MA KOL

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A cave entrance with no specified shape and dimensions, which faces an unspecified direction, gives access to an active stream cave. ETYMOLOGY: The Garo cave name -Ma Kol- translates into Mother Cave but Harper, Rob (2008.02.07 Mss: Kol Ma.pdf) and Harper, Rob (2008.02.07 Endalok Cave.pdf) recorded Kol Ma (cave mother) instead. SITUATION: According to Harper (2008.02.07 Mss: Ma Kol), a local guide [is] essential to explain the whereabouts of the cave entrance to Ma Kol or Kol Ma as it was understood to lie somewhere near Asakgre and at an unspecified distance downslope from the –>Endalok Cave. According to the recorded GPS position (note 1), however, the cave entrance to Kol Ma lies in the Bangdapha area (note 2) and at a linear distance of 44.7 m approximately NNW (40.2 m north and –19.6 m east) from –>Endalok Cave (N25°19'55.3”: E090°29'16.5”: 193.1 m asl) but vertically 26 m lower down. CAVE DESCRIPTION: From the entrance, a 10 m boulder, mud, and calcite slope leads to a strea entering from an impenetrable passage on the left [sic!]. Downstream, a low , 2 m wide passage leads to a pitch of about 9 m at the base of which a steeply descending high passage, 3 m by 20 m [probably an estimated 3 m wide and 20 m high], can be followed for about 50 m passing calcite slopes and pools to a chamber with a mud bank. Here the stream flows into a small, 1 m deep pool on the left and then sumps within 2 m.Beyond the mud bank, a mud slope leads to a T-junction. Left here ends after a short distance but right continues to a friable mud ledge in a much larger passage. The drop from this was not descended but appeared to be about 5 m into water (Rob Harper 2008.02.07 Mss: Kol Ma.pdf after Keith Sanderson and Stuart McManus). entering from an impenetrable passage on the left [sic!]. Downstream, a low , 2 m wide passage leads to a pitch of about 9 m at the base of which a steeply descending high passage, 3 m by 20 m [probably an estimated 3 m wide and 20 m high], can be followed for about 50 m passing calcite slopes and pools to a chamber with a mud bank. Here the stream flows into a small, 1 m deep pool on the left and then sumps within 2 m.Beyond the mud bank, a mud slope leads to a T-junction. Left here ends after a short distance but right continues to a friable mud ledge in a much larger passage. The drop from this was not descended but appeared to be about 5 m into water (Rob Harper 2008.02.07 Mss: Kol Ma.pdf after Keith Sanderson and Stuart McManus).