AA CAVE B15: three cows

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A rift cave entrance without identified shape, dimensions or characteristic peculiarities (Brown et al 2008 Mss) seems to have formed in Miocene Kopili alternations, and functions, perhaps, as an active sink (note 1) or seasonal sink (note 2). The entrance faces an unidentified direction and leads into a generally small (without scale) dimensioned horinzontal passage penetrating Kopili alternations and leading not only to a bedding plane passage (Siegenthaler 2008 Mss 20.2.08 Mittwoch) in Kopili limestone at an interesting situation at a very high level in the Shnongrim Ridge but also to shaft dropping down from this level. Needless to say the rare and exceptionally exiting bit of high level cave passage was ignored when one of the usual shafts was found (Siegenthaler 2008 Mss 20.2.08 Mittwoch) and caused some surveying up to a very tight squeeze, with few prospects (Brown et al. 2008 Mss: Meghalaya 2008 diary: Tuesday 19th February). ETYMOLOGY: No locally known name has been identifid for this cave and sink. Instead, it was liberally nicknamed with a confusing variety of field names: B15 (anonymous Robin F. Sheen in McNally 2008.02.09 Mss: Graveyard sink (B15) Um Masi B15a). B15b (anonymous T. Redder in McNally 2008.02.09 Mss: Graveyard sink (B15) Um Masi B15a).GRAVEYARD SINK (McNally 2008.02.09 Mss: Graveyard sink (B15) Um Masi B15a. UM MASI (Siegenthaler 2008 Mss: Expeditionstagebuch) or cow juice, cow water, cow creek in what appears to represent an attempt to arrive at a Krem Masi (cow cave) in honour of three patient cows which were munching leafes and ruminating, if not making or passing water in the shadow of trees near the entrance (note 3). POSITION 1: N25°22'24.6”: E92°32'42.0” (WGS84, imaginary ±7 m precision error): 982 m asl (R.F. Sheen 2008.02.09 GPS Garmin Etrex). POSITION 2: N25°22'24.5”: E92°32'42.2” (WGS84, imaginary ±5 m precision error): 987 m asl (T. Redder 2008.02.18). SITUATION 1: McNally (2008.02.09 Mss: Graveyard …) commands go tograveyard N25, 22, 23.1 E 092, 32, 46.3 then head for sink coordinates. SITUATION 2: According to Siegenthaler (2008 Mss 19.2.08 Dienstag), the next B15 lies at a linear or walking distance of not even 20 m in an unspecified direction from B15 … Krem Thapbawa = Tarantelhöhle which was was got at from an unspecified point somewhere (without GPS position) on the road from the 2008 camp to the village of Lumthari. SITUATION 3: Brown et al. (2008 Mss: Meghalaya 2008 diary) clearly explains how the B15 that had been recorded (Tuesday 19th February) and is the same as the original B15 shaft (Wednesday 20th February) lies at a linear or walking distance of estimated 8 m south of that 50 m pitch (Wednesday 20th February) which was a 70 m shaft (Monday 18th February) that had been thought was B15 (Tuesday 19th February) and has no location of its own. SITUATION 4: Torben Redder (in: McNally 2008.02.09 Mss: Graveyard sink (B15) Um Masi B15a) places … B15b about 20 m to the north of this [B15a =three cows] cave. SITUATION 5a: According to the recorded GPS postion N25°22'24.5”: E092°32'42.2” (WGS84, allegedly ±5 m precision error): 987 m asl (T. Redder 2008.02.18), AA Cave -B15a- (three cows) lies at a linear distance of 38.0 m approximately south-southwest (34.0 m south and 16.8 m west) from AA Cave -B15b- (rattle spider) at N25°22'25.6”: E092°32'41.6” (WGS84 ±6 m): 994 m asl but 7 m lower down. SITUATION 5b: According to the recorded GPS postion N25°22'24.6”: E092°32'42.0” (WGS84, fairly imagined horizontal precision error allegedly ±10 m most likely bogus): 982 m asl (R.F. Sheen 2008.02.09 GPS Garmin Etrex), AA Cave -B15- (three cows) lies at a linear distance of 33.9 m approximately south-southwest (30.9 m south and 11.2 m west) from AA Cave -B15- (rattle spider) at N25°22'25.6”: E92°32'41.6” (WGS84 ±6 m): 994 m asl but 12 m lower down. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1: McNally (2008.02.09 Mss: Graveyard …): This Sink in gully c.8m deep draughting steamy, clean washed i best described as c.8 m deep draughting. CAVE DESCRIPTION 2: Anonymous (A. Mendus) amendment to McNally 2008.02.09 Mss: Graveyard …): Many daylight-rifts. CAVE DESCRIPTION 3: Siegenthaler (2008 Mss: 19.2.08 Dienstag, 20.2.08 Mittwoch): An active sink with sort of an air current allows climbing down to horizontal passage in -sandstone- (read: Kopili alternations) and of small size with tight places of which one needed destructive chiselling to penetrate into a bedding plane passage (5 or 6 m wide, half a metre high) leading to a climb down into more small sized passage meandering horizontally to the top of a nice shaft, estimated 20 m deep but too bend to look straight down (note 4). CAVE DESCRIPTION 4: Anonymous (undated R.F. Sheen Mss amendment to McNally 2008.02.09 Mss: Graveyard …): Rift pothole. CAVE DESCRIPTION 5: Anonymous (undated Brooks, S J Mss amendment to McNally 2008.02.09 Mss: Graveyard …): Seasonal sink. TACKLE: Sheen (2008.02.21 Mss: B15 Krem Lumthymne) lists Handline ntrance. 