UMSO, Thangskai (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 03/07/2016

An about 10 m wide and 5 m high cave entrance faces south-west and gives access to a mostly horizontal stream cave which drains from NNE generally SSW. Seen through the lens of expedition cavers, the cave is a sports training device or »system« which allows to exercise the negotiation of several unpleasant side passages. On the other hand, the stupendous Gemini Silos are two soaring avens which gentlemen with a taste for sightseeing may find well worth visiting (after Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt 1997.02.18 Mss and 1997.02.21 Mss: Cave Log 1997: 18/2/97, 21/2/97). SITUATION: South of the village of Thangskai (25°11'45”N: 92°22'35“E) and about 75 m or 100 m in a direct line WSW from what is known as the south-western corner of Krem –>Malo. SETTING: »There is [or was in 1996 and 1997] a village (probably temporary) of immigrant (Bihari?) coal miners nearby who guided us to this doline. Probably best reached via Krem Malo track and Umso village« (Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt 2001.10.29 personal correspondence). CAVE DESCRIPTION: The relatively large and flood prone cave entrance lies at the bottom of a deep doline of unknown size and shape, which -- the doline -- obviously is seasonnaly flooded during the monsoon. At an estimated adventure caving distance of 30 m from the cave entrance, a relatively wide sump pool of unknown dimensions indicates the beginning of an obvious and water blocked but unknown continuation. An exposed traverse, which sometimes lies »to the left« (sic!) of self-centred persons without orientation, leads initially across of what had sometimes been »to the right« (sic!) of self-centred persons without orientation and later to a bypass represented by a 33 m long tube of unknown size that joins a relatively huge trunk passage which, as far as known, was identified as the main part of the speleographical structure but contained in February 1997 not one single large box with a hinged lid for storing or transporting clothes and other articles. Human visitors with or without trunks can follow, if they wish, the trunk passage over breakdown, sand and solid rock floor up to an attractive and well decorated (speleothems) streamway which leads to a sink short of an unclimbed aven to the surface. A cave section with crawls, complete with what had been in February 1997 a dug boulder choke, leads once again to the stream which may be followed beneath a surface (?) choke up to a second surface (?) choke infested with comparatively »huge spiders« of unknown size (collated after Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt 1997.02.18 Mss and 1997.02.21 Mss: Cave Log 1997: 18/2/97, 21/2/97). PROSPECTS 2000: »The cave may be related to the ancient resurgence (?) Krem Matom [i.e. the –> Tom Cave], which lies in the south« (Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt 2000.03.15 personal correspondence). PROSPECTS 2001: Due to »… explorers being arachnophobes«, the downstream crawls are not pushed to a conclusion: »There is a deep doline (needing a rope) with unexplored cave in the bottom, in the jungle somewhere above the end of Umso [i.e. Synrang –> Thlu, Lumshnong]. It is very near the open Yorkshire Pot entrance to Krem Matom [i.e. –>Tom Cave] and may correspond to one of the spider ridden, boulder choked avens in the final section of Umso streamway« (Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt 2001.10.29 personal correspondence).