KHANG MASI CAVE 2

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

The so-called top entrance (anonymous Hall, B E 2010.02.14 Mss: Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3 Traverse 14/2/2010) is, of course, the lower one of the two known cave entrances of Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3, about 1.2 m wide and 2.5 m high, faces an unidentified direction, is said to represent a sink (seasonal) into outlying limestone hillock and gives access to a cave passage that drops [less than 3 m vertically] down to N (sic! qua: west) where the cave [passage] divides immediately (read: intersects a generally south-west to north-east trending cave passage) and contains easy to photograph secondary calcite formations in the shape of gour pool + stal (speleothems). The walking-sized left (SW) branch of the cave passage was surveyed for 50 m [up to the point where it] Exits at (3) (the true top entrance 3.5 m above Hall's top entrance) as it leads to the cave entrance (about 3.5 m wide and 1.7 m high) of Krem –>Khang Masi 3. The 67 m long complementary north-eastern part of the same cave passagewas called Open Side Passage Lead (Hall, B E 2010.02.15 Mss -Khang Masi 2_01.Text- survey data file) and the name of a lateral 70 m long true side passage has not yet been discovered. ETYMOLOGY: No autochthonous, indigenous or locally known cave name has been identified for what had been christened as a cave numerically subsequent to --but totally independent from-- Krem –>Khang Masi and recorded as Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3 Traverse (note 1) Anonymous (Hall 2010.02.14 Mss: Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3 Traverse 14/2/2010) Krem Khang Masi 2 to 3 Anonymous et al. (2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc: 14th February); Brooks, Simon J et al (2010.03.29 Mss: Survey summary.xls) Krem Khang Masi 2&3 Hall 2010 Arbenz, T (2010.03.31 cave distribution map: Pala_Ridge_4-10.pdf). SITUATION 1: According to Anonymous (Hall 2010.02.14 Mss: Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3 Traverse 14/2/2010), the cave entrance and seasonal sink of Krem Khang Masi 2 lies a) on the one-hand side together with something unspecified (peraps Khang Masi 3) and in a surrounding where a (seasonally?) dry river sinks in several places but b) on the other hand and apparently contradicting, not near a water course but on an outlying limestone -hillock- [with the] top [of the] hillock [near] N25°26'47.7”: E092°35'00.2” (unidentified precision error, unspecified geodetic datum possibly WGS84) without identified elevation. SITUATION 2: On the south-west side of one of the outliers in the so-called but, of course, tautological Khang Masi area (Anonymous et al. 2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc) and at location without identified spatial relation not only to the original Krem –>Khang Masi but also to the cave entrances of –>Khang Masi Cave 4 (2nd Rib Cave 1) or –>Khang Masi Cave 5 (2nd Rib Cave 1). POSITION: According to the GPS positions recorded by Anonymous (Hall 2010.02.14 Mss: Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3 Traverse 14/2/2010) for the cave entrances of A) N25°26'44.6”: E092°34'57.9” [deleted: N25°26'45.2”: E092°34$*59.0-] Khang Masi 2 & 3 B) N25°26'45.2”: E092°34'59.0- [deleted: KKM3] (2) the position B lies 36.0 m in a direct line approximately ENE (18.6 m north + 30.8 m east) from position A. Since Cave_2 is said to be the top entrance giving access to a cave passage leading SW (south-west) to the entrance of Cave_3, we can, per adventure, assume that Position B = Cave_2 top entrance (Hall 2010) Position A = Cave_3 exit (Hall 2010) = true top entrance According to the cave survey (Hall, B E 2010.02.15 Mss -Khang Masi 2_01.Text- survey data file), the mis-nomed top entrance of Cave 2 (survey station 1/0) lies 21.37 m east and 21.65 m north (30.4 m in a direct line due NE) but 3.36 m vertically below the mis-nomed exit entrance to Cave 3 (survey station 1/6). APPROACH 2010 (anonymous Hall 2010.02.14 Mss: Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3 Traverse 14/2/2010): From Umkrapong [sic! qua: Umkyrpong] village go north about 500 m to [a] mining camp [note 2]. At lone pine tree [near N25°26'28.7”: E092°34'328”] turn right (NE) [and] follow [a] path around to R for about 300 m [and] turn [at a crucial spot without identified GPS position] to left (N) to reach [a junction near] N25°26'41.4”: E092°34'50.3” [WGS84?]