UMSHANGKTAT (Krem Wah)
25.194400,92.372200
Description
A true tunnel cave, complete with a pair of communicating entrances, starts where a seasonal surface stream sinks into the insurgence cave Krem –>Romai Synhin to flow underground in a perennialy active master cave (trunk streamway cave passage with tributary inlets) and evenrually resurgence at the head of the Wah Umshangktat. By far the most volume of the cave is occupied by the relatively large sized "Public Section" which runs from the sink in the NE to the resurgence in the SW. This trunk passage is characterised by an exceptionally rectangular profile section with a flat and horizontal ceiling formed by gravitational decay along laminar impurities between the limestone's frequent beddings. Tributary cave passages from the north-east (Private Parts) are of considerably smaller size and consist either A) of zigzagging cleft controlled rift passages (0.5 m by 1 m wide, 2 m to 4 m high) at some level above the underlying sandstone or B) of wide but low (5 m wide and 0.5 m high) meandering crawls sandwiched between a sandstone floor and a limestone ceiling, or C) a combination of both resulting in an inverted T-profile. The cave walls expose a sequence of lithologies which indicate a changing environment in the course of the limestone deposition. Most of the layers consist of compact limestones of even structure (sedimented in calm conditions) alternating not only with coarse grained, apparently arenaceous aggregates but also with laminar carbonaceous interbeds and structures of sutures and cross-bedding. ETYMOLOGY: The origin of the Synteng Khasi (Pnar) cave name "Krem Wah Umshangktat" has not been identified. It appears to describe a cave on the stream, the water of which takes a bypass, literally rather »Cave on the Stream of Evading Water« or »Cave on the Stream with a Right-Angle Turn« than »Cave on the Water-Scattered Stream« (note 1). SITUATION: Both of the two known cave entrances lie on the outskirts west of Thangskai (25°11'45”N: 92°22'35“E), the village about 4 km or 5 km along the National Highway 44 north of Lumshnong (25°10'45”N: 092°22'25”E). The upper cave entrance, a sinkhole, lies in the jungle of the Romai Synhin area north of the village and is difficult to find without the help of a guide. The lower cave entrance, a resurgence, lies about 20 m upstream of what had been in March 1996 the public washing place of Thangskai village and is obliterated by fallen boulders at the head of a riverbed exposing Lakadong Sandstone. The cave is hydrologically situated above (upstream from) the caves –>Kotsati , –>Malo, –>Thangskai and –>Umso (Thangskai). CAVE DESCRIPTION: At the SSW-facing head of the streambed exposing Middle Eocene (Middle Sylhet stage) Lakadong Sandstone, a gap hidden behind fallen boulders gives access to a perennially active stream cave in Upper to Middle Eocene (Middle Sylhet stage) Umlatdoh Limestone which at least four distinct water courses to the SSE. In the dry season the enterable "Lower Entrance" is dry and gives access to the south-eastern end of the "Public Section", sizeable, generally NW-SE trending trunk passage (5 m to 8 m wide, 4 m to 5 m high, 350 m long) with four inlets from the NNE. Almost the entire length of the Public Section offers a comfortable stroll on moist sand. Just the very last stretch requires sort of a mild climb across fallen limestone blocks and debris to reach the collapse doline of the upper entrance, Krem –>Romai Synhin 2. The only other obstacle is a slight ascent to the 'summit' of a mound of fallen rocks, not even 5 m high, and situated at about halfway between the two entrances. At the top of the mound, the main passage actually continues straight on with an awkward, caing-wise unexplored 4 m climb up and a much less demanding descent towards south-east requires a bit of stooping to reach again the level of the trunk passage. A rockfall at the upper entrance, resulting from a collapse doline, effectively blocks the continuation of the trunk passage which continues from this knick-point as a N-S running passage called 'Private Section'. The waters contributing to the Public Section trunk passage arrive from four inlets: Belly Crawl Inlet, Wurschtl Inlet, Red River Inlet and an unexplored inlet. UNEXPLORED INLET starts just 25 m in, as a low opening on the eastern wall. This gives access to a crawl, of which the upstream section is suspected to bring the trickle of water