IAWE (Krem)
25.350100,92.540600
Description
A relatively impressive pothole entrance to a wet horizontal main drag eventually leads to a very wet maze fed by a relatively extensive upstream system from the south-west. ETYMOLOGY: So far, no explanation of the Synteng expression "iawe" has been gathered. On the one-hand side, the Khasi verb "iawer" means »to call for a compagnon, to solicit to go along with, to invite« but the verb "iawih" means »to be angaged in a strufggle, to fight hard« and the verb "iawin" means »to make a noise« (SINGH, N 1906: 90). On the other hand, the Khasi adjective 'áw (pronouned yáw) means »grown-up, ripe; courageous« and is the appellation of »old women« (SINGH, N 1906: 89). The Khasi adverb "eh" means »hard, difficult, unrelenting« and the adjective "eh" means »very, exceedingly« but "ei" is »a word used to emphasize or soften the expression« and the suffix "…ei" means »gratis, gratuitously« (SINGH, N 1906: 75). The Khasi "ka iáwbei“ would be »a primitive ancestress of a clan« (SINGH, N 1906: 89). SITUATION: Low on a spur protruding from the eastern flank of the Shnongrim ridge into the upper reaches of the Litang (Letein, Litien) Valley. The recorded GPS readings (note 1) indicate a sot which lies at a linear distance of 1.7 km south of the Litang Tea House (N25°21'37”: E092°33'13”: 855 m asl WGS84) on the road from Sutnga to Nongkhlieh. APPROACH: From the Litang tea-house (N25°21'37”: E092°33'13”: 855 m asl WGS84) on the road from Shnongrim to Nongkhlieh, the cave is reached by walking towards the south (across the paddy fields of the Wah Shikar plain) and by keeping close to the foot of the Shnongrim ridge. At a distance of slightly more than a kilometre from the tea house (dukan sha), an approximately 500 m wide valley –the Wah Skiar plain; dotted with a few low hillocks– enters from the right (west). Cross this plain, including three larger stream channels (1st about 10 m wide, 4 m deep; 2nd and 3rd about 5 m wide and 2 m deep), and keep towards the lowest dominant notch in the spur, called Lum Manar, opposite south. At the foot of this notch (near N25°21'06": E092°32'34", WGS84, HDG 2001.02.09, blunder prone 4-channel GPS Magellan 2000XL) a stream issues from the jungle (dry in the broad valley but murmuring upstream). Take one of the cow paths to the headwaters -the air flows refreshingly cool over here- and climb along a well worn footpath (and seasonal streambed) uphill. Some 30 vertical metres up limestone pinnacles are encountered. Watch out for a pinnacle which could be passed to both the left or the right while keeping uphill. Behind this pinnacle, turn to the right and climb –keeping to the left- between pinnacles and fallen boulders to the mouth of the pot. It lies some 20 or 30 m from the pinnacle in the path, and less than 10 vertical metres higher up. CAVE DESCRIPTION: The large, daylight lit cave entrance pothole (10 by 15 m wide, 15 m deep) would require tackle were there not a free climbable slot in a sheltered nook, and secreted away by a slab of rock leaning at the left hand side on the way to the edge of the pot. The murky slot descends –via an inconvenient constriction– to the top of a steep gully (a hand line would be comfortable) which descends to a partly calcite cemented scree that slopes down to an uneven, perched level in full daylight, the apparent and therefore UPPER BOTTOM of the entrance pothole. Arriving from above, continue four obvious routes: One, the most luring towards the Wet Series, is a gaping dark hole descending on the right-hand side (south-west, 225°) at the foot of a climb up (Abode of the Falcons, a dead end) to the right (west, 270°) and opposite of a slope down to the left (north-east, 045°) into Krem Iawe 2. The way ahead (south-east, 135°), contouring past the hole down, enters the ABODE OF THE OWLS, a huge horizontal passage (more than 10 m wide and 20 high) which runs across a level floor (covered with dry muddy sand and some bat guano) and soon, after some 50 m, into an unclimbed wall where, approximately 15 m up, a possible but not obvious lead (the Abode of the Owls proper) may continue. KREM IAWE 2 to 3: Descending from the daylight lit Upper Bottom across loose scree towards north-east one soon arrives at the top of a 5m-drop (ladder) to a level passage (5 to 7 m wide, 15 m high). Initially across level mud, later descending a bit across dry and dirty old gour dams, the collapse entrance of Krem Iawe 2 (4 by 5 m wide) is reached. At the "lowest point", just before climbing out of