MUTANG COAL MINE CAVE

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 27/04/2016

An open passage in the wall of a pothole at the bottom of a cliff near Mutang village leads immediately to a circa 2 m climb down to a gently inclined active bedding plane passage with a sandstone floor (Anthony 'Tony' R. Jarratt 2001.02.14 personal communication). SETTING 2001: »The circa 10 m wide, 20 m deep natural pothole is accessible via a steep gully in the south end. Unsafe wooden ladders lead to the base of the shaft, below jammed sandstone boulders, to a recently active coal trial pit in the sandstone floor -- now flooded at about 10 m depth« (Jarratt 2001.02.14 personal communication). APPROACH 1998: To reach this site, proceed from an unidentified point (with an unidentified GPS position) at what had been in March 1998 an »end of lorry track from Krem Malo towards the south-west. At coal mine shacks go past coal mine shaft and take track towards 230°. Shaft 200 m later« (Ian E Chandler 1998.03.08 personal communication). APPROACH 1999: »We walked into the area from Thangskai, on the Krem Malo - Krem Umso track and briefly took the wrong track near Umso village« (Jarratt 1999.02.04 Mss: Cave Log, vol. 7). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1999a: The visible part of this cave had started in February 1999 as a »… cave passage situated in wall of shaft. Short drop leads to low wide passage upstream then low canal for 100 m ending in chamber with no ways open. Downstream unsurveyed 20 m to very low but draughting choke with stream sinking in loose boulders« (Jarratt in E. Sandford 1999 Mss:IB Logbook 99). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1999b: »Krem Mutang is a spectacular circa 25 m deep natural pothole with an about 15 m deep working coal mine shaft in the bottom. A possible natural way on above the shaft was left unchecked. The pot was entered by a series of dodgy wooden ladders down the sloping sides …« (Jarratt 1999.02.04 Mss: Cave Log, vol. 7, Meghalaya). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2001: »Extended downstream by digging through several short boulder chokes. Circa 20 m of low bedding passages and phreatic tubes draughting strongly inwards. Downstream from the entrance climb needs surveying and more digging« (Jarratt & Galloway 2001.02.14 Mss: Meghalaya Cave Record).