Muchakaima N°1 (Bumba)

Michael Laumanns - 28/11/2015

The well recognisable entrance lies in a group of trees and bushes. From the accessible N side of the entrance a descent of about 4 m (steel rope ladder) leads down to a debris cone. The cave essentially consists of a single chamber, that continues in S direction. W to the entrance a small chamber (4 x 4 m) with recent aged pottery fragments was found. The chamber at the foot of the entrance debris measures 15 x 18 m and has an absolutely even floor. There is only a small heap of loose stones in the middle of the room on the sandy/powdery soil. At the W end the skeleton of a small rodent and drainage ditches of water in the soil were found. At the S end of the chamber a chimney of about 5 m height leads upward but ends without further continuation. At the NW corner of the chamber near the entrance boulder cone roots of approximately 10 cm in diameter perforated the roof of the chamber and disappear in the bottom of the cave. With the exception of various spiders, beetles and insects no further animals were observed. Neither conglomerate fillings, nor guano deposits or calcite formations are present in the cave. An air temperature of 19.4°C was measured.