the cave, descends a climb down through collapse boulders into a lower level. This continues (some mud, speleothems) into small chambers (up to 7 m wide, 4 m high connected by rifts (1 m wide, 2 m high) which finally pop out into the jungle at Krem Iawe 3, or Tree Entrance (2.5 m wide, 4 m high). Turning at the "Upper Bottom" towards south-west, descends a climb down to the first pool of water in the WET SERIES (on average 6 m wide and 10 m high, 170 m long) accompanied by a more or less parallel DRY SERIES (2 m wide, 3 m high, 200 m long) at a higher level in the south-east. The Wet Series arrives the from south-west and issues from an extensive WET MAZE (0.4 to 4 m wide, on average 2 m high, 710 m of passages mapped) where the water is not. Tight rifts climb from the perennial water-level to a complex area where a bundle of ENE to WSW orientated passages cross the general SW to NE trend of the cave system. The most extensive of these "counter passages" is PENGUIN CREEK, some 800 m of passages, initially wet (2 m wide, 2 to 4 m high), later dry (5 m wide, 6 m high) and finally ascending into a hot and moist collapse region. HIGH EXPECTATIONS STREAM, the main inlet, was followed for 475 m (on average 1.575 m wide, 3.604 m high) up to a total calcite blockage (HDG 2001.02.09, revised 2003.02.06). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1995: The cave has two storeys (nonsense), is rather easy the »difficult to get at« and said to have been discovered while chasing monkeys. In the lower level is a river with plenty of fish (nonsense), and in the upper level »there is one pillar and if you strike the pillar you will hear an eerie sound« (after LALOO 1995a, 1995b). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2000: »… a steep path leads up to the impressive pothole entrance of Krem Iawe … A gully and boulder squeeze entrance entered the pot halfway down and a steep slope dropped down to a big, dry and attractive passage. Another climb down below this led to 200 m of very large stream passage with partially eroded orange gour dams [note 2]. First we surveyed 202 m of labyrinthine dry passages on the LH-side of the main river passage (heading upstream). This series eventually rejoined the river further downstream. Being wetsuited and wearing life-jackets, we next tackled the up to chest deep canal passages leading upstream. This turned out to be an incredible maze with the water held back in a series of long canals by more orange [coloured] gours –quite superb but decidedly chilly. At one point, I had a close encounter with a very large bat who insisted on using the same airspace that I was standing in! After 188 m of this, we ran out of time. I pushed on about 100 m upstream to where things got even more complicated and decided that the bloody place could go for a very long distance. A major surveying job for the next expedition …« (Jarratt 2000.03.01 Mss: Cave Log 2002). PROSPECTS: Sheet 0/0: The downstream series towards Krem Iawe Barit consists of a complex maze of which only one route has been "surveyed" (sports caver standards) by Brooks, S J & Boycott, Tony [Antony] to a degree yielding a "survey" (total sum of survey leg lengths) but --since 11 November 2003-- no cave survey (cave plan). Sheet 0/-1: A 15 m climb up to the "Abode of the Owls" requires technical aid to reach a possible high level continuation. According to the recorded GPS positions, Krem Psiar lies 245 m in a direct line approximately west (-244 m east, -12 m north) from the main doline entrance to Krem Iawe (N25°21'00.5”: E92°32'26.0”: 809 m asl WGS84) but some 120 m higher up. PROSPECTS 2007: »There is a good chance of connecting [Krem –>Syngrang Ngap] with Krem Tyrtong Ryngkoo and / or Krem Bir 1 or even of bypassing these altogether and heading for Krem Iawe« (JARRATT & DAWSON 2007). CAVE LIFE: Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt saw on 2000.03.01 one very large bat (Chiroptera) and H.D. Gebauer (2001.02.20) came across three large bats at the very distal end of the northern inlet (impenetrable for humans) to the eastern part of the Wet Maze. Somewhere seen was a solitary pale »catfish« (note 3) or loach. Christian W. Fischer collected on 15.02.2001 three specimens of spiders (Arachnida, Aranea, Pholcidae spec.) and a beetle (Insecta, Coleoptera, Staphylinidae). On 25.02.2001 H. D. Gebauer collected a beetle (in German: Rüsselkäfer) -- possibly carried in by cavers -- preliminarily determined by Christian W. Fischer to Insecta, Coleoptera, conf. Curculionidae.
