MUM-MUM (Krang)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A somehow semi-circular or, perhaps, vaulted cave entrance (2 m wide and 1.5 m high) faces south and leads to what was interpreted as a relic resurgence and breakdown chamber (90 m long, 30 m wide) above an active stream in Lakadong Limestone (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss 26-02-2014 Krem Mummum.doc) and consists of a single passage cave with a boulder strewn floor that obstructs the descent down to an audible but mostly inaccessible stream of water with an unidentified flow rate. The spring of water can be expected to rise somewhere outside and below the penetrable part of the cave, which contains secondary calcite formations (speleothems) identified as stalagmites, stalactites, flowstone, straws and some helictites (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss 26-02-2014 Krem Mummum.doc). ETYMOLOGY: The cave name recorded as -Krem Mummum- was interpreted in accordance with popular etymology as baby language for Picnic Cave (note 1) because, literally quoted, families use to come to this spot for picknick onSundays (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss 26-02-2014 Krem Mummum.doc). -Krem Mummum- is a standard Khasi variant of the Lakadong Khasi -Krang Mummum- or, more likely, -Krang Mam-Mam- as it is a corruption of -bam-bam- (note 2) or -jingbam- (note 3). SITUATION: Below the south-eastern edge of the Lakadong - Umlatdoh Plateau and 2.5 km in a direct line ESE from the church at Ummat (±5.9 m N25°11'06.2”: E092°16'07”: 759 m asl) but 230 m lower down and in the upper reaches of a tributary stream (no name mentioned) to the orographically right (locally western) bank of the Sehshympa (Prang River). APPROACH 2014.04.05: Spellmoon Shilliangam from Ummat, then the Lakadong Sardar, who was assisted by Nicholas Suchen and Constantin Shadong (two helpers), walked Thomas Arbenz, Roger Galloway and Marcel Dikstra on a relatively long walk (about 6 km there and back again), which was at first fairly level, but later started to descend down into a valley [of the Seshympa or Prang River]. They saw a depresion [AA Cave Arbenz, T 2014.02.22 1st] near the village well … then a doline [AA Cave Arbenz, T 2014.02.22 2nd] with banana trees growing in it … Then they hit the limestone and a steep descent through spectacular karst terrain and past the 26 m deep pot, Krem Moosiang Scot, brought them after 1 1/4 hours to the entrance of Krem Mummum (picnic cave) (anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 25th February, Tuesday). APPROACH 2014.12.26: Walk from the Lakadong-Ummat village centre (church ±5.9 m N25°11'06.2”: E092°16'07”: 759 m asl) east to the -pung- (lake) or -ahor- (marsh) called Ummat (from -um- + -khmat- = eye water; tear, tears) which was dry in February 2014. On the south side of the lake (N25°11'05.7”: E092°16'10.2”: 750 m) turn south (if facing east on the right-hand side) and proceed along a well-trodden and ancient-looking path south-east and past a spring of water with a washing place (unidentified GPS position) from where the reatively small trackway (note 4) descends past three farms to the egde of a wide expanse of broom grass (note 5). Here is the 26 m deep pothole recorded not only as Krang Mawsiang but also as Krang Mawsniang (N25°10'38.1”: E092°16'42.7” 671 m). The path leads now southeast and downhill, leaves the sandstone plateau behind and gets steeper, eventually reaches terrain where limestone is exposed on the surface (N25°10'38.1”: E92°17'14.0” 586 m) and enters a picturesque area with karst pinnacles and grikes (N25°10'16.6”: E092°17'17.4”: 552 m). Having crossed the pinnacles, leave the path (N25°10'16.2”: E092°17'18.4” 519 m) and contour 100 m due east (90°) along a low limestone band to the vaulted (2 m wide, 1.5 m high) south-facing cave entrance of Krang Mummum (putatively near ±20 m N25°10'16.2”: E092°17'21.5”: 519 m). (note 6). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.04.05: An unmentioned cave entrance leads somehow into the interior of the cave which was not only understood to be 7 x 0 m large and about 90 m long without any orientation whatsoever but also to give access to a certain the way on blocked by breakdown complete with more than one hole in the bottom of the well-decorated main chamber … [inside which the sound of] a fast flowing stream could be heard underneath. The collapse in the floor gave access to the stream but also blocked the way on along the stream in both directions (anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 25th February, Tuesday). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.04.29: Breakdown chamber, formations, blocked streamway underneath (Arbenz, T 2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.12.26: The somehow semi-circular or, perhaps, vaulted cave entrance (2 m wide and 1.5 m high) gives access to a boulder slope which decends steeply down to the lowest boulders (-15 m) covering the floor of the single passage cave (up to 12 m wide, on average 5 m high, 90 m long), beneath which the sond of running water was clearly audible in February 2014 when secondary calcite formations (speleothems) covered much of the surface of the dislocated boulders below (stalagmites, flowstone) and the ceiling above (stalactites, straws). The stream of water can be reached by climbing down through gaps between the boulders but progress is choked by dislocated boulders. Further in, the floor of the single passage cave is strewn with even more cupboard-sized boulders and slabs of stone. A steep climb up across boulders leads via a ledge to a roughly circular chamber (10 m wide and up to 12 m high). This was in February 2014 the final accessible part of the cave and characterised by mud-coated slabs of stone and a relatively small inlet that was seen oozing from what was probably a bedding plane on the upper surface a shale layer (note 7). PROSPECTS 2014.04.29: As soon as the speleotopographical progress was relinquished, expedition cavers declared that the whole cave is finished (Arbenz, T2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx). PROSPECTS 2014.12.26: The attention of the worldwide expedition caving fraternity is drawn to some potential in the stream, but one needs to be very careful. Wet gear required (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss 26-02-2014 Krem Mummum.doc). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: People are said to visit the site on holidays in the course of an outing or occasion that involves a picnic in the sense of taking a packed meal to be eaten outdoors (note 8). CAVE LIFE: None was noticed on Tuesday, 25th February 2014, but the presence of unspecified guano was surmised to indicate the occasinal presence of bats (note 8).nd of running water was clearly audible in February 2014 when secondary calcite formations (speleothems) covered much of the surface of the dislocated boulders below (stalagmites, flowstone) and the ceiling above (stalactites, straws). The stream of water can be reached by climbing down through gaps between the boulders but progress is choked by dislocated boulders. Further in, the floor of the single passage cave is strewn with even more cupboard-sized boulders and slabs of stone. A steep climb up across boulders leads via a ledge to a roughly circular chamber (10 m wide and up to 12 m high). This was in February 2014 the final accessible part of the cave and characterised by mud-coated slabs of stone and a relatively small inlet that was seen oozing from what was probably a bedding plane on the upper surface a shale layer (note 7). PROSPECTS 2014.04.29: As soon as the speleotopographical progress was relinquished, expedition cavers declared that the whole cave is finished (Arbenz, Tnd of running water was clearly audible in February 2014 when secondary calcite formations (speleothems) covered much of the surface of the dislocated boulders below (stalagmites, flowstone) and the ceiling above (stalactites, straws). The stream of water can be reached by climbing down through gaps between the boulders but progress is choked by dislocated boulders. Further in, the floor of the single passage cave is strewn with even more cupboard-sized boulders and slabs of stone. A steep climb up across boulders leads via a ledge to a roughly circular chamber (10 m wide and up to 12 m high). This was in February 2014 the final accessible part of the cave and characterised by mud-coated slabs of stone and a relatively small inlet that was seen oozing from what was probably a bedding plane on the upper surface a shale layer (note 7). PROSPECTS 2014.04.29: As soon as the speleotopographical progress was relinquished, expedition cavers declared that the whole cave is finished (Arbenz, Tnd of running water was clearly audible in February 2014 when secondary calcite formations (speleothems) covered much of the surface of the dislocated boulders below (stalagmites, flowstone) and the ceiling above (stalactites, straws). The stream of water can be reached by climbing down through gaps between the boulders but progress is choked by dislocated boulders. Further in, the floor of the single passage cave is strewn with even more cupboard-sized boulders and slabs of stone. A steep climb up across boulders leads via a ledge to a roughly circular chamber (10 m wide and up to 12 m high). This was in February 2014 the final accessible part of the cave and characterised by mud-coated slabs of stone and a relatively small inlet that was seen oozing from what was probably a bedding plane on the upper surface a shale layer (note 7). PROSPECTS 2014.04.29: As soon as the speleotopographical progress was relinquished, expedition cavers declared that the whole cave is finished (Arbenz, Tnd of running water was clearly audible in February 2014 when secondary calcite formations (speleothems) covered much of the surface of the dislocated boulders below (stalagmites, flowstone) and the ceiling above (stalactites, straws). The stream of water can be reached by climbing down through gaps between the boulders but progress is choked by dislocated boulders. Further in, the floor of the single passage cave is strewn with even more cupboard-sized boulders and slabs of stone. A steep climb up across boulders leads via a ledge to a roughly circular chamber (10 m wide and up to 12 m high). This was in February 2014 the final accessible part of the cave and characterised by mud-coated slabs of stone and a relatively small inlet that was seen oozing from what was probably a bedding plane on the upper surface a shale layer (note 7). PROSPECTS 2014.04.29: As soon as the speleotopographical progress was relinquished, expedition cavers declared that the whole cave is finished (Arbenz, T2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx). PROSPECTS 2014.12.26: The attention of the worldwide expedition caving fraternity is drawn to some potential in the stream, but one needs to be very careful. Wet gear required (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss 26-02-2014 Krem Mummum.doc). CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: People are said to visit the site on holidays in the course of an outing or occasion that involves a picnic in the sense of taking a packed meal to be eaten outdoors (note 8). CAVE LIFE: None was noticed on Tuesday, 25th February 2014, but the presence of unspecified guano was surmised to indicate the occasinal presence of bats (note 8).