LANGOHMAT (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A joint-guided, triangular-shaped cave entrance, which was characterised not only by a short-lived assemblage of bat hunters' bamboo rods (26th February 2012) but also by relatively long-standing, daylight-lit stalactites (speleothems), gives access to a descent (note 1) down into what looks like a limestone cave that contains not only angular, fallen boulders and bulky deposits of secondary calcite (note 2) but also a nice to photograph section of an apparently askew but probably horizontal cave passage where the meandering channel of a seasonally active water course marks what looks like gravel or sand covering the photographed part of the cave passage's floor (note 3). ETYMOLOGY 2012: The name of the 9th (nineth) definite Syndai Cave (Smart 2012) was said to be the same as Krem –>Lyngngohnah LALOO, S S (1994: 4) and Krem –>Lyngngohnat BAZELY, P J (1992: 73), has been recorded in February 2012 as Krem Langohmat Smart, C M (2012.02.20) loose leaf weatherwrite.com survey sheet pagnated 1, dated 20|2|12 and saved 2012.02.27 as the digital image SAM_0146.jpg on 2013.03.11 -My File- DVD. Krem Langhomat McManus (2012.02.20) Langhomat_20_02_2012_001.JPG through to MAC_Krem Langhomat_20_02_2012_003.JPG McManus (2012.02.25): MAC_25_02_2012_Krem Langhomat_001.JPG through to MAC_25_02_2012_Krem Langhomat_006.JPG; McManus (2012.02.26): MAC_26_02_2012_Krem Langhomat_001.JPG. Of the latter two, -homat- makes no sense but langohmat seems to refer to an act or process of cutting or slicing (note 4) the eyes (note 5) either of goats (note 6) in cooperation (note 7). According to somebody (no name mentioned), -langohmat- was said to mean dark eyes (note 8) and the cave name -Krem Langohmat- was not only said to translate as Cave of the dark eyes but also was explained with can't see anything in the cave ! (Smart, C M 2013.03.11 Mss: The definitive list of the caves of Syndai). ETYMOLOGY 1995: -Krem Lyngngohnat- (LALOO, S S 1995a, 1995b item 9) seems to translate as surpriing breakthrough cave (note 9). ETYMOLOGY 1992: -Krem Lyngngohnah- (BAZELY, P J 1992, 2: 73) translates as astonishing aunty's cave or a perplexed stepmother's / stepfather's cave (note 10). SITUATION 2012: Unknown. The recorded GPS position ±7m N 25.19044 E 92.13412 468 m (McManus S J 2012.02.20 GPS) for the cave entrance to Krem Langohmat indicates a spot that lies not only about 1.5 km in a direct line approximately WNW from the village of Synday and about 1 km in a direct line approximately ENE from Jangushen but also in an area where calcareous limestones and arenaceous sandstones of the Langpar formation are exposed on the surface (NAG & PAL 1996 map). SITUATION 1992: Unknown. At an unidentified location and in an unspecified setting somewhere in the vicinity of the village of Syndai (±1 km N25°10': E092°08'30”: circa (±200 m) 500 m asl WGS84) or, if you prefer, simply located at Syndai village (BAZELY, P J 1992, 2: 73; LALOO, S S 1995a:4, 1995b: 4).CAVE DESCRIPTION 202: 4 m wide rift at base of a small cliff ¬ lmst Ent facing E ¬ Massive (8 m wide) 15 m high for 60 meter ~WSW 245° ¬ Passage –> Boulder pile and muddy floor ¬ 10 m –> Choke (18 m) sandstone + lmst choke ¬ Before B pile stream, runs along left wall ¬ gravel floor Stream fm right joins it (Fisl) -- goes off rifty 1/8H x 0/6W and turns sharp right. After 5 m chamber ¬ Stream into canal 0/5H x 0/6 W (Smart, Christopher M 2012.02.20 loose leaf weatherwrite.com survey sheet paginated 1, dated 20|2|12 saved as 2012.02.27 digital image SAM_0146.jpg on 2013.03.11 -My File- DVD). CAVE LIFE: Crickets + many bats (Smart, C M 2012.02.20 survey sheet paginated 1, dated 20|2|12) conf. Orthoptera, Chiroptera. Near survey station 9 Hetrapoda-spider (3 cm) [Arachnidae: Aranea: Sparassidae: conf. Heteropoda sp.] + 1x bat + 2x slug (1'/4” long) (Smart, C M 2012.02.20 survey sheet 6, undated, without caption). Near survey stations 14 and 15 crickets >10 (Smart, C M 2012.02.20 survey sheet 6, undated, wthout caption), conf. Orthoptera.2: 4 m wide rift at base of a small cliff ¬ lmst Ent facing E ¬ Massive (8 m wide) 15 m high for 60 meter ~WSW 245° ¬ Passage –> Boulder pile and muddy floor ¬ 10 m –> Choke (18 m) sandstone + lmst choke ¬ Before B pile stream, runs along left wall ¬ gravel floor Stream fm right joins it (Fisl) -- goes off rifty 1/8H x 0/6W and turns sharp right. After 5 m chamber ¬ Stream into canal 0/5H x 0/6 W (Smart, Christopher M 2012.02.20 loose leaf weatherwrite.com survey sheet paginated 1, dated 20|2|12 saved as 2012.02.27 digital image SAM_0146.jpg on 2013.03.11 -My File- DVD). CAVE LIFE: Crickets + many bats (Smart, C M 2012.02.20 survey sheet paginated 1, dated 20|2|12) conf. Orthoptera, Chiroptera. Near survey station 9 Hetrapoda-spider (3 cm) [Arachnidae: Aranea: Sparassidae: conf. Heteropoda sp.] + 1x bat + 2x slug (1'/4” long) (Smart, C M 2012.02.20 survey sheet 6, undated, without caption). Near survey stations 14 and 15 crickets >10 (Smart, C M 2012.02.20 survey sheet 6, undated, w2: 4 m wide rift at base of a small cliff ¬ lmst Ent facing E ¬ Massive (8 m wide) 15 m high for 60 meter ~WSW 245° ¬ Passage –> Boulder pile and muddy floor ¬ 10 m –> Choke (18 m) sandstone + lmst choke ¬ Before B pile stream, runs along left wall ¬ gravel floor Stream fm right joins it (Fisl) -- goes off rifty 1/8H x 0/6W and turns sharp right. After 5 m chamber ¬ Stream into canal 0/5H x 0/6 W (Smart, Christopher M 2012.02.20 loose leaf weatherwrite.com survey sheet paginated 1, dated 20|2|12 saved as 2012.02.27 digital image SAM_0146.jpg on 2013.03.11 -My File- DVD). CAVE LIFE: Crickets + many bats (Smart, C M 2012.02.20 survey sheet paginated 1, dated 20|2|12) conf. Orthoptera, Chiroptera. Near survey station 9 Hetrapoda-spider (3 cm) [Arachnidae: Aranea: Sparassidae: conf. Heteropoda sp.] + 1x bat + 2x slug (1'/4” long) (Smart, C M 2012.02.20 survey sheet 6, undated, without caption). Near survey stations 14 and 15 crickets >10 (Smart, C M 2012.02.20 survey sheet 6, undated, wthout caption), conf. Orthoptera.