UMSO, Mutang (Krem)
25.189400,92.370300
Description
Unexplored holes (circa 4 m by 1 m large) may represent openings of abandoned coal mines or, perhaps, intersected cave passages. ETYMOLOGY: The origin of the Synteng Khasi (Pnar) cave name »Krem Umso« (Brian D. Kharpran Daly 1998.03.04 personal communication) has not been identified and seems to refer to a "krem" or cave associated with an "um" or stream (of water) which is either associated with the cardinal number four (note 1), a red colour (note 2) or by a flood or spate (note 3). SITUATION: Near the base of a sandstone caprock (an estimated 35 m thick) which rests on a limestone (an estimated 25 m of exposed), the holes were visible on 4th March 1998 in the bottom of a coal miner's pit (an estimated 30 m wide and 60 m deep) which lies in an unidentified spatial relation »near« Mutang, a populated place at a location without GPS position.
NOTE 1: The Synteng Khasi (Pnar) cardinal number "so" (GURDON, P R T 1906: 200) or ”soo” (MOHRMEN, H H 2012.06.12) is the 4 (four). NOTE 2: The Synteng Khasi (Pnar) "so" (noun) is said to be the same as the standard Khasi "[ka] sáw" (noun), pronounced "saaw", and was translated as »the red colour« (SINGH, N 1906: 184), »crimson« (SINGH, N 1920: 102), and »the colour of blood« (MOHRMEN, H H 2012.06.12). When pyrite (FeS) occurring in underground coal deposits comes into contact with air (oxygen) and water (for example on occasion of being worked by coal miners), it decomposes into sulphuric acid (H2SO4) and iron oxides (hydro-oxides, etc). While the iron oxides cause bright orange coloured slurries and sediments (ochre, rust), the sulphuric acid reduces pH (makes water acidic) and turns limestone into gypsum.NOTE 2: "ka um-sâw" (Khasi; noun), binomial: ”umsâw - umsian” (SINGH, N 1906: 242) »a flood« (SINGH, N 1906: 242).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | UMTYLLU | ||
| 0.1 | UMSO, Thangskai (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | SKEI, Thangskai, 1st (Synrang) | ||
| 0.2 | SKEI, Thangskai, 2nd (Synrang) | ||
| 0.2 | UMKWU (Krem) | ||
| 0.3 | UMKHLOT (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | MALO (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | AA CAVE (Jarratt 2002.02.08) | ||
| 0.4 | DNGIEM, Mutang (Krem) |