NOTE 1: Two different GPS positions were recorded, both with Garmin 12 receivers, at spots without recorded relation to the main pothole entrance. The later position is offset by about 100 m or 30 m south and 60 m north from the earlier one: 25°21'01”N: 92°32'25”E (±50 m): 809 m asl (Edmunds P A 1999.04.06) and 25°21'00”N: 92°32'27”E (unspecified precision error): unidentified altitude (Brooks S J 2000.03.01, 07h06). NOTE 2: Gour dams (rimstone dams) consist more often than not of calcite and the »orange gour dams« (Jarratt, A R 2000.03.01 Mss: Cave Log 2002) occurring in Krem Iawe are possibly not dams made from oranges (botanically: Citrus reticulate) but orange coloured rimstone dams. NOTE 3: »Osteichthyian fishes of the Order Siluriformes, known by the English common name of catfishes, form a well diagnosed natural group of primarily freshwater fishes. … Catfishes often have large, heavy bones that lend themselves to fossilization and, comparatively large otoliths. As such, a large number of species of catfishes have been named from complete or partial skeletal fossils or even from only otoliths« (FERRARIS 2007: Introduction).
Documents
Bibliography 29/03/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1999.04.03: Larsing Sukhlain told the cave name Krem Iawe to B. D. Kharpran Daly and H. D. Gebauer. 1999.04.06, trip 1 and 1999.04.08, trip 2: Larsing Sukhlain guided Nick Cain, Gregory D. Diengdoh, Lindsay B. Diengdoh, Paul A. Edmunds, Katharina "Kate" Janossy, Sophie Kumar, Colin Lamare, Robert Lamb, Louise Le Fluffy, Eleanor Lock, Trevor Lyngwa, Buntie Pettifer, Helen Philp, Adora Thabah, Matthew Truman, Oliver Truman, Andrew "Andy" Peter Tyler and Alex Willey (DAWSON 1999: 18, 19). The 899.9 measured metres needed re-surveying because too many series were tied-in wrongly. 2000.02.29, trip 3: Andrew "Andy" Peter Tyler and Katharina "Kate" Janossy attempted in vain to guide Simon J. Brooks, Brian D. Kharpran Daly and Fraser E. Simpson to the cave entrance. 2000.03.01, trip 4. Simon J. Brooks, Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt, Brian D. Kharpran Daly and Kirsten McCullough, guided by Larsing Sukhlain, resurveyed some mapped parts and surveyed new ones, believed to have gained a total of 1289.5 m and actually added somewhat useful surveys (201.8 m) to the total length (671.8 m). 2001.02.19, trip 5: Simon J. Brooks, Brian D. Kharpran Daly, H. Daniel Gebauer and Peter Ludwig mapped mostly wet 512 m in the Maze. 2001.02.21, trip 6: Simon J. Brooks and H. D. Gebauer mapped another mostly wet 441 m in the Maze. 2001.02.25, trip 7: H. D. Gebauer, Peter Ludwig and Gregory D. Diengdoh mapped cool 328 m of Penguin Downstream. 2001.02.25, trip 8: Simon J. Brooks, Tom Chapman and Amanda Edgeworth mapped 465 m of a certain Penguin Upstream. 2001.02.25, trip 9: Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt, Mark W. Brown and Shelley A. Diengdoh mapped confused 135 m of "Markrat Loops" (2570.64 m total). 2003.02.06, trip 10: H. D. Gebauer, Antony 'Tony' Boycott, Simon J. Brooks and Jayne Stead resurveyed 403.23 m in the entrance area (2750.03 m total). 2003.02.07, trip 11: Simon J. Brooks, Antony "Tony" Boycott, and Annie U. Audsley explored, attempted to survey and failed to achieve mapping the upstream to a calcite choke while H. D. Gebauer and Peter Ludwig surveyed, mapped 195.96 m and explored the Dry Downstream. 2003.02.08, trip 12: Simon J. Brooks and Boycott, Antony 'Tony' »cleaned up« (resurveyed) the connection to »Krem Iawe Barit [sic! Krem Iaw Rit, Small Iawe Cave]« (total: 3397.74 m). 