SYRNUN, Lum Syrnun (Krem)
25.337600,92.547900
Description
A cave entrance without identified shape and unspecified dimensions faces an unidentified direction and seems to lead to an apparently more or less horizontal cave passage, which is said to run parallel with an outcrop of rock at the foot of a hill, hill's flank or ridge. At one point partway into the cave, daylight is visible but enters by a hole (or so) which is too small to be used as an exit or to allow leaving the cave there and then. Janossy (2008.02.26 Mss) confirms that »Kren [sic!] Syrnun« is a »horizontal cave« which --at least in late February 2008-- contained »no active streamways.« »Krem Syrnun is a horizontal cave at valley floor level with some lower passages« (Arbenz, T 2008 Mss "Fieldbook" 100), which possibly are cave passages beneath the valley floor or, if you prefer, at a level lower than the valley floor itself. ETYMOLOGY: Larsing Sukhlain (1999.04.05 personal communication) suggested the cave name »Krem Syrnun« (note 1) probably after Lum Syrnun, the spur in which the cave is found. Some seasonally immigrating outsiders, whose expertise is indisputable, mastered ignoring autochthonous knowledge and preferred to call this cave Kren Syrnun Janossy (2008.02.26 Mss), Krem Syrnun Brown et al. (2008 Mss "Meghalaya 2008 diary" Thursday 7th February), Krem Syrnum Boycott (2008.03.20 Mss: Bat droppings) SITUATION: Somewhere (note 1) at the foot of Lum Syrnun, a spur off the Nongkhlieh ridge above the eastern (orographically left) bank of the Litang river. Janossy (2008.02.26 Mss) went so far to understand that the entrance to this cave lies comparatively »not far« (without identified spatial relation) from a fully unspecified spot somewhere on the road from the village of Shnongrim (WGS84 N25°21'08”: E92°31'04”: 1140 m asl) to Nongkhlieh (WGS84 N25°21'02”: E92°33'20”: 855 m asl). APPROACH 2008a: Janossy (2008.02.26 Mss) advices to attempt finding not the »Krem« (Khasi, noun = cave) but the »Kren« (Khasi, verb = to speak, to talk) by starting without orientation »to left of small resurgence« from where one can »go up« for an unidentified distance without direction »between« locally ubiquitous »limestone karst.« APPROACH 2008b: »the cave [entrance] can be reached by the same route as Krem Khongdong Wah« without explaining the spatial relation of these two caves: »From the Litang valley tea shop (dukan sha, near 25°21'37”N: 92°33'13”E: 855 m asl, Arbenz, T 2006), take a footpath south-west towards Rubong. Where the path meets the Litang (25°21'17.5”E: 92°33'06.0”E), follow the river upstream (generally south) to a bamboo bridge (25°21'17.9”N: 92°33'09.6”E) with a concrete "bridge house" on the far side. Cross over. Follow the river upstream --there a choice of routes across or around several ditches and seasonal inlets-- until you reach the cliff (about estimated 50 m high) at the tip of Lum Syrnum [sic!]. There is a ford and a resurgence. Cross the ford and head roughly west for a short distance to meet the river again. Look for a path and a ford and re-cross the river. Head straight to the base of Lum Syrnun [sic!] and follow it SSW till you reach the GPS position. The entrance lies 20 m into the jungle. The easier and shorter approach from the bamboo bridge is roughly west across the plains to the second ford mentioned« (Arbenz, T 2008 Mss "Fieldbook" 100-101). POSITIONS: The two earlier of the recorded GPS positions seem to be quite accurate as the later reading (Boycott 2008.02.17) is only 21.7 m in a direct line approximately SSE from the earlier one (Edmunds 1999.04.05). The third GPS position, which had been record »at the entrance« (Anonymous 2008 Mss: Syrnun_03.Text), lies a full second (some 30 m in a direct line) further north (misprint?): N25°20'16.0”: E92°32'52.0” (unidentified EPE, Edmunds 1999.04.05, GPS Garmin 12), N25°20'15.4”: E92°32'52.4” (unidentified EPE, Boycott 2008.02.17, GPS Garmin 12) and copied (?) N25°20'15.4”: E92°32'52.4” (unidentified EPE, Janossy 2008.02.26, GPS Garmin Etrex) but N25°20'15.4”: E92°32'53.4” (unidentified EPE, Anonymous 2008 Mss: Syrnun_03.Text). CAVE DESCRIPTION 1: Paul A. Edmunds (1999): None. CAVE DESCRIPTION 2: Janossy (2008.02.26 Mss), as readable as possible quoted: »3x3x52a,.180 Horizontal cave, main passage headis SW, aidher lag passage heading SE. Seveal loops + side passages. Gnde in mudchdcas« (Ends in mud chokes?). CAVE DESCRIPTION 3: Brown et al. (2008 Mss: Meghalaya 2008 diary.doc Thursday 7th February): »… 131 m of passage with lots of insects, spiders, bats and side passages, still going.« CAVE CONTENTS: Janossy (2008.02.26 Mss) lists »mud, rounded gravel, calcite« (unspecified speleothems). CULTURAL HISTORY: A porcupine hunting ground? Janossy (2008.02.26 Mss) noticed what was interpreted to possibly represent »trap for porcupine« (note 2) without describing the device. SPELEOMETRY: P.A. Edmunds (1999 personal correspondence): Survey length 469.2 m, vertical range +4.8 m. Anonymous (2008 Mss: Survey Summary): »Total 528.7« (metres?). Brown et al. (2008 Mss: Meghalaya 2008 diary.doc: Thursday 7th February): »… 131 m of passage … still going.« The 2008 survey data (Anonymous 2008 Mss: Syrnun_03.Text) yield a passage length of 513 m (survey length 528.70 m) at a vertical range of 8.97 m (+0.00 m / -8.97 m). CAVE LIFE: On no identified day in »Feb. 2008« (7th February 2008), K. Janossy (2008.02.08 Mss) observed what was taken as an undescribable sort of »spiders« (Arachnidae), »woodlice« (Isopoda), »cave crickets« (Orthoptera) and »millipeds« along with bats (Chiroptera) and rats (Rhodentia) in addition to »porcupine quills« (note 2) indicating the occasional presence of porcupines (Hystrix). Brown et al. (2008 Mss "Meghalaya 2008 diary" Thursday 7th February) confