KAGBENI (Varnedoe 1980) (Cave at)
27.840800,86.538600
Description
An apparently natural cave with a »couple of small speleothems« (note 1) in an unspecified host rock (note 2) reported VARNEDOE (1980: 49) from an unidentified situation somewhere at the level of the »…valley floor along the Kali Gandaki River near Kag Beni on the eastern bank« (note 3).
NOTE 1: Varnedoe's observation of »speleothems« at Kagbeni is disputable. The current auther spent eight summers exploring some of the mostly man-made caves in the area but has not come across any secondary calcite deposit. The only formations reminiscent in shape of stalagmites and stalagtites, which were seen in the area, consisted of mud or silt. And the are, of course, man-made tsa-tsa moulded from clay and human remains by Buddhists. NOTE 2: »Due to the extensive folding and faulting and the lack of a geological map during the treck [sic! for trek] it is not possible for me to correlate caves seen with specific formations« (VARNEDOE 1980: 49). The only 'cave' bearing host rock at the level of the Kali Gandaki near Kagbeni are conglomerates from which several man-made rock chambers were excavated (e.g. –>Chatain Gompa, –>Simba Phug) which occasionally feature mud formations. High above Kagbeni, however, there are natural caves (–>Circular Entrance Cave, –>Triangle Entrance Cave). Comparatively far from Kagbeni, and for sure out of Varnedoe's way, lies the Cave in the –>Penda Khola 1 not far above "the valley floor. This cave, however, is entirely devoid of speleothems. NOTE 3: The village of Kag (Kag Beni, Kagbeni) itself stands on the alluvial fan where the Dzong Khola joins the eastern (left) bank of the Kali Gandaki.
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1978 December: Louise VARNEDOE (1980: 49) visited and noticed "speleothems" (natural mud formations of man-made tsa-tsa?).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | SHÖN, Kagbeni (Cave at) | ||
| 18.1 | KUMJUNG (Cave near) | ||
| 29.0 | NGOZUMPA GLACIER CAVE 1 | ||
| 29.0 | NGOZUMPA GLACIER CAVE 2 | ||
| 29.0 | NGOZUMPA GLACIER CAVE 3 | ||
| 29.0 | NGOZUMPA GLACIER CAVE 4 | ||
| 29.0 | NGOZUMPA GLACIER CAVE 5 | ||
| 38.2 | NUPTSE (Lovelock 1969) (Cave on) | ||
| 53.6 | RIPHUG, Tsho Karpo |