Tham Phra Wang Daeng - PS0028

บ้านมุง (TH)
16.678397,100.687553
Length 13789m Depth 131m
Grottocenter / carte

Location

From Ban Chomphu drive through the check point into the national park. Wat Tham Phra Wang Daeng is sign posted to the right (south) about 3 km past the check point. Park at the outside the entrance to the wat and follow the track up the hill to the large entrance. Martin Ellis - 19/05/2019

Description

Martin Ellis - 19/05/2019

Tham Phra Wang Daeng is the longest cave in Thailand, consisting mainly of a 10 km long streamway it is a magnificent trip. Only one group of cavers has been to the end (monks had been there before them) on a two day camping trip in April 1998. The entrance section of Tham Phra Wang Daeng is a huge collapse chamber with two entrances facing each other. A foot path crosses through the upper levels, passing a golden Buddha and a flat, painted rock symbolising a turtle. Two monk platforms are erected in the middle of the entrance chamber. On the opposite side, the path continues to the downstream entrance of the cave. Descending the steep boulder pile in the entrance chamber, a small hole in the floor has a cellar door gives access to the upstream section of the cave. Inside, the steep descent over huge boulders continues, finally going down a concrete stairway to the bottom of the first boulder choke where the stream is reached. Downstream the water quickly disappears into a boulder choke, but it can be rejoined after a few hundred meters from the downstream entrance. The section of Tham Phra Wang Daeng downstream from the entrance, though nowhere near as long as the upstream section, is characterized by a sequence of small cascades. Heading upstream some gours damming the stream soon lead to the first swim. Here a steep climb to the left (as seen in the downstream direction) leads up to a large Buddha statue, while an even steeper climb to the right over muddy flowstone, rigged by the local monks with a thick knotted rope, leads up for 30 m to an upper dry gallery. Again, the passage is dominated by a golden Buddha statue. At the far end of the bypass a slippery boulder pile leading down to the stream has to be negotiated, this time without the help of a handline. Thus, the bypass can be used to avoid the first swim. Back down at stream level, a large pool is found, which hosts an abundance of white cave fish. Progressing upstream from the first pool the passage obviously leaves the entrance area, which is dominated by its huge boulder choked sections, giving way to several hours of walking, swimming and bouldering along the main streamway. The size of the streamway starts at 10 m wide and 5 m high, but increases to a width of 25-30 m and a height of 20-25 m. Only a few minor inlets are passed, all of them dry at the end of the dry season. After a little over 2 km, a second huge collapse area is reached. The entire river passage is blocked by a huge boulder choke which gives access to a large, dry boulder chamber at roof level. Here a major fault zone is intersected by the cave, as a result of which the ceiling has collapsed to the overlying sandstone, burying the stream passage for approximately 100 m. A tiny red string marks the best way through this unstable zone was placed by the monks. After passing the second boulder choke the active passage continues in a southerly direction. At a false junction a dead end passage leads straight ahead while the streamway makes an obvious easterly turn. The dimensions of the gallery become smaller again with an average passage size of 10 m by 15 m. The phreatic origin of the passage is more obvious here with an elliptic tube in the upper part of the section and a meandering vadose streamway cutting into the lower parts. In two places the streamway is almost entirely blocked by flowstone and at a small cascade a basaltic dyke intersects the passage. Roughly 3 km from the second boulder choke the passage enters a huge fault, leaving the ceiling some tens of meters higher. A sizeable, but seasonal inlet enters from the left û The Sandy Inlet. The cave continues as a tall, meandering vadose canyon and progress is easy walking on gravel banks. A sharp bend to the right is reached where large boulders need scrambling over. An unexplored upper level goes off from here and a 20 m tall column stands on a ledge high above the floor. Beyond the boulders the main stream tunnel