LELAD CAVE
25.310800,92.494600
Description
NOTE 1: Lelad cave was GPS-positioned at N25°18'39.0”: E92°29'38.0” (±135 m, WGS84): 1080 m asl (H.D. Gebauer 1999.03.29, 4-channel GPS), N25°18'39.7”: E92°29'40.2” (±3.7 m, WGS84): 1075 m asl (M.W. Brown 2006.02.10, 12-channel GPS). NOTE 2: The church at Lelad (Lailad, Leilad) village was GPS-positioned at N25°18'37”: E92°29'42” (±135 m, WGS84): 1100 m asl (H.D. Gebauer 1999.03.29, 4-channel GPS),N25°18'35”: E92°29'43” (unspecified precision error, WGS84, R. Galloway undated 2000.02), N25°18'36”: E92°29'43” (unspecified precision error, WGS84, M.W. Brown undated 2000.02), N25°18'37”: E92°29'43” (unspecified precision error, WGS84, T. Arbenz, T 2006 map: Shnongrim Ridge). NOTE 3: A linear dustance of 25 m on a bearing of 145° takes Lelad Cave from N25°18'39.7”: E92°29'40.2” to N25°18'39.0”: E92°29'40.7” (±12 m, WGS84): 1075 m asl (corrected M.W.Brown 2006.02.10, GPS & estimation).
A fluted cave entrance (note 1), which is occasionally fed by a small surface stream during spates in the rainy season, is a pothole about 5 by 30 m wide on a bearing of 210° and descends some 15 m across a boulder slope to the top of a vertical drop. Brown (2000.02.17 Mss: Leilad Cave) understood »Leilad Cave« (sic!) to consist of a »perennial [sic! for: seasonal] stream cave with pothole.« SITUATION 1999: The entrance lies on the western side of the Shnongrim Ridge at the edge of the caprock (Kopili Shales) in the uppermost section of the Kopili Limestone and at an estimated distance of 100 m approximately north-west (NW) from the church (note 2) at the village of Lelad or Lailad and Leilad (Gebauer 1999.03.29). SITUATION 2000: »150 m NE [north-east] of church at Leilad [sic!] village« (Brown 2000.02.17 Mss: Leilad Cave). SITUATION 2006: »Downhill from a toilet shed in Lelad« and estimated 25 m on a bearing of 145° from a GPS point at N25°18'39.7”: E92°29'40.2” (±3.7, WGS84): 1075 m asl (note 3) (Brown 2006.02.10 Mss: Leilad Cave). According to the corrected GPS position (after Brown 2006.02.10, GPS Garmin 12 and estimation) lies Lelad cave at a distance of about 90 m in a direct line approximately north-west (NW) of the church at the village of Lelad. CAVE DESCRIPTION: »Surface pot approx. 5 m wide 30 m long 21 m pitch and short ladder climb to chamber with rift leading off. Rift too tight due to flow curtain [flowstone speleothem?]. Some water« (Brown 2000.02.17 Mss: Leilad Cave) TACKLE: Visiting this cave needs a 30 m rope, 7 m ladder and slings. PROSPECTS 2000: The terminal calcite formation could be forced only by a small person or with the help of explosives (Brown 2000.02.17 Mss: Leilad Cave). PROSPECTS 2006: »Too tight« for Arbenz, T. (2006.05.21 Mss; Abstracts.xls). CAVE LIFE: Brown (2000.02.17 Mss: Leilad Cave) recorded »spiders« (Arachnida: Aranea).
History
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1999.02.17: Raibok Patlong reported the cave name to Brian D. Kharpran Daly in company with Simon J. Brooks, Georg Bäumler, Richard Frank, Christine Jantschke, Herbert Jantschke, Mike Zawada and Zuala Ralsun. 1999.03.29, trip 1: Paul A. Edmunds, H. Daniel Gebauer, Gregory D. Diengdoh and 10 senior students of the Wells Cathedral School, guided by Kyrshan Dhar and under the auspices of by Shanglang Bamon and Thiklang Chyrmang, had a look at the entrance. 2000.02.17, trip 2: Larsing Sukhlain in company with Betsy 'Betty' Chhakchhuak and Brian D. Kharpran Daly, guided Mark W. Brown (2000.02.17 Mss "Leilad Cave" dated 17/02/2000) and Tom Chapman to the entrance, where the latter two climbed down and back out again to claim an alleged cave length of 66 m at a depth of 44.2 m. Actually, however, they "surveyed" 19.95 m / ±7.07 m to a degree yielding meterage but failed to produce any cave plan or sectional view. 2006.02.10, trip 3: Mark W. Brown »rediscovered / checked location« (Brown 2006.02.10 Mss "Lelad Cave" dated 10/2/06) and recorded a GPS position (Arbenz, T 2006.05.21 Mss: Abstracts.xls). ANONYMOUS (Brown, Mark W. et al. 2006): »Friday 10th February … Mark … relocated Lelad cave.«
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | LELAD CAVE 2 | ||
| 0.1 | PINE RIFT | ||
| 0.1 | PAULUS (Krem) | ||
| 0.1 | UM SOHTUNG (Brown 2006) (Krem) | ||
| 0.2 | Paulus 2 (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | NIAKRONG (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | LAMET, Lelad (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | UM SOHTUNG (Brown 2000) (Krem) | ||
| 0.4 | SCRATCH RIFT |