KORLUHENG (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

An unspecified cave entrance gives access to a pothole descending some 100 m down into a perennial stream cave passage. A possible fault / dislocation is seen in the upper canyon passage and main pitch. SITUATION (note 1): south-east of the path from the village of Tongseng (N25°19'28-: E092°30'05” WGS84) towards Krem –>Raman (Ryman) and about 300 m south of the V-shaped standing stones (double monolith), just to the north-east of a wooded stream valley descending the eastern flank of the Shnongrim Ridge. SITUATION 2 (JARRATT 2003): Adjacent to Ryman (Krem –>Raman). CAVE DESCRIPTION: Accessed from a stream gully on the south-west side, a surface pot, circa 15 m deep and 5 m in diameter, is followed by 13 m rift climb / pitch past flowstone into descending canyon passage (1 m wide, walking height). After passing an inlet, the head of the 53 m shaft is reached (three re-belays, ca. -4, -30, -43 m, generally 4 by 12 m wide). From the pitch base, some 280 m of canyon-like passage contnues, dropping short pitches, climbs and cascades to lead to a sump and too tight crawl. JARRATT (2003): Krem Korlooheng … had half a jar of flourescein tipped into it but due to low water levels this was not detected in the main Umthloo system (Krem –>Umthluh, Tongseng). We also missed the side passage in Ryman which Raman, a minister of an ancient Jaintia king, used as a shortcut to Jaintiapur [note 2], now in Bangladesh. Like our friend Carlyn, he was able to turn into a tiger at will and would not have been nice to meet in a squeeze! CAVE CONTENTS: Calcite (speleothems), water, rounded cobbles, mud, sandstone lumps in wall of big pitch. TACKLE: Hangers for spits (note 3) and collar studs; 35 m rope (entrance); 15 m rope (rift); 90 m rope (big pitch); 2 ladders, slings, short ropes. PROSPECTS: Jarratt (2002.02.22 Mss: Krem Korlooheng) draws the attention of the cave diving world to a sump but, on the other hand, judges the cave finished.CAVE LIFE: Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt noticd bats (Chiroptera), crickets, spiders (Arachnidae: Aranea: Sparassidae: conf. Heteropoda sp.), crayfish and fish while Mark Brown came across snot gobblers (larval stage of fungus gnats, Diptera: Mycetophilidae).nues, dropping short pitches, climbs and cascades to lead to a sump and too tight crawl. JARRATT (2003): Krem Korlooheng … had half a jar of flourescein tipped into it but due to low water levels this was not detected in the main Umthloo system (Krem –>Umthluh, Tongseng). We also missed the side passage in Ryman which Raman, a minister of an ancient Jaintia king, used as a shortcut to Jaintiapur [note 2], now in Bangladesh. Like our friend Carlyn, he was able to turn into a tiger at will and would not have been nice to meet in a squeeze! CAVE CONTENTS: Calcite (speleothems), water, rounded cobbles, mud, sandstone lumps in wall of big pitch. TACKLE: Hangers for spits (note 3) and collar studs; 35 m rope (entrance); 15 m rope (rift); 90 m rope (big pitch); 2 ladders, slings, short ropes. PROSPECTS: Jarratt (2002.02.22 Mss: Krem Korlooheng) draws the attention of the cave diving world to a sump but, on the other hand, judges the cave finished.CAVE LIFE: Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt noticd bats (Chiroptera), crickets, spiders (Arachnidae: Aranea: Sparassidae: conf. Heteropoda sp.), crayfish and fish while Mark Brown came across snot gobblers (larval stage of fungus gnats, Diptera: Mycetophilidae).