LAPHIANG (Krem pdeng)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

An estimated 50 m diameter doline [about 20 m or 25 m deep] with steep slope leading down to what seemed like a [relatively] large entrance [up to 25 m wide, unspecified height, unspecified shape, apparently facing east] at the bottom where a lower entrance proved to be debris choked but at mid level a side passage proved to go (anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 15th February, Saturday). A big collapse doline 50 m in diameter. The bottom is choked with debris. The main way on is at the mid level on [in the south-west or] on the left as … [Richard Hudson had] descended (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: Richard Hudson 16-02-2014 14-05-2014 Krem Pdeng Laphiang_Rec.doc). ETYMOLOGY: According to an unidentified expedition caver (no name mentioned), there was an unidentified knowledgeable person (no name mentioned) who was interpreted to have explained something which was expeditiously reduced to a maximal minimum saying Pdeng - Middle/in between Laphiag - Tree species (good for boat building) (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: Richard Hudson 16-02-2014 14-05-2014 Krem Pdeng Laphiang_Rec.doc). Thus, the cave name may refer to a cave called after its location -ha pdeng- or amid (note 1) a grove -la- or of (note 2) -dieng- or trees named -phiang- or brass leaf [trees] (note 3). So far created have been only two different cave names, viz.: Krem Pdein Laphiang anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 15th February, Saturday); Arbenz, T (2014.12.26 Mss: Richard Hudson 16-02-2014 14-05-2014 Krem Pdeng Laphiang_Rec.doc); DIKSTRA & BURGERS (2014: 38) Krem Pdeng Laphiang Anonymous (2014.04.05 Mss: Expedition Survey Log 2014 (8-3-2014).xls); Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: Richard Hudson 16-02-2014 14-05-2014 Krem Pdeng Laphiang_Rec.doc); Arbenz, T (2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx); Arbenz, T (2014.05.10 -J.Burgers 1.5.2014- Pdeng Laphiang Plan.pdf); DIKSTRA & BURGERS (2014: 40 cave plan). SETING 2014.04.29: The GPS position N25°10'50.1”: E092°12'04.8”: 515 m asl (Hudson R 2014.02.15 GPS Garmin Etrex) recorded for Krem Pdeng Laphiang indicates a spot in an area where Lakadong Limestone and Therria Sandstone is exposed (NAG & PAL 1996) on the interfluve between the Um Ryngka in the west and the Myntdu (Hari River) in the east at a location about 1.5 km in a direct line approximately ESE from Laremshiap (note 4) or about 2 km to 2.5 km in a direct line approximately NW from Thangsah (N25°10'11”: E092°12'55”). SETTING 2014.12.26: Three … caves located near the villages of Pynurkba (cave 1; 25°15’N & 92°17’E; 860 m) and Umlatdoh (cave 2; 25°12’N & 92°16’E; 730 m) … [and] near Thangsah (cave 3; 25°11’N & 92°12’E; 420 m) … were large, collapsed doline cavities, with very wide (up to 15 m) and high entrances (up to 15 m) and situated in gullies covered with secondary, semi-evergreen forests. The general topography of the region around these caves is hilly, with relativelyflat areas being covered by grassland or cultivated fields, interspersed with patches of forests. Small, temporary streams flowing into the gullies bring additional moisture to these patches of vegetation (RUEDI, M et al. 2014: 6679-6680). SITUATION 2014.05.10: Rather relatively high up on a hill than exactly On the top of a hill [with an unidentified name], 1900 m in a straight line to the NW above the village of Thangsah (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: Richard Hudson 16-02-2014 14-05-2014 Krem Pdeng Laphiang_Rec.doc). POSITIONS: N25°10'50.1”: E092°12'04.8”: 515 m (Hudson R 2014.02.15 GPS Garmin Etrex). 25°11'N & 92°12'E; 420 m (RUEDI et al. 2014: 6679). APPROACH 2014.04.05: Somebody guided expedition cavers from the cave entrance to Krem Am Pyrchoh … about an hour trek away to the rim of the doline recorded as Krem Pdein Laphiang which was reached on foot via a tortuous route up a further hill and through a deforested area to a high track (anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.0 Mss). APPROACH 2014.05.10: Follow … [what had been in February 2014 an] obvious track past an electrical transformer at the NE end of the village (past the football pitch) to intersect a double water pipeline. Turn right [sic! qua: north] and follow the pipeline to N 25 10'47.0” E92 12' 30.1” and take a track … [in an unspecified direction] left uphill. At the next junction (N 25 10' 47.6” E92 12' 18.6”) turn [without orientation towards an unspecified direction] right and after approx 200 m the doline is down [west or] to the right [of Richard Hudson]. An awkward descent using vines and tree roots (20 m rope useful but not essential) will bring you to a kitting-up spot at mid level of the doline next to the entrance (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: Richard Hudson 16-02-2014 14-05-2014 Krem Pdeng Laphiang_Rec.doc). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.06: Boven op de berg - nog steeds omringd door een sliert dorpelingen en een hond - zijn we prettig verrast wanneer we op een doline stuiten, zo grt dat we de omvang ervan niet in een oogopslag kunnen vastellen. De naam is Krem Pdein Laphiang. Het duurt even voor we een weg naar beneden gevonden hadden, maar uiteindelijk weten we al klauterend langs boomwortels en lianen de bodem te bereiken, We zijnallemaal euforisch. In de doline vinden we een microklimaat vol varens en een grotingang met een fantastische uitstraling. De bodem van de doline eindigt helaas te snel in een ondoordringbare blokkenbende. Gelukkig is er op een middenniveau ook een gang van ruime aftmetingen. … De grot zal die dag zijn belofte echter niet waarmaken. Nadat we 178 m getopografeerd hebben, is er niets meer te vinden. … Terwijl … ik toch de noodzaak om in de bodem van de grot, wat tussen de stenen te kruipen. En ja hooer, er is een spleet!. Ik kantel een dikke kei uit de weg, en daar sta ik een verdieping lager in en freatische gang met water op de floor. … Een paar hondred meter verderop lopen we echter tegen een blokkenstort op. We vinden bovenop de blkken nog een zaal, maar de tocht verdwijnt in ondoordringbare spleten. De teller stopt op een totaal van 506 meter. Niet slecht, maar we zijn toch een beetje teleurgesteld omdat de magnifieke ingang zoveel grootsheid niet heeft waargemacht (DIKSTRA & BURGERS 2014: 38). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.04.05: The expeditious intrusion of the 50 m diameter doline with steep slope leading down … proved interesting as some of the drops were quite steep and exposed. Various tree roots and vines were needed to safeguard the descent. … The lower entrance proved to be debris choked but at mid level a side passage proved to go. A short section of cave [passage gave access to] a chamber with small bat colony, however by this point we had lost the draught. A bit of back tracking and rock removal saw Marcel squeezing down into a lower gallery and back with the draught. Rich and Elena soon followed but seeing that this was a viable way on we decided to leave this lead to another day so as to make it home befre dark. A rope was left on one of the awkward doline climbs for future trips (anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 15th February, Saturday). On the following day both resident and foreign cavers proceeded down the hole to the continuation of the cave that was discovered yesterday. Some scouted and mapped an obvious way ahead and others checked out another lead which turned out to be a well decorated fossil passage that runs for about 30 m parallel to the main passage. After ten survey legs they ran into a boulder choke, which gave way to a well decorated chamber. From here on all passages were blocked by calcite. They had also lost the draft here and the stream in the bottom of the passage cave runs across sandstone but the visible part of the runnel ended in an impenetrable 15 cm round tube beyond which cave passages and conduits continue in an unknown way (modified after anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Secod Edit: 16th February, Sunday). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.04.29: Breakdown chamber, stream passage below and a day roost of bats which was interpreted as a bat colony (Arbenz, T 2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.05.10: From the … [up to 50 m wide cave] entrance … [in the south-west or, if you prefer] on the left [of Richard Hudson] of the doline at mid level a passage over breakdown leads down to a talus cone where there is an abrupt rise in temperature and the [the expedition caver, who enters this cave] passage swings [southeast or, if you prefer] to the left [of Richard Hudson]. Still, humid air and the smell of bat guano is present and a short distance later the [the expedition caver's penetration of this cave] passage ends in a high chamber with a small colony of bats.Below the talus cone a vertical squeeze leads down to a small chamber below breakdown. To the right a short -hands and knees- crawl leads to a walking height passage wit a very small stream that can be followed upstream by alternately walking and traversing on friable sandstone ledges. The [penetration of this cave] passage ends in [a continuation with] large block breakdown [and leads] after approximately 80 m … [to] a muddy squeeze up to a chamber above the breakdown with no [apparent] way on. Downstream the small trickle vanishes almost immedialtely in a gravel choke.From the chamber below the talus cone a short sgueezy climb upwards and straight ahead leads to a section of -hands and knees- relic passasge that ends [expeditious penetration by cavers] after 40 m. Cave development is along the limestone / sandstone bedding interface. Breakdown boulders and rocks and gravel, mainly sandstone are omnipresent. Some ]read: unspecified secondary] calcite formations are at the upstream and downstream end of the lower passage (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: Richard Hudson 16-02-2014 14-05-2014 Krem Pdeng Laphiang_Rec.doc). TACKLE: A 20 m rope is useful to descnd down into the doline (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: Richard Hudson 16-02-2014 