2005.02.22, trip 13: Anthony 'Tony' R. Jarratt (2005.03.06 Mss: Cave Log, vol. XII, 22/2/05), Fraser E. Simpson and Graham Marshall »walked down the ridge trying to find the route to Krem Iaw. I failed in this, having ignored the correct path to the left, and descended right down to the Letein valley. Luckily we easily found the old route back up to Iawe entrance. After the compulsory view over the pot, Fraser and I went in and down the steep rubble slope to the river where we videoed me marching upstream with the 50 Watt light. This wasn't bright enough to illuminate this fine gallery. The climb out of the cave was also filmed. I also climbed up into a high level passage [of course without surveying] that I dont recognize from previous descriptions (Abode of the falcons; a dead end). There was no sign of [visible] fluorescein in the streamway.« Simon J. Brooks, S J et al. (2005 Mss: Meghalaya Diary) noticed »Jrat, Fraser and Graham went to Krem Iawe to take some video footage.« 2007.02.25, no trip: Robin F. Sheen, Fraser E. Simpson and Desmond "Des" McNally »took some locals: Duohi Jeet, Com Mo Dias, Arki and Sngap Bha from Tongseng to go caving in Krem Iawe. They walked down the ridge from Shnongrim to the valley but were unable to locate the entrance even with the GPS. They then went to Krem Wah Shikar instead taking photos and shooting video on the way« (Brooks, S J et al. 2007.03.01 Mss: Diary2007.doc).2008.02.05, trip 14: »Jrat, Robin, Des, Sharon, Rowena, Joel and Axel went into Krem Iawe to try and find a way through the main choke. All leads in the choke got too small. Robin, Rowena and Joel then went upstream and found one possible bypass in deep water which was draughting. Jrat, Sharon, Axel and Des found two climbs on the way out with large passage visible beyond« (Brown et al. 2008 Mss: Meghalaya 2008 diary.doc entry Tuesday 5th February).2008.02.12, trip 14: »Kate, Jrat, Pete G, Henry and Terry went to Krem Iawe where Jrat and Kate did a small dig that did not go anywhere. Henry bolted into two high level passages that went nowhere and Jrat joined him« (Brown, M.W. et al. 2008 Mss: Meghalaya 2008 diary.doc entry Tuesday 12th February). 2014.02.08, trip 15: Thomas Arbenz, Fraser E. Simpson and Brian Dermot Kharpran Daly »left the camp [near Umkyrpong] early in order to have enough time to find Krem Iawe in the Litang Valley where photos had to be taken for volume 2 of the Cave Pearls of Meghalaya. The drive through the backwoods near Samasi and across the plain over to the Litang dukan sha turned out to be a nightmare [for the romantically inclined Thomas Arbenz]. The whole area was uprooted and pock marked by mining activity. The dense cloud of dust hanging over it made the scenery even worse. After a tea at the tea shop the team proceeded towards Wah Shikar [where] another mine was eating away the home of our once friendly ghost. They overshot due to unprecise GPS coordinates in the access description and lost a couple of hours by jungle bashing. Eventually Brian and Fraser recognized some of the dramatically changed landscape and the third trial eventually lead them to the cave [entrance]. Here they found the slope down into the entrance chamber … [still has] lots of loose material … [and] the climb [down appeared to be] too risky without a rope which, unfortunately, they had not brought. So they were left with photos of the entrance chamber.After an hour they had seen all of it and turned their backs to a once beautiful valley which was now rapidly dying« (Arbenz, T in: Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 8th February, Saturday).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | IAWE 2 (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | SHNONG MU 2 (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | IAWE RIT (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | SHNONG MU (Krem) | ||
| 0.3 | PSIAR (Krem) | ||
| 0.5 | SARANG, Lum Manar, 1st (Krem) | ||
| 0.5 | KYA 2 (Krem) | ||
| 0.6 | SIAT KRIAH 1 (Krem) | ||
| 0.6 | KYA 1 (Krem) |