UMTHLUH (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

About 15 or 18 cave entrances (mostly potholes, generally 50 to 60 m deep, one free climbable) drop into a dendritic pattern of stream cave passages (allegedly 18 km long), which all drain to the resurgence entrance to Krem –>Ticha. ETYMOLOGY: The cave appears to be called after an -um- (stream of water) named after the -dieng thluh- which is a tree whose bark is very useful in making ropes, etc. (SINGH, N 1906: 234). To interpret the Synteng Khasi (Pnar) cave name as -um thloo- or -um thlu- (synonymous with the Khasi -um thliew- = water of hole or hole water) seems to be unlikely as there exists neither a -hole water- (um thliew) nor a -water hole- (thliew um) at this cave entrance or in it's vicinity. So far (April 2008), I saw the cave name of Krem Umthluh (Tongseng) called and spelled, edited or printed as Krem Mtwo Ende, Barbara Anne (2007.02.10 Mss: Krem Mtwo). Southern System JARRATT & DAWSON (2007). Southern Ridge System JARRATT & DAWSON (2007). Krem Um Thloo Fischer, Chritian W. (2002.04.15 Mss: Liste der aus der Krem Um Thloo gesammelten Tierarten). Krem Um Thloo, India JEFFREYS, Alan Lawrence (2001). Krem Um Thloo, Shnongrim Fischer, Christian W. (2002.11.25 Mss: ArtenMeg.doc: Inventarsliste der auf der Meghalaya-Expedition 2001 gefangenen Höhlentiere); Fischer, Christian W. (2003.07.07 ArtenMeg.doc: Inventarsliste der auf den Meghalaya-Expeditionen 2001 und 2003 gefangenen Höhlentiere, Stand: 04.07.2003). Um Thloo System Siegenthaler, R. (2008 Mss: Expeditionstagebuch.pdf). Krem Um Thlu, Shnongrim Ridge Arbenz, T. (2011.04.08 Mss: Re Meilenfuss). Umthloo BROWN, Mark W & BROOKS, Simon J (2008). Krem Umthloo ARBENZ, BARTHOLEYNS, BROOKS, BROWN & HAPKA (2008); JARRATT & DAWSON (2007); BROWN & BROOKS (2008: 16); Kharpran Daly, Brian D. (2001.04.21 Mss: Umthloo).Krem Umthloo Synrang Labbit Brooks, Simon J. (2008 undated Mss: Longest Table 2008.doc; 2014.05.05 Longest and Deepest Table 2014.doc). IDENTITY: The following cave entrances (sorted from from outh to north) are known to give access to penetrable passages in this caving system: entrance coordinates (WGS84) altitude (alternative altitude) Krem cave survey GPSE09a N25°20'45”: E92°31'01” 1067 m Synrang Labit 1E09b N25°20'43”: E92°31'01” 1052 m Synrang Labit 2E01 = 001/00 N25°19'33-: E92°30'46-: 1000.00 m (assumed) Umthluh, Tongseng, 1 E05 = 129/09 N25°19'28-: E92°30'34-: 1062.46 m 1086 m Mulale E02 = 023/00 N25°19'30-: E92°30'48-: 992.97 m 1108 m Umthluh, Tongseng 2 E06 = 091/00 N25°19'35-: E92°30'36-: 1067.50 m 1067 m Lyngkshait E04 = 025/25 N25°19'58-: E92°31'05-: 933.73 m Ticha 2 Boulder Entr.E03 = 064/00 N25°20'00-: E92°31'14-: 896.87 m 923 m Ticha E08a = 130/0 N25°20'03-: E92°30'36-: 1087.33 m 1075 m Raman / Ryman 1 E08b not surveyed not known not known Raman / Ryman 2 E08c survey lost not known not known Raman / Ryman 3 E07 = 117/00 N25°20'12-: E92°30'42-: 1084.75 m 1060 m Myrliat 1 E10b N25°20'18”: E92°30'11” ca. 1090 m not knwn Wah Luko 2 E10b2 N25°20'21”: E92°30'11” not known not known Wah Luko 2b E10c not known not known not known Wah Luko 3 E10d not known not known not known Wah Luko 4 — Compare the relevant entries listed by the names of the individual cave entrances. Krem UMTHLUH, Tongseng, no. 1 itself opens as a shakehole (collapse doline) in a closed depression surrounded by partly buried karst pinnacles. It probably functions as a seasonal sink and leads, after a series of loose, awkward climbs and unlikely squeezes --first mastered by Tony Jarratt and Allard Harris Diengdoh-- to a basement level of generally joint controlled streamways with a small perennial flow (February maximum circa 3 l/s). Some photographs by Yvo Weidmann are published in ARBENZ & WEIDMANN (2003: 1, 10, 11). SITUATION: On the eastern side of the Shnongrim - Tangnub ridge, below Tongseng village, and near the upper edge of the -tree line- (indicating the upper rim of the forest covered limestone terrain below the grass cvered scarp of the ridge). APPROACH: Ask for a guide to reach the entrance in the jungle. Take either a steep shortcut (footpath) from the pass at the northern end of Tongseng village or otherwise the road descending from the village towards the paddy field covered plains in the upper reaches of the Lunar and Letein (Litang, Litien) valleys. At a point where standing stones can be seen on an open ridge (from the road to the left / north-east), walk into the upper part of a valley, aiming (in spring 2001) for the grove of pine trees on the skyline. On reaching the -Lonesome Pine- in the valley, follow the path down valley for about 100 m to reach a bamboo filled obvious sink among half buried karst pinnacles on the left (northern) scarp of the valley. CAVE DESCRIPTION 2001a: Umthloo: The monsoons / roars / rushes down / a hole in the uneven ground / tumbling / forcing its way / through mud and slime / polishing / giant boulders blocking / its confusing path / down it exerts / overridin obstacles / till it meets / stabler ground / it opens up / the dark labyrinth / into highway passages / of rushing streams / made more pronounced / by the silence / of the dark / and / stillness of the mysterious / untrodden passages of time / working wonders / underneath / the feet of man (Kharpran Daly, Brian D. 2001.04.21 Mss). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2001b: A short climb down leads to a reasonably well decorated, spider infested series of chambers with a horrific looking vertical boulder ruckle in the floor… [which leads] into a 6 m diameter 'Master Cave.' The main upstream passage was pushed for a couple of kms to a high aven with possible high level passage part way up and climbable with aid. Several kms of wet and dry passages lead off from this, generally in a northerly direction and towards the crest of the ridge, beyond which lies Krem Shynrong Labbit [Krem –>Shyien Khlieh], Krem Labbit (Lum Dait Krong) [Krem –>Labit, Lumdait Kroh] and Krem Risang. Downstream was surveyed throgh lots of spectacular passage to a resurgence (Krem Ticha) and a side entrance in a jungle filled doline (JARRATT 2001: 35) CAVE DESCRIPTION 2001c: … a bamboo filled, dry flood sink. This was reminiscent of Eastwater Cavern and decidedly uninspiring … A short rope climb (later free climbed) led to a decorated descending passage and reasonably attractive chamber with the usual obligatory heteropoda. In the floor of this was a boulder choke with black spaces. The cave was unpleasantly warm and apparently draught free but it was decided to survey it for completion and in the hope that we might salvage a hundred metres from the day. While the others commenced the survey I got the job of trying to find the way on down through the hairy looking vertical choke. The huge wedged boulders, though calcited in places, were frightening to descend through as the movement of one would have brought down possibly hundreds of tons. At a depth of circa 43 m I emerged sweating from the horrors of the chke into a solid walled and roomy phreatic passage with a dry mud floor. After some route finding problems getting back I guided the surveyors back down and this passage was mapped for a few score metres to an attractive chamber and solid choke. Allard [Allard Harris Diengdoh] poked about in an obvious but small and uninspiring sink passage which he found to open up after a few metres. I followed him through a series of small, rimstone floored chambers to reach a fine 2 m high strongly draughting stream passage with static water and a low duck on the LH side. Just before this an awkward inlet led to over 50 m of phreatic passage [note 1] and a circa 20 m high aven. Back in the stream we surveyed for c. 210 m along some superb walking passage and we were about to call it a day when Allard mentioned that he could hear the sound of a stream in the distance. I went on for a look and found a large archway on the LH side of the passage opposite a superb red flowstone bank. Entering this I wa totally gobsmacked to find myself in a 6 m diameter bore tube with a good sized stream flowing from left to right and cascading into a passage opposite the archway giving a four way junction …(Jarratt 2001.02.11 Mss: Cave Log 2001: 11/2/01). … Goon [note 2], Brian and I… set off upstream… and surveyed over 400 m of stunning bore tube with pools, pebble banks and the occasional grotto (including a massive stalactite) until we turned right up a dry inlet over a series of gour. This walking sized phreatic tube was named Waverly Tunnel after a noted Edinburgh landmark and was surveyed easily for another 800 m or so until we got fed up. A 53 m and a 54 m leg indicate the type of passage involved! Most of this had a flat pebble or mud floor with scattered pools containing fish, crabs, and crayfish. A few muddy formations relieved the uniformity in places. This amazing gallery eventually reached an area of avens, inlets and oxbows where we called a halt