KOTAMIAH CAVERN
14.612100,77.835100
Description
A pair of south-southwest facing cave entrances (each up to about 3 m or 4 m wide) in stromatolitic Vempalle Dolomite (note 1) give access to two, interconnected cave passages of unknown height, which arrive from the approximate north and north-west and appear to be guided by three main vertical joints. The cave appears to represent the relic of a subterranean estuary of a vadose resurgence cave, which, now abandoned by flowing water, once had drained to the adjacent, SE-NW trending water course. SITUATION: About 40 km along the road or 32 km in a direct line approximately east-south-east from Anantapur (N14°41': E077°36'), about 6.5 km in a direct line north-west from Parnapalle (N14°34'30”: E079°58'15” Everest 1830), and about 3 km south-east from the village of Chillavaripalle (note 2). The cave entrance lies either 46 m (SHIBASAKI et al 1985: 37-38) or between 41 m to 44 m (VENKATANARAYANA & VENKATESWARA 1989: 61) vertically above the present level of the streambed of an unidentified local »river« (unspecified name) and in an unidentified spatial relation »near« a temple (devalam) called Kotamiah (note 3) or Katamiah (note 4). SHIBASAKI et al (1985: 37-38) report to have noticed in the vicinity of this temple three levels of erosion (note 5) or, literally quoted, how the »topography of the Chillavaripalle area is characterised by the presence of ridge and cuesta. The ridges extend in a direction prallel to NW to SE with an interval [of] several kilometres and the cuestas decline gently north-eastward. The topography well reflects the reliefs of the geological structure. … Two or three topographic flat surfaces, remnant of erosional river terraces, are conserved in the quartzitic slope. In the opposite dolomitic cliff, the cavern systems well occurred horizontally. The heights of surfaces are identical with the heights of cavern levels. … three cavern levels … are sporadically formed in the dolomitic cliff at the heights of 70 to 80 m, 46 m, and 17 to 18 m from the present river bed … Level B [46 m] is the most remarkable cavern formation in this area. Level C is a rather small in scale and Level A [topmost] a collapsed one.« CAVE DESCRIPTION: »The cavern feature at Level B [46 m above the river bed] is mainly controlled by three main joint systems vertically and the cavern formation cuts obliquely the dolomite bedding plane« (SHIBASAKI et al. 1985: 38). SPELEOMETRY: The cave plan provided by SHIBASAKI et al. (1985: 38 fig. 8) seems to show some 22 m of cave passages but DAR, PERRIN et al. (2011.02.02 Mss: table 1, item C-25) associate with »Chillavaripalle cave« near 77°50'06.4": 14°36'43.7" (unidentified geodetic datum) a length of 86 m at a depth of –7 m.
NOTE 1: The Vempalle formation (Cuddapah supergroup: Papaghni group) conformably overlies cross-bedded Gulcheru quartzite and consists of dolomite with intercalations of shale and sandstone. Usually, the Vempalle Dolomite forms 10 cm to 30 cm beds interbedded by thin layers of shale and sandstone (SHIBASAKI et al. 1985: 34 after KANUKARAN 1982). NOTE 2: Chillavaripalle has been positioned not only near N14°38': E077°50' (unidentified geodetic datum probably Everest 1830, VENKATANARAYANA & VENKATESWARA 1989: 60) but also about 6.5 km further east near N14°38': E077°54' (unidentified geodetic datum probably Everest 1830, PRASADA RAO et al. 1965: 26). NOTE 3: Kotamiah (SHIBASAKI et al 1985: 38). NOTE 4: Katamiah (VENKATANARAYANA & VENKATESWARA 1989: 61). NOTE 5: VENKATANARAYANA & VENKATESWARA (1989) repeat SHIBASAKI (et al. 1985). NOTE 4: Level B lies sometimes 46 m (SHIBASAKI et al 1985: 38) but at other times 41 m to 44 m (VENKATANARAYANA & VENKATESWARA 1989: 61) above the present level of the streambed of a local stream with an unidentified name.
Documents
Bibliography 02/04/2016- Shibasaki, T et al. 1985; Venkatanarayana, B & Venkateswara Rao, T 1989.
Cavités proche
| Distance (km) | Nom | Longueur (m) | Profondeur (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16.3 | PARNAPALLE (Cave near) | ||
| 26.5 | KATEM CAVE | ||
| 43.1 | PANCHALINGALAKONA GAWI | ||
| 45.6 | NELA BILAM, Talaricherevu | ||
| 48.7 | BUGGA CAVES | ||
| 49.2 | NAYALA BILAMU | ||
| 49.4 | BANDARLAPALLE CAVE | ||
| 50.1 | NELA BILAM, Bandarlapalle | ||
| 53.4 | Pandi Gawi |