continues around several bends. Fins of basalt dykes cross the cave in several places and small rapids flow over flowstone. About 350 m beyond the boulders a deeper pool of water requires wading at a sharp right and bend. A little further on another upper level enters from the right. More easy walking over gravel banks and through shallow water leads to a point where large boulders almost block the cave. It is possible to climb up through the boulders for 15 m and enter a large chamber above. Care is needed on the climb as some boulders are loose. Unexplored upper levels lead off in two directions. Scrambling down a brown flowstone cascade on the opposite side of the chamber reaches the stream again. Immediately upstream of the boulder room a small inlet enters the cave via a 10 m high aven. About 50 m further is a low flowstone roof and this is the only place where hands and knees crawling is required in the main stream passage. There is a very powerful draught through this low section. After the low section easy walking in a round tunnel passes an unexplored inlet on the right and two upper levels on the left. The passage rises in height to become a canyon again and widens out at a round chamber where a vadose canyon carries the stream through the middle of the room. At the far end of this chamber a short scramble over boulders leads back to the stream and the passage continues. The passage is small in places and crosses many basalt dykes. A sharp left hand bend is reached after about 200 m, the exploration and survey trip that reached the end of the cave camped in some large sand filled gours located on this bend. Shallow wading continues to a boulder pile which is easily passed on the right to regain the larger stream tunnel. Basalt dykes start to increase in number again and at a sharp right hand bend a boulder room is reached where the right hand wall is formed by the dyke. Climbing over the boulders and down the other side is the way through to a short section of streamway and more boulders. Beyond here, about 350 m past the camp, the stream tunnel assumes large proportions again and continues very spectacularly for about 1 km. The canyon soon reaches a place called the 'Big Bend'. Here the 10 m wide and 20 m high passage turns nearly 180¦ to the right and an excellent view is seen down both tunnels from the outside edge. Continuing past here the tunnel turns a few meanders, passes an aven inlet on the left, an upper level on the right and a large walking sized inlet which is also on the right. A huge vadose canyon, 20 m high and 10 m wide, disappears on into the dark ahead. This passage heads south and is almost straight for about 350 m, following a basalt dyke in the roof. Easy walking on gravel banks allows the explorer to get a good look at this superb section of cave. At the end of the canyon a prominent basalt dyke crosses the cave and the passage bends to the left. Passing a large tilted boulder of flowstone the cave becomes smaller and one wall consists of cemented gravel and cobbles. After a low flowstone roof an upper level enters and a basalt dyke crosses the passage. A large boulder room now opens up ahead, the third major boulder room in the cave and one of the largest. A large number of complicated routes may be taken over, under and through the boulders, but basically it is easiest to try to keep to the stream and go under. Great care is needed in places as some very large boulders appear to be precariously wedged. Following the boulder chamber the cave has much less impressive proportions. A low and wide passage with a gravel floor continues. In one place it is necessary to crawl for the second time in the cave. Additionally there is no detectable draught after the last boulder chamber. Some 200 m beyond the boulder chamber a sharp limestone shelf projects out into the passage at a left hand bend. A low cawling sized inlet or oxbow enters here and a rift crosses the cave on a fault. A small room opens up with large boulders and an upper level in the roof. The stream continues in a wide and low fashion. A too tight inlet on the right and a short scramble over some nice gours leads into more low and wide passage. This gradually enlarges to a left hand bend where a small inlet enters on the right. The stream turns sharply to the left, the water deepens and the upstream sump is reached 9,637 m from the entrance and 39 m above it.