at an apparently blank wall. I then nticed an abrasive crawl at floor level which quickly led to a huge breakdown chamber —Monolith Hall— and ongoing inlet passage. Part way along Waverly Tunnel the draught reversed direction and near the end a howling gale emerged from a very narrow inlet. Another walking sized inlet (later called Malakoff Bridge and Tunnel) was also briefly investigated and found to be ongoing … Jarratt (2001.02.13 Mss: Cave Log 2001): Dan, Mark and Rhys tidy up a few odds and ends including the gour passage and dry upper level stuff before the duck in the entrance series.Goon, Peter and I joined by Brian and Christian… surveyed on from Sunday's last point. Through the crawl into the large Monolith Hall and along the stream passage beyond which unfortunately soon narrowed and reached the bottom of an aven. We managed to climb this for some 10 m to reach a high level passage where a rope would be needed to safely gain access by lassoing a prominent stalagmite. We then surveyed a blind rift, a short oxow and the strongly draughting Gale Force Gallery which Christian had pushed to an aven. We continued beyond this in a narrow rift passage to the base of another aven —again with a possible free climb that needs protection. A maze of passages nearby – Otter Maze [note 3] – due to a skull found here which was identified by the locals) was not mapped due to lack of time and remains to be done next year (Jarratt 2001.02.12 Mss -Cave Log 2001- 12/2/01). We carried on up the km or so of the main Umthloo streamway to the point where Tom's team had stopped —a superb section of bore passage with lots of wading and a short swim. From the end point Tom, Mandy and Rhys surveyed about a kilometre of upper levels and active inlet streamway leading to an aven which needs climbing. At one point a ferociously draughting hole miraculously spotted at floor level was dug open by Tom to enter a small chamber unfortunately already occupied by a very lively thin snake. Rhys had by now joined him and fearng that the possibly venomous serpent could get past them into the entrance squeeze they were reluctantly forced to stone it to death. It's presence and the strong draught indicated a nearby entrance [Anthony 'Tony' R Jarratt 2002.02.30 Mss: Amendments -Krem Myrliat-]. We continued up the main stream passage for a couple of hundred metres of sinuous canyon to reach a low duck with a howling gale coming through —Wind Tunnel Duck. I popped through this to reach a roomy chamber and large rift passage ending in a short climb up to yet another aven needing a lasso rope and a ladder to reach a higher level canyon visible above [note 4]. Back to our starting point where we surveyed about 300 m of phreatic maze (White Millipede Inlet) with superb gours, stalagmite flows and a few formations. One passage in here also led to a possibly climbable aven and another to a draughting boulder choke. Again, both of these appear to be fairly close to the surface. An inch long white millipede was sen here and lots of open leads were left for next year (Jarratt 2001.02.15 Mss: Cave Log 2001, 15/2/01). Our first job today was to climb into the visible passage at the top of the aven beyond Monolith Hall… A fine passage led on but soon closed down at a calcited blind aven with a hidden pitch down on the LH side at floor level [This leads] … to the floor of a circa 30 m high aven with a grotty bit of passage leading off to a circa 10 m pot where we stopped… Ignoring low, uninspiring inlets and the Otter Maze we headed back down Waverly Tunnel to survey the only walking sized inlet left —on the RH side going in. Luckily it was good stuff and was mapped for 387 m to an area of several circa 25 to 30 m high avens with small ongoing stuff beyond which we had to leave … (Jarratt 2001.02.19 Mss: Cave Log 2001: 19/2/01). The Aquarium is a stooping sized canal well stocked with hundreds of small, white and probably blind cave fish. This amazing passage soon led to a much larger and drier crss passage which was flooded upstream and enlarged considerably, eventually developing into an attractive square tunnel with formations [speleothems], breakdown, a sandstone ceiling and lots of gypsum crusting on the walls. This gave us some good legs and we stopped at an apparent choke above a low streamway crossing below the breakdown: Well over 500 metres of generally impressive and varied passage in the bag. Mandy then crawled through a tiny, previously unnoticed slot behind the choke to emerge in an even bigger, 9 to 10 m diameter passage above and heading north. The place was really opening up … There are scores of side passages on the way which have not been explored or surveyed (Jarratt 2001.02.20 Mss: Cave Log 2001, 20/2/01). … abseiling down Krem Myrliat entrance shaft, past the dead snake and through Tom's dug out crawl into the big stuff in upstream Umthloo -- saving us about 3 hours of caving to and from the boulder ruckle entrance. At the Aquarium stream junction Mark,Dan and Lindsay left us to survey up the other stream inlet for c. 80 m to Fisherman's Aven where Dan caught some cave fish for his speleobiological studies. They then surveyed some 130 m of grotty side passages… At the far end of the Aquarium Thomas, Anja and Peter commenced surveying the passage on the right —muddy, wet and not very long but beautifully decorated in places. Another couple of inlets were also mapped but became equally grotty. We carried on to our last station and surveyed through Mandy's crawl into the big breakdown passage beyond. Dead straight, this continues for circa 180 m with an awkward climb up and then down to avoid a foul looking duck about 2/3rds of the way along. This was surmounted with the use of a rope and etrier only just long enough to reach the floor. Beyond this the passage degenerated to muddy crawls which obviously flood completely in wet weather. Thankfully these soon broke out into a big canyon which was followed to a Y-junction. The RH passge became a climb up boulders with a cold draught whistling out of the huge boulder choke ahead. There seems to be a high aven in the roof just before this. The LH passage also ended in a totally boulder choked canyon (Jarratt 2001.02.22 Mss: Cave Log 2001, 22/2/01). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2005: My last trip of the [February 2005] expedition was to the awesome system of Krem Umthloo --my -baby--- in an attempt to smash up a hanging boulder preventing access to a 10 m high inlet which could be seen beyond. This lay at the end of International Schweinehund Passage and not too far from the boulder choke entrance to the cave. … Not having been able to scrounge any explosives I was armed with a hefty hammer and set to on the rock which was calcited into the ceiling of a low crawl. Suddenly the whole boulder dropped out with an earth shaking thud … I was just able to shift it enough to squeeze past into the big stuff beyond and the others eventually followed. Sod's Law then decreed that this fie passage soon ended at a calcited aven with an unpleasant crawl to one side which became too tight. It also became too toxic after Quentin inadvertently set fire to the tape with his lamp! Raplang was by now totally mind blown by the curious antics of the Ferengis and we, in turn, were equally mind blown by the noise of what could only be described as loud snoring emanating from a low duck at the base of the aven. The source of this weird and somewhat disturbing phenomenon will have to wait another year to be discovered but is doubtless related to siphoning water or an intermittent draught. It just begged the name of Snoring Duck Aven (JARRATT 2005). TACKLE: Handline for a 2 m drop from the entrance doline into the first dark bit of the cave. PROSPECTS 2005: … well over 100 [unspecified] leads remain to be explored and the possibility with a link to the potentially huge Krem Synrang Labbit system [i.e. Krem Synrang Labit] to the north is definitely on the cards (JARRATT 2006: 16). SPLEOMETRY: At a survey length of 13.492 m, Simon J. Brooks (undated 2008 Mss: Longest Table 2008.doc) decided to take an additional 5 km of unbased survey length from the air to concatenate Krem Umthloo - Synrang Labbit [sic!]; India, Meghalaya; 18.181 m. CAVE LIFE: Harvestmen (Laniatores, collected by H. D. Gebauer on 2001.02.11 and Christian W. Fischer on 2001.02.13), pigmented and depigmented insects from traps (Insecta: Blattaria, Ensifera, Fischer 17.02.2001), cockroach (Fischer 2001.02.22), -Kugelspinnen- (2 mm diameter -ball spiders(?)