. Go right (NE) then left [without identified direction: north-east?] and use GPS to find [one or the other of the cave] entrances. [Like that, they are impossible to distinguish because] They lie together [but have something to do with] a dry river [which] sinks in several places. CAVE DESCRIPTION 1: Anonymous (Hall 2010.02.14 Mss: Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3 Traverse 14/2/2010): Top entrance (2) 1.2 m (wide) by 2.5 m (high) [had been in February 2010] situated in [a] group of [unidentified] trees. [Entering into this cave entrance results in a cave visitor that] drops down to N [whereupon the] cave [passage] divides immediately [but, in spite of this challenge, was] surveyed to left (SW) for 50 m. Exits at (3). 3.5 m (H) x 1.7 m (W). [During February 2010 there existed a kind of a well-decorated midsection (gour pool + stal) [but a likewise nice to look at] scurion-lit photo [has become] available from Bridget. [The] cave [passage] goes [on initially towards] NW [and] then SSW in a dog leg [note 3]. [An unknown part of the cave has been left] unsurveyed to N from ent. (2). Walking size passage 2–>3. Nicely decorated passage + gours. CAVE DESCRIPTION 2: Anonymous et al. (2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc: 14th February) ignore all aspects of the cave as such in favour of pointing out a sports training device that allows performing the adventurous feat of A traverse and that's it. SPELEOMETRY (in metres): length height depth range source 52.54 +0.57 -3.36 ±3.93 Arbenz, T (2010.04.18 Mss: Pala positions.xlsx) 52.54 ±3.93 Hall, B E (2010.02.14 Mss: Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3 Traverse); Brooks, S J (2010.03.29 Mss: Survey summary.xls) 189.59 +0.78 -7.27 ±8.05 Hall, B E (2010.02.14 Mss -Khang Masi 2_01.Text- survey data file) CAVE POTENTIAL: Since Anonymous apparently Hall, B E 2010.02.14 anonymous Mss: Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3 Traverse 14/2/2010) mentions only to have traversed and surveyed to left [sic!] for 50 m without identified direction one can suspect that the corresponding -right- (opposite) branch of this cave remains unmapped, unsurveyed and, perhaps, unexplored. Anonymous et al. (2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc) confirm that There is a downstream lead remaining, crawling and getting a little larger and worth a team visiting to survey it, as it is likely to lead through the outlying hill. CULTURAL HISTORY: Collectors of caving maidens' photographs are informed about a scurion-lit photo available from Bridget (apparently Hall, B E 2010.02.14 anonymous Mss: Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3 Traverse 14/2/2010). well-decorated midsection (gour pool + stal) [but a likewise nice to look at] scurion-lit photo [has become] available from Bridget. [The] cave [passage] goes [on initially towards] NW [and] then SSW in a dog leg [note 3]. [An unknown part of the cave has been left] unsurveyed to N from ent. (2). Walking size passage 2–>3. Nicely decorated passage + gours. CAVE DESCRIPTION 2: Anonymous et al. (2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc: 14th February) ignore all aspects of the cave as such in favour of pointing out a sports training device that allows performing the adventurous feat of A traverse and that's it. SPELEOMETRY (in metres): length height depth range source 52.54 +0.57 -3.36 ±3.93 Arbenz, T (2010.04.18 Mss: Pala positions.xlsx) 52.54 ±3.93 Hall, B E (2010.02.14 Mss: Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3 Traverse); Brooks, S J (2010.03.29 Mss: Survey summary.xls) 189.59 +0.78 -7.27 ±8.05 Hall, B E (2010.02.14 Mss -Khang Masi 2_01.Text- survey data file) CAVE POTENTIAL: Since Anonymous apparently Hall, B E 2010.02.14 anonymous Mss: Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3 Traverse 14/2/2010) mentions only to have traversed and surveyed to left [sic!] for 50 m without identified direction one can suspect that the corresponding -right- (opposite) branch of this cave remains unmapped, unsurveyed and, perhaps, unexplored. Anonymous et al. (2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc) confirm that There is a downstream lead remaining, crawling and getting a little larger and worth a team visiting to survey it, as it is likely to lead through the outlying hill. CULTURAL HISTORY: Collectors of caving maidens' photographs are informed about a scurion-lit photo available from Bridget (apparently Hall, B E 2010.02.14 anonymous Mss: Krem Khang Masi 2 & 3 Traverse 14/2/2010).