8 m pitch, 8 m pitch, 5 m pitch, 10 m ladder + handline and suggests (literally quoted) that all pitches are best rigged with ladder are quite short in tight rifts --the lower ones are free climbable. PROSPECTS: Sheen (2008.02.21 Mss: B15 Krem Lumthymne) imagined inaccessible pitches at the end of cave which have not been descended simply because they would require a violent approach to cave desctruction as … the terminal squeeze needs enlarging so that normal skinny people can pass it.Brown et al. (2008 Mss: Meghalaya 2008 diary: Tuesday 19th February) were talked into subscribing a possible draughting dig at the end worth mentioning. Brown et al. (2008 Mss -Meghalaya 2008 diary- Wednesday 20th February) believe in a promising cave. Brown et al. (2008 Mss: Meghalaya 2008 diary: Thursday 21st February) mention a very tight squeeze, with few prospects.SPELEOMETRY: Brown et al (2008 Mss: Survey Summary) list 18.02.08; Lumthari; B15 Um Masi; team:TR, AM, RMS; 2008 survey: 128.16 total: 128.16 (probably metres). CAVE CLIMATE: At an unspecified hour on 19th February 2008, McNally (2008.02.09 Mss: Graveyard …) noticed an air current without identified flow direction and recorded a draughting steamy sink in gully. Brown et al (2008 Mss: Meghalaya 2008 diary: Tuesday 19th February) also draws attention to an air current (no flow direction mentioned) that was noticed at the end on 19th February 2008 at an unspecified hour of the day. Sheen (2008.02.21 Mss: B15 Krem Lumthymne) arrived at understanding … there is s reasonable though not fierce draught without identified flow direction. CAVE LIFE: In addition to bats (Chiroptera), Siegenthaler (2008 Mss 20.2.08 Mittwoch) noticed (2008.02.20) what looked like relics of a large sized (without size) sort of centipede in certain upper series and in a lower part of the cave sort of leeches (note 5) in the water (?). Sheen (2008.02.21 Mss: B15 Krem Lumthymne) once noticed at one time perhaps 50 bats emerge … every evening.ntrance. 8 m pitch, 8 m pitch, 5 m pitch, 10 m ladder + handline and suggests (literally quoted) that all pitches are best rigged with ladder are quite short in tight rifts --the lower ones are free climbable. PROSPECTS: Sheen (2008.02.21 Mss: B15 Krem Lumthymne) imagined inaccessible pitches at the end of cave which have not been descended simply because they would require a violent approach to cave desctruction as … the terminal squeeze needs enlarging so that normal skinny people can pass it.Brown et al. (2008 Mss: Meghalaya 2008 diary: Tuesday 19th February) were talked into subscribing a possible draughting dig at the end worth mentioning. Brown et al. (2008 Mss -Meghalaya 2008 diary- Wednesday 20th February) believe in a promising cave. Brown et al. (2008 Mss: Meghalaya 2008 diary: Thursday 21st February) mention a very tight squeeze, with few prospects.SPELEOMETRY: Brown et al (2008 Mss: Survey Summary) list 18.02.08; Lumthari; B15 Um Masi; team:TR, AM, RMS; 2008 survey: 128.16 total: 128.16 (probably metres). CAVE CLIMATE: At an unspecified hour on 19th February 2008, McNally (2008.02.09 Mss: Graveyard …) noticed an air current without identified flow direction and recorded a draughting steamy sink in gully. Brown et al (2008 Mss: Meghalaya 2008 diary: Tuesday 19th February) also draws attention to an air current (no flow direction mentioned) that was noticed at the end on 19th February 2008 at an unspecified hour of the day. Sheen (2008.02.21 Mss: B15 Krem Lumthymne) arrived at understanding … there is s reasonable though not fierce draught without identified flow direction. CAVE LIFE: In addition to bats (Chiroptera), Siegenthaler (2008 Mss 20.2.08 Mittwoch) noticed (2008.02.20) what looked like relics of a large sized (without size) sort of centipede in certain upper series and in a lower part of the cave sort of leeches (note 5) in the water (?). Sheen (2008.02.21 Mss: B15 Krem Lumthymne) once noticed at one time perhaps 50 bats emerge … every evening.