-, probably Theridiidae, Fischer 2001.02.22, Daniel B. Harries 2001.02.22: Arachnida: Aranea: Theridiinae), millipeds (Trachyiulidae, Fischer 2001.02.24). Darren J. Mann (darren.mann@oum.oxford.ac.uk, 4 Apr 2003) suspects a cockroach collected on 22.02.2001 to be a Rhabdoblatta sp?: The Indian true troglophile is something I have never seen! […] Its a new species for sure, possibly a new genus. It has very distinctive cerci, which I'm sure I'vehave remembered if I had seen before. […] Unfortunately, no males, and the condition was a little poor on one of them, but very very interesting. If you have any more info on that species, or if anyone else is going to that cave system, more material would be great, I'm hesitant to describe a new species on such limited material. KOTTELAT, HARRIES & PROUDLOVE (2007: 43 table 2) list Krem Umthloo (Krem Umthloo, Tongseng) among the caves in the Sutnga area (Litang valley: Shnongrim Ridge) in which the cave dwelling, nemacheilid loach Schistura prob. papulifera (Teleostei: Balituridae) has been recorded: Date: Feb 2001, 2002, 2003 & 2005 D. Harries: Widespread in cave system, very abundant especially in upstream part of cave.LEOMETRY: At a survey length of 13.492 m, Simon J. Brooks (undated 2008 Mss: Longest Table 2008.doc) decided to take an additional 5 km of unbased survey length from the air to concatenate Krem Umthloo - Synrang Labbit [sic!]; India, Meghalaya; 18.181 m. CAVE LIFE: Harvestmen (Laniatores, collected by H. D. Gebauer on 2001.02.11 and Christian W. Fischer on 2001.02.13), pigmented and depigmented insects from traps (Insecta: Blattaria, Ensifera, Fischer 17.02.2001), cockroach (Fischer 2001.02.22), -Kugelspinnen- (2 mm diameter -ball spiders(?)-, probably Theridiidae, Fischer 2001.02.22, Daniel B. Harries 2001.02.22: Arachnida: Aranea: Theridiinae), millipeds (Trachyiulidae, Fischer 2001.02.24). Darren J. Mann (darren.mann@oum.oxford.ac.uk, 4 Apr 2003) suspects a cockroach collected on 22.02.2001 to be a Rhabdoblatta sp?: The Indian true troglophile is something I have never seen! […] Its a new species for sure, possibly a new genus. It has very distinctive cerci, which I'm sure I'veLEOMETRY: At a survey length of 13.492 m, Simon J. Brooks (undated 2008 Mss: Longest Table 2008.doc) decided to take an additional 5 km of unbased survey length from the air to concatenate Krem Umthloo - Synrang Labbit [sic!]; India, Meghalaya; 18.181 m. CAVE LIFE: Harvestmen (Laniatores, collected by H. D. Gebauer on 2001.02.11 and Christian W. Fischer on 2001.02.13), pigmented and depigmented insects from traps (Insecta: Blattaria, Ensifera, Fischer 17.02.2001), cockroach (Fischer 2001.02.22), -Kugelspinnen- (2 mm diameter -ball spiders(?)-, probably Theridiidae, Fischer 2001.02.22, Daniel B. Harries 2001.02.22: Arachnida: Aranea: Theridiinae), millipeds (Trachyiulidae, Fischer 2001.02.24). Darren J. Mann (darren.mann@oum.oxford.ac.uk, 4 Apr 2003) suspects a cockroach collected on 22.02.2001 to be a Rhabdoblatta sp?: The Indian true troglophile is something I have never seen! […] Its a new species for sure, possibly a new genus. It has very distinctive cerci, which I'm sure I'veLEOMETRY: At a survey length of 13.492 m, Simon J. Brooks (undated 2008 Mss: Longest Table 2008.doc) decided to take an additional 5 km of unbased survey length from the air to concatenate Krem Umthloo - Synrang Labbit [sic!]; India, Meghalaya; 18.181 m. CAVE LIFE: Harvestmen (Laniatores, collected by H. D. Gebauer on 2001.02.11 and Christian W. Fischer on 2001.02.13), pigmented and depigmented insects from traps (Insecta: Blattaria, Ensifera, Fischer 17.02.2001), cockroach (Fischer 2001.02.22), -Kugelspinnen- (2 mm diameter -ball spiders(?)-, probably Theridiidae, Fischer 2001.02.22, Daniel B. Harries 2001.02.22: Arachnida: Aranea: Theridiinae), millipeds (Trachyiulidae, Fischer 2001.02.24). Darren J. Mann (darren.mann@oum.oxford.ac.uk, 4 Apr 2003) suspects a cockroach collected on 22.02.2001 to be a Rhabdoblatta sp?: The Indian true troglophile is something I have never seen! […] Its a new species for sure, possibly a new genus. It has very distinctive cerci, which I'm sure I'vehave remembered if I had seen before. […] Unfortunately, no males, and the condition was a little poor on one of them, but very very interesting. If you have any more info on that species, or if anyone else is going to that cave system, more material would be great, I'm hesitant to describe a new species on such limited material. KOTTELAT, HARRIES & PROUDLOVE (2007: 43 table 2) list Krem Umthloo (Krem Umthloo, Tongseng) among the caves in the Sutnga area (Litang valley: Shnongrim Ridge) in which the cave dwelling, nemacheilid loach Schistura prob. papulifera (Teleostei: Balituridae) has been recorded: Date: Feb 2001, 2002, 2003 & 2005 D. Harries: Widespread in cave system, very abundant especially in upstream part of cave.