shelley survey 264 m in very low passage downstream section of cae to reach an area that is too constricted for further exploration. Brooks (2005.10.05 Mss: Meghalaya 2005 Survey Summary): QC, SAD, ARJ 264.36 m. 2005.02.15, trip 8: Jarratt (2005.03.06 Mss: Cave Log, vol. XII, 15/2/05): Julien Oppliger, Robin Sheen and Lesley Yuen climbed up into the muddy chamber above to map about 46 m to a mud choke. Brooks (2005 Mss: Meghalaya Diary): Julien, Robin and Lesley survey 45 m in a high level chamber and passage. The cave is concluded. Brooks (2005.10.05 Mss: Meghalaya 2005 Survey Summary): JO, RS, LY 44.82 m. 2005.02.17, trip 9: Brooks (2005 Mss: Meghalaya Diary): Peter and Christian collected samples … and derigged the pitches. 2008.02.17, trip 10: Louise, Torben, Mark T. and Ronnie went to the Krem Urle area. They GPS located the 2 sites found on 15th Feb, which both choked. They located (GPS) and dropped 2 new pots, both of which choked. They found 2 further sites – possibly Krem Urle 4 and Krem Urle 2 (Brown, Mark W. et al. 2008 Mss: 'Meghalaya2008 diary' Sunday 17th February). 2008.02.18, trip 11: Imogen, Jrat and Louise … looked at the two new sites in the Krem Urle area. One of them turned out to be Krem Urle 1 where as the other one – a rift that blows hot air but needs digging – was new. The coordinates for the site were the same as Krem Urle 4, but did not fit the description (Brown, Mark W. et al. 2008 Mss: 'Meghalaya 2008 diary' Monday 18th February). Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

Caves nearby

Distance (km)NameLength (m)Depth (m)
0.1URLE 2 (Krem)
0.2URLE 3 (Krem)
0.2URLE 6 (Krem)
0.3URLE 5 (Krem)
0.3URLE 4 (Krem)
0.4AA CAVE 4x6 (Redder 2008)
0.4AA CAVE 2x4 (Redder 2008)
0.4AA CAVE 8x10 (Redder 2008)
0.4AA CAVE 5 (Whitaker 2006)