BRAGPOCHE no. 1 (Cave on)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 15/07/2016

An up to 65 m wide and 10 m high 'cave entrance' to a shallow rock shelter, in ground plan somewhat letter "U" or "W" shaped. Falling water and dirtslides occasionally wash the narrow central section. Situated at 4500 m asl on the top of the frost shattered scree cloaking the foot of Mt. Bragpoche, and at the foot of the lowest, several tens of metres thick Lias (Jurassic) layerhead. The "undercut" shape is misleading. The long notch originates from a peculiar local tectonical disturbance -- a hanging, pronounced V-shaped anticline -- in co-operation with frost shattering and gravitational mass wasting supported by flash-flood events. Karst surface features originating from dissolutional processes are absent. CAVE DESCRIPTION: Recently fallen and more or less horizontally deposited incasional boulders fill the south-eastern leg of the notch almost completely. Adjacent and southwards of the central waterfall two supposedly young, diamicritic, and cross-bedded landslide sediments were deposited just outside the whirlpool's spray reach. Flushing flood events have revealed here slickensides on layer-joints. CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: Three knee-high walls, squarish in circumference, and bordering a levelled ground cleared from large rocks in the comparatively spacious and wide spanning north-western part of the rock shelter. Keyword: Shelter, goat den.