AKU CAVE

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

An cave entrance with no specified shape or dimensions, which faces an unspecified direction, gives access to a broken descent, which intersects an estimated 25 m down stream cave passage consisting of a an impressive cave of which both ends (sic! qua: continuations) were not pushed to a conclusion (Harper, R 2008.02.06 Mss: Aku Cave).SITUATION 1: About 800 m in a direct line approximately north by west from the Inspection Bungalow at Asakgre (note 1), below (north) the Chokpot road, and in a tributary stream which joins the south-west bank of the Khimrang near N25°20'21”: E090°30'31” (WGS84). SITUATION 2: Blen Marak (2002.02.13 personal communication) had placed the cave entrance to this cave at a walking distance of one hour from the roadside market (WGS84 N25°20'18.3”: E090°30'53.1” H.D. Gebauer 2002.02.08) at Asakgre Imandura Banda. SITUATION 3 (Harper, Rob 2008.02.06 Mss: Aku Cave): Located [note 2] in a small stream approximately 450 m east of [an unspecified point of th scattered] Asakgre village, and approximately 50 m to the right [sic! for: north and downhill] of the path [i.e. the motorable track] heading from Asakgre to Chokpot. CAVE DESCRIPTION: Harper, Rob (2008.02.06 Mss: Aku Cave) describes a sports training device, which allows to exercise the negotiation of obstacles where a climb down through boulders gains a 5 m stooping section to a boulder-floored chamber (5x6x2m) at the head of a 2 m wide rift. A pitch 6 m down to a ledge is followed by two short free-climbable drops of about 1.5 m, then an 8 m pitch into a shallow pool in a 4 m wide and 8 m high passage with a very small stream. Upstream from the pitch [the intersected main passage] soon becomes a low crawl over pebbles, which was not pushed to a conclusion.Downstream, the passage continues at similar dimensions for about 200 m to a 30 m section of canyon passage beyond which the passage enlarges to previous dimensions. From here, after passing several boulder falls at a point estimted to be 300 or 400 m from the pitch, footprints of small trainers were seen, plus a broken stalagmite [speleothem] obviously placed on a mud bank [note 3]. At an estimated 100 m from this point, a boulder ruckle is encountered beyond which the passage becomes lower to a hands-&-knees crawl over clean-washed small rocks, which was not pushed to a conclusion by the solo caver. TACKLE: 50 m rope for entrance pitch. SPELEOMETRY: Harper, Rob (2008.02.06 Mss: Aku Cave) estimated a depth of 25 m and concluded that the part of the cave, which he had visited, is estimated to be 450 m long. CAVE CLIMATE: According to Harper, Rob (2008.02.06 Mss: Aku Cave), the air is very hot, there is no draught at an unspecified hour of the day on 6th February 2008. CAVE LIFE: On 6th February 2008, Harper, Rob (2008.02.06 Mss: Aku Cave) noticed how at the end the bats [Chiroptera] within the system were starting to mill around and panic – all suggestive of poor prospects for extension ––of the bats?ted to be 300 or 400 m from the pitch, footprints of small trainers were seen, plus a broken stalagmite [speleothem] obviously placed on a mud bank [note 3]. At an estimated 100 m from this point, a boulder ruckle is encountered beyond which the passage becomes lower to a hands-&-knees crawl over clean-washed small rocks, which was not pushed to a conclusion by the solo caver. TACKLE: 50 m rope for entrance pitch. SPELEOMETRY: Harper, Rob (2008.02.06 Mss: Aku Cave) estimated a depth of 25 m and concluded that the part of the cave, which he had visited, is estimated to be 450 m long. CAVE CLIMATE: According to Harper, Rob (2008.02.06 Mss: Aku Cave), the air is very hot, there is no draught at an unspecified hour of the day on 6th February 2008. CAVE LIFE: On 6th February 2008, Harper, Rob (2008.02.06 Mss: Aku Cave) noticed how at the end the bats [Chiroptera] within the system were starting to mill around and panic – all suggestive of poor prospects for extension ––of the bats?