To do

Martin Ellis - 19/05/2019

Unexplored leads: Stn 40 - inlet Stn 70 - large chamber Stn 80 - upper level Stn 163 - pitch down into rift passage Stn 234 - 10m climb to upper level Stn 306 - upper level crosses streamway Stn 307 - inlet Stn 463 - upper level Stn 495 - upper level in two directions Stn 509 - inlet Stn 510 - upper level Stn 512 - upper level Stn 603 - low oxbow/inlet

Topo

Martin Ellis - 19/05/2019

KAUFMANN, GEORG; BOLGER, TERRY (1997) - small isometric view of 6.3 km of cave SMART, DEAN (1997b) - 6.3 km of passage SMART, DEAN (1998) - 8 sheet Grade UISv2 3-3-F survey. Bolger, Terry (1999) - survey of the complete cave ELLIS, MARTIN (2009) - republished survey from SMART, DEAN (1998). Ellis, Martin; Laumanns, Michael (2017)

Fauna

Martin Ellis - 19/05/2019

Thampramon tonvuthi Ng et Vidthayanon, 2013 (Arthropoda, Crustacea, Malacostraca, Decapoda, Brachyura, Potamidae) û type locality (Ng and Vidthayanon 2013) Macrobrachium spelaeus Cai et Vidthayanon, 2016 (Arthropoda, Crustacea, Malacostraca, Decapoda, Caridea, Palaemonidae) û type locality (Cai and Vidthayanon 2016) Thereuopoda longicornis (Fabricius, 1793) (Arthropoda, Chilopoda, Scutigeromorpha, Scutigeridae) (unpublished record) Neolissochilus subterraneus Vidthayanon et Kottelat, 2003 (Chordata, Actinopterygii, Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae) û type locality (Vidthayanon and Kottelat 2003) Schistura spiesi Vidthayanon et Kottelat, 2003 (Chordata, Actinopterygii, Cypriniformes, Balitoridae) û type locality (Vidthayanon and Kottelat 2003) Cyrtodactylus auribalteatus Sumontha, Panitvong et Deein, 2010 (Chordata, Reptilia, Squamata, Gekkonidae) û type locality (Sumontha et al. 2010) Orthriophis taeniurus (Cope 1861) (Chordata, Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae) (Goddard and Ellis 2018)

Documents

[Topo] Tham Phra Wang Daeng 18/05/2019
Bibliography 19/05/2019

History

1996-03 D. Smart - collected paratype of Neolissochilus subterraneus & Schistura spiesi 1997-04-25 D. Smart, G. Kaufmann, G. Innes, 2 rangers - surveyed upstream 1997-04-26 D. Smart, G. Kaufmann, G. Innes, L. Fellows, 3 rangers - continued surveying upstream 1997-04-26 T. Bolger, D. Glasco, N. Naksathit - surveying downstream 1997-10-08 C. Vidthayanon - collected paratypes of Thampramon tonvuthi 1998-01-08 C. Vidthayanon, R. Borowsky - collected paratype of Neolissochilus subterraneus 1998-04-21 D. Smart, A. Sorn-Ek, 6 rangers - surveying upper levels at start of streamway. 1998-04-22 D. Smart, A. Sorn-Ek, 6 rangers - continuing upstream survey 1998-04-23 & 24 D. Smart, A. Sorn-Ek, 6 rangers - surveying upstream to sump 1998-04-27 D. Smart, 2 rangers - surveying upstream/downstream connection & Sandy Inlet 1999-12-13 D. Smart - surveying inlet 232 1999-12-14 - surveying inlets 209 & 226 1999-12-15 D. Smart - surveyeing Sandy Inlet 2002-01-30 C. Vidthayanon - collected holotype of Neolissochilus subterraneus & Schistura spiesi 2002-08-27 D. Smart - collected paratypes of Thampramon tonvuthi 2002-08-28 D. Smart, C. Vidthayanon - collected type series of Macrobrachium spelaeus and paratypes of Thampramon tonvuthi 2004-04-03 M. Ellis, I. Hollis, D. Smart, T. Bolger, N. Anderson, rangers - surveying inlets 330, 333, 340 & 354 2004-11-24 D. Smart, P. Wagstaff, R. Bellamy - climbs at end of sandy inlet 2008-11-29 C. Vidthayanon, P. Nang-ngam - collected holotype of Thampramon tonvuthi 2009-11-30 M. Ellis, S. Smith 2016-02-11 P. Dummer, C. Dummer, J. Campbell, S. Howe, K. Batten, J. Biffin, A. Goddard 2016-02-13 P. Dummer, C. Dummer, J. Campbell, S. Howe, K. Batten, J. Biffin, A. Goddard 2018-02-13 M. Ellis, P. Collett - downstream 2018-02-13 P. Dummer, C. Dummer, M. Butcher, M. Clayton, E. Porter, J. Begley, E. Sandford, A. Goddard, W. Vityasakunwong - upstream 2018-02-17 P. Dummer, C. Dummer, M. Butcher, J. Gosset- upstream Martin Ellis - 19/05/2019

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