AKALA GAVI, Ulvi

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

An estimated 7 m long (Matthalm, T 2007.02.01 Mss) or 10 m long (YADAVA, RAMESH & PANT 2004: 518) iron ladder eases climbing up to the unspecified cave entrance (unidentified shape, unidentified dimensions, unidentified orientation, unidentified characteristics), which gives access to a cave passage that soon deteriorates into a belly crawl into a cave chamber with two ways on, of which one leads to a second cave entrance (note 3) and vantage point (lookout). Visitors marked the territory by leaving graffitti and are advised, literally quoted, to creep a few steps and see below, there is an awesome valley (HIREMATH, P 2003b: 6).ETYMOLOGY: The Cave of the Cow (note 1) has been referred to as Akala Gavi Cave YADAVA, RAMESH & PANT (2004: 518) Akala Guhe (note 2) Akala Cave Yadava, M G (2002 Mss) Akalagavi HIREMATH, P (1983b: 5) Akalagavi cave TIWARI, M et al. (2009: 521) AKG YADAVA, M G et al. (2004); TIWARI, M et al. (2009: 521). SITUATION 1983: Proceeding at –>Ulvi from the cave called–>Vibhuti Kanaja and, literally quoted, Traversing an uneven path, crossing smll valleys and hills, if we proceed ahead we find the Akalagavi (Cave of the Cow). It is on a steep rock, rather difficult to climb. On a rock spaciously spread out there is another rock. Between these two rocks there is a little hollow (HIREMATH 1983b: 5). . Akalagavi cave, Uttar Kannada District, Karnataka. (AKG) This small cave is located in a tropical dense forest (C3 type). A stalagmite was collected in 1997 and it was dated by counting annual laminations and radiocarbon method.SITUATION 2002: In the administrative subdivision of the Joida taluk (Joida town near N15°09': E74°29') and about 16 km in a direct line north of Ulvi) and at an unspecified location somewhere in the vicinity of Ulvi village (Yadava 2002 Mss: Thesis, chapter 4.3.1, page 95). SITUATION 2004: The Akalagavi cave is located in a village called Ulvi (YADAVA, RAMESH & PANT 2004: 518). SITUATION 2006: MICKLER et al. (2006: 69 table : Carbon and oxygen isotope trends and study area characteristics of published speleothem records) positions Akalagavi at N15°E73° and thus with an entertaining precision error of mere ±150 km at an even more entertaining spot in the Arabian Sea, about 40 or 45 km in a direct line from the Malabar Coast off the shore from southern Goa and northern Uttar Kannad district (Karnataka). POSITION 2007: WGS84 (unspecified precision error) N14°59'47.2”: E74°31'50.5”: 425 m asl (Matthalm, T 2007.02.01, estimation and GPS). POSITION 2008: WGS84 (as if ±0.3 m) N14°59'49.08”: E74°31'52.35” (Matthalm, T 2008 April, estimation after Google Earth). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1983: HIREMATH, P (1983b: 5-6) reports active stalactite speleothems or, literally quoted: A man can enter inside lying flat on his belly and crawling. When he gets inside with some difficulty he sees on the rock above, udders, looking like the udders of a cow. Water drips down drop by drop from them. CAVE DESCRIPTION 2002: Yadava M G (2002 Mss: Thesis 4.3: 94) counts Akala Cave and YADAVA, RAMESH & PANT (2004: 518) count Akala Gavi Cave among the Karst formations known to exist in the Uttar Kannada District and both claim that this cave consists of a single chamber (about 4 by 12 m wide and at least 5 m high) in unspecified limestone (Dharwar?) and contains speleothems (note 4), of which one had been 42.5 cm high and 300 years old stalagmite (note 5) featured distinct annual lamination and yielded a number of 301 d18O and d14C analyses. CAVE DESCRIPTION 2004: The cave has only one rectangular-shaped (approximately 12 by 4 m, poorly ventilated [humbug!] interior chamber. It occurs in a 40 m high hillock [better: karst tower] in a mountainous terrain and its entrance opens at a height about 10 m above the ground level. … Approximately 30 m of limestone bedrock with a thin soil cover overlies the cave (YADAVA, RAMESH & PANT 2004: 518). VEGETATION: Dense tropical forest (C3 type vegetation) surrounds the cave. Prsently, there is no farming activity on the surface above the cave (YADAVA, RAMESH & PANT 2004: 518). CAVE CLIMATE: At an unspecified date and time in April 1997 the relative humidity and temperature recorded were respectively 64% and 29.3°C [in the air] (Yadava, M G 2002 Mss: Thesis, chapter 4.3.1: 95).RAMESH & YADAVA (undated on sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/284/5411/125 accessed 2006.09.18) provide graphs. Yadava, M G (2002 Mss: Thesis) discusses (in chapter 4.3: on page 92) caves in the Uttar Kannada District; 4.3.1: 93 Stalagmite from Akalagavi cave; 4.3.2: 94-97 Thickness measurements; 4.3.3: 97-98 d18O and d14C variations in AKG; 4.3.4: 99-102: Rainfall reconstruction from AKG; 4.3.5: 103-107: Gray level measurements from AKG. YADAVA, RAMESH & PANT 2004: 518): The south-west monsoon during June to September accounts for 70 90% of the rainfall over India (Rao, 1976). The north-east monsoon (winter monsoon) during October to December affects mainly the southern states of th Indian peninsula (Tamil Nadu and Kerala). Based on meteorological data available from an area weighted average of 306 stations, AISRTS (all-India summer monsoon rainfall time series) is available from 1871 to 1995 (Pant and Rupa Kumar, 1997, and references therein). The Akalagavi cave is located within the boundaries of sdiv-31 (subdivision 31: Coastal Karnataka ), for which meteorological data is available from 1871 onwards. The nearest meteorological station to the cave site is Karwar, for which meteorological data is available from 1960 onwards. Also, 86% of the annual rainfall occurs during south-west monsoon. In the other months, there are occasional rains due to the proximity of the cave site to the coast.sently, there is no farming activity on the surface above the cave (YADAVA, RAMESH & PANT 2004: 518). CAVE CLIMATE: At an unspecified date and time in April 1997 the relative humidity and temperature recorded were respectively 64% and 29.3°C [in the air] (Yadava, M G 2002 Mss: Thesis, chapter 4.3.1: 95).RAMESH & YADAVA (undated on sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/284/5411/125 accessed 2006.09.18) provide graphs. Yadava, M G (2002 Mss: Thesis) discusses (in chapter 4.3: on page 92) caves in the Uttar Kannada District; 4.3.1: 93 Stalagmite from Akalagavi cave; 4.3.2: 94-97 Thickness measurements; 4.3.3: 97-98 d18O and d14C variations in AKG; 4.3.4: 99-102: Rainfall reconstruction from AKG; 4.3.5: 103-107: Gray level measurements from AKG. YADAVA, RAMESH & PANT 2004: 518): The south-west monsoon during June to September accounts for 70 90% of the rainfall over India (Rao, 1976). The north-east monsoon (winter monsoon) during October to December affects mainly the southern states of th Indian peninsula (Tamil Nadu and Kerala). Based on meteorological data available from an area weighted average of 306 stations, AISRTS (all-India summer monsoon rainfall time series) is available from 1871 to 1995 (Pant and Rupa Kumar, 1997, and references therein). The Akalagavi cave is located within the boundaries of sdiv-31 (subdivision 31: Coastal Karnataka ), for which meteorological data is available from 1871 onwards. The nearest meteorological station to the cave site is Karwar, for which meteorological data is available from 1960 onwards. Also, 86% of the annual rainfall occurs during south-west monsoon. In the other months, there are occasional rains due to the proximity of the cave site to the coast.