DIENGIONG, Lumshnong (Krem)
25.194100,92.351100
Description
A dry cave entrance (in one way or another 10 m by 5 m large) with flat boulder floor gives access to a solitary cave passage which leads initially for about 30 m on a bearing of 150° to a calcite choke (speleothem) and then for about 10 m as an about 0.3 m low crawlway (inlet from 195°) to a point where the accessible part of this cave continues in an impenetrable way. ETYMOLOGY: The origin and meaning of the Khasi cave name "ka krem dieng iong" has not been discovered but appears to translate as something along the lines of a Dark Tree Cave, Black Wood Cave, or Cherry Tree Cave (note 1). SITUATION: In an unspecified setting somewhere in the vicinity southeast of the –>Shanty Shaft dubbed »Cherlamet Pothole« (sic!). APPROACH: It is not impossible to walk from what had been in February 1999 a house (with an unidentified GPS position) south of the –>Shanty Shaft for an estimated 100 m south along a track and then turn at a point with an unidentified GPS position in one or the other way »left« (east?) into what had been in February 1999 the dry streambed of a »river« (with an unidentified name) which leads either upstream or downstream after an estimated 100 m to the cave entrance. CAVE CLIMATE: Either Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt, Thilo Müller and Babha Kupar 'Dale' Mawlong (on 3rd Ferbaury 1999) or Antony 'Tony' Boycott, Babha Kupar 'Dale' Mawlong, Kyrshan Myrthong and Estelle Sandford (on 4th February 1999) discovered at an unknown time the apparent absence of an obviously air movement in the crawl found at a distance of 40 m from the only known cave entrance.CAVE LIFE: Relatively »many spiders« (Jarratt 1999.02.03 Mss: Cave Log, vol. 8, page 61).
NOTE 1: "ka dieng" or "u dieng" (Khasi; noun), binomial imitative "ka dieng ka siej" (SINGH, N 1906: 67), also recorded as "ading" (HOOKER, J D 1854-1855, 2: 268 footnote), »a tree« (SINGH, N 1906: 67; SINGH, N 1920: 539; BLAH, E 2007: 313); »the wood« (SINGH, N 1906: 67; SINGH, N 1920: 596; BLAH, E 2007: 334); »the timber« (SINGH, N 1906: 67; SINGH, N 1920: 529). "ba iong" (Khasi; adjective), pronounced "yong" (SINGH, N 1920: 92), »black« (SINGH, N 1906: 92; SINGH, N 1920: 46; BLAH, E 2007: 31; OLDHAM, T 1854 / 1984 appendix C: lxiii); »dark« (SINGH, N 1920: 107; BLAH, E 2007: 71). "u sohiong" (Khasi; noun) or "u soh-iong" (SINGH, N 1906: 207), "u kynja soh-iong" (SINGH, N 1920: 68), and "u sohïong" (BLAH, E 2007: 48), literally: »the black / dark [coloured] fruit« (Gebauer, H D 2013.03.18), »the Khasi cherry; Botanically: Prunus ferruginea« (SINGH, N 1906: 207); »a [kind of] cherry« (SINGH, N 1920: 68); »a cherry« (BLAH, E 2007: 48). "u dieng sohiong" (Khasi; noun) or "u diengsohiong" (SINGH, N 1906: 69), »the Khasi cherry tree; Botanically: Prunus ferruginea« (SINGH, N 1906: 69).
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1999.02.03, trip 1: Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt, Thilo Müller and Babha Kupar 'Dale' Mawlong visited the cave, commenced exploration of about 35 m of accessible cave passage, and moved on. 1999.02.04, trip 2: Antony 'Tony' Boycott, Babha Kupar 'Dale' Mawlong, Kyrshan Myrthong and Estelle Sandford returned to this cave, continued exploration of about 35 m of accessible cave passage and sketched a grade 2 plan
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2 | SHANTY CAVE (aa -) | ||
| 0.5 | SHANTY SHAFT (aa -) | ||
| 0.5 | Coffee Cave, Thangskai, 2nd (aa -) | ||
| 0.6 | Coffee Cave, Thangskai, 1st (aa -) | ||
| 0.8 | Elephant Dung Cave, Lumshnong | ||
| 1.0 | UMTYRA, 2nd (Krem) | ||
| 1.0 | NARA (Thloo) | ||
| 1.2 | LABIT, Thangskai (Krem) | ||
| 1.3 | LABIT, Chiehruphi (Krem) |