which runs off (see below) the upstream of Red River Inlet. The downstream section of Unexplored Inlet is believed to lead to an insignificant resurgence, situated a few metres north-east of the lower entrance's boulder pile. RED RIVER INLET starts with altogether four different holes in the north-eastern wall, at a distance of 70 m to 120 m from the lower entrance, and between the right angle turn of the Public Section towards NE and a chamber with a couple of huge angular boulders which are isolated from each other by spacious throughways but rest on a common plain and invite one to play hide-and-seek. Red River Inlet is 175 m long, mostly rather tight (1 m wide, 3 m high) and cleft controlled. At the far end it gets bigger (5 m by 5 m) after having joined a 40 m long section of a meandering river cave passage, which continues both upstream and downstream as a 5 m wide cave passage. As far as the eye can see, if one puts ones head at floor level, there is no obstacle visible but the two leads nevertheless remained unexplored because they are only 25 m or 30 cm high and also wet. WURSCHTL INLET joins Public Section 25 m upstream of Hide & Seek Chamber. Again, it is rather tight, cleft controlled and the survey ends 120 m in at a place where the continuation becomes uncomfortably low. BELLY CRAWL INLET is 220 m long and starts at the very bottom of the boulder pile in the upper exit. Entering Public Section trunk passage from the north-west, it starts as a wet, 50 m long, in the average 0.5 m low and 5 m wide crawl in a wet streambed on massive sandstone. Some 50 m in, it pops into the 170 m long and N-S-running 'Private Section' (8 m wide, 5 m high) which leads in both directions to collapsed continuations. The southern breakdown is imported from the Upper Entrance's shakehole. CAVE DESCRIPTION 2006: »Krem Umshangktat … has a large trunk passage which drains water from a seasonal surface river and resurges to supply water for the village washing needs« (KHARPRAN DALY 2006 s.a.: 42).
NOTE 1: ka wah (Khasi; noun), binomial imitative: ka wah - ka um (SINGH, N 1906: 244), a stream, a river (SINGH, N 1906: 244); wah (Khasi; verb) to suspend. to hang (SINGH, N 1906: 244). ka um (Khasi, noun), binomial imitative: ka um - ka wah (SINGH, N 1906: 242), a stream [of water] (SINGH, N 1920: 500); water (OLDHAM, T 1854 / 1984 appendix C: lxi; SINGH, N 1906: 242; SINGH, N 1920: 586; BLAH, E 2007: 330). shang (Khasi; verb) to roam, to associate with (SINGH, N 1906: 189); ka shang (Khasi; noun) a basket (SINGH, N 1906: 189; SINGH, N 1920: 38; BLAH, E 2007: 26; OLDHAM, T 1854 / 1984 appendix C: lxv). ktat (Synteng Khasi / Pnar; verb) was said to be the same as the standard Khasi ”kdat” (Kharpran Daly, Brian Dermot 1996.03.07 personal communication), to turn sharp to another direction (SINGH, N 1906: 23); to evade (SINGH, N 1920: 161). ktait (verb) to scatter about (SINGH, N 1906: 50).
Documents
Bibliography 05/07/2016History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1996.03.07: Spindro Dkhar (Lumshnong village) guided Brian D. Kharpran Daly, Donbokwell Syiemlieh, Lieut.-Col. Mylliemngap, George Lyngdoh and Kyrmen 'Hope' C Hiwot Passah in company with H. Daniel Gebauer, Andre Abele, Georg Bäumler and Franz Baumgartner to entrance of Krem Wah Umshangktat, where the latter four commences mapping the first 955 m of cave passages. Brooks, S J tells a tale according to which »a day trip to Thangskai village results in the 955 m long Krem Wah Um Shangtat« (Brooks, S J in: BROOKS, S J et al 1998: 24) but in reality this day trip resulted neither in the cave, which already had existed, nor in the 995 m, which resulted from surveying parts of the accessible cave to a degree resulting in a cave plan.1998.03.05: Lucky Dkhar and Robert 'Robby' Lal from Chiehruphi (25°12'36”N: 92°22'22”E) guided Brian D. Kharpran Daly, Valery Lalvula, and Jennifer 'Jenni' or 'Jenny' A. Brooks to the entrance of Krem Romai Synhin.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | THANGSKAI (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | MALO (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | ROMAI SYNHIN 1 (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | ROMAI SYNHIN 2 (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | SKEI, Thangskai, 1st (Synrang) | ||
| 0.4 | SKEI, Thangskai, 2nd (Synrang) | ||
| 0.5 | UMSO, Thangskai (Krem) | ||
| 0.6 | MALO 2 (Caves dubbed) | ||
| 0.6 | KAIMEN FROM FOUNDER CAVE |