14-05-2014 Krem Pdeng Laphiang_Rec.doc). PROSPECTS 2014.04.29: When negotiation of this sports caving device was relinquished the speleotopographical progress was declared finished (Arbenz, T 2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx). PROSPECTS 2014.05.10: None (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: Richard Hudson 16-02-2014 14-05-2014 Krem Pdeng Laphiang_Rec.doc). CULTURAL HISTORY: A large doiline with no signs of entrance habitation (probably as there is no available water source). Contact cave between sandstone and limestone (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: Richard Hudson 16-02-2014 14-05-2014 Krem Pdeng Laphiang_Rec.doc). CAVE CLIMATE: Richard had wel opgemerkt dat het in het laatste deel van de grot zeker tien graden warmer is dan in het middeldeel. Bij het smalste deel is er zelfs sprake van een frisse tocht. Waar blijft die tocht dan? (DIKSTRA & BURGERS 2014: 38). CAVE LIFE: A relatively short section o cave with unidentified dimensions gave on 15th February 2014 access to a chamber with small bat colony (anonymous Jos -Yoxz- Burgers, Richard -Rich- Hudson, Marcel Dikstra, or Elena [Elena Buduran] in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 15th February, Saturday). Manuel Ruedi, the bat man, counted on 16th February 2014 inside this cave the entire bat population (Chiroptera) represented by visible Hipposideros armiger (8) and a Rhinolophus sp (2) whilst a certain -Shabu- (Shabuddin Shaik) collected faunal samples, including millipedes (conf. Trachyiulus), which were handed over to Oana later. Shabu has done coring and got microcrustaceans besides millipeds, spiders (handed over to khurl [D. Khlur B. Mukhim]) and unknown insects [or, perhaps, unidentified arthropods] from bat guano (anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 16th February, Sunday). We found Otomops [Wroughton's free-tailed bat, Otomops wroghtoni Thomas 1913] … In a third cave near Thangsah (cave 3; 25°11’N & 92°12’E; 420 m), we heard only the characteristict loud and audible screams emitted intermittently by alarmed Wroughton’s Free-tailed Bats (Prater 1914) from deep inside a narrow crevice, but we were unable to see the bats (RUEDI, M et al. 2014: 6680). In the first two caves [Krem –>Umthalong, Pynurkba; Krem –>Lumjingtep, Umlatdoh], larger aggregations (12–70 individuals) of Wroughton’s Free-tailed Bats were found in relatively large cupola (avens) in the ceiling, while smaller groups (3–8 individuals) were roosting in narrower crevices of the ceiling. In all situations, the bats were roosting within 20–75 m of the cave entrance, at a height of 3–15 m. … Light from the outside was dim but still perceptible near most roosts occupied by Otomops. … caves 2 [Krem –>Lumjingtep, Umlatdoh] and 3 [Krem pdeng –>Laphiang, Thangsah] harboured few Hipposideros larvatus and Rhinolophus spp., but all these bats were roosting furher inside the cavities, in areas of total darkness (RUEDI, M et al. 2014: 6680). … at cave 2, there were a minimum of 15 Otomops located in three distinct crevices. … Although the gender of roosting individuals could not be determined, these bats appeared to be adults, with no smaller or young animals present at the time of visit. The two captured males had no signs of reproductive activity, such as enlarged testes. Hence, unlike animals in the Western Ghats (Prater 1914), the Jaintia Wroughton’s free-tailed bats did not appear to reproduce at this time of the year (February) (RUEDI, M et al. 2014: 6680-6681).ghtoni Thomas 1913] … In a third cave near Thangsah (cave 3; 25°11’N & 92°12’E; 420 m), we heard only the characteristict loud and audible screams emitted intermittently by alarmed Wroughton’s Free-tailed Bats (Prater 1914) from deep inside a narrow crevice, but we were unable to see the bats (RUEDI, M et al. 2014: 6680). In the first two caves [Krem –>Umthalong, Pynurkba; Krem –>Lumjingtep, Umlatdoh], larger aggregations (12–70 individuals) of Wroughton’s Free-tailed Bats were found in relatively large cupola (avens) in the ceiling, while smaller groups (3–8 individuals) were roosting in narrower crevices of the ceiling. In all situations, the bats were roosting within 20–75 m of the cave entrance, at a height of 3–15 m. … Light from the outside was dim but still perceptible near most roosts occupied by Otomops. … caves 2 [Krem –>Lumjingtep, Umlatdoh] and 3 [Krem pdeng –>Laphiang, Thangsah] harboured few Hipposideros larvatus and Rhinolophus spp., but all these bats were roosting furher inside the cavities, in areas of total darkness (RUEDI, M et al. 2014: 6680). … at cave 2, there were a minimum of 15 Otomops located in three distinct crevices. … Although the gender of roosting individuals could not be determined, these bats appeared to be adults, with no smaller or young animals present at the time of visit. The two captured males had no signs of reproductive activity, such as enlarged testes. Hence, unlike animals in the Western Ghats (Prater 1914), the Jaintia Wroughton’s free-tailed bats did not appear to reproduce at this time of the year (February) (RUEDI, M et al. 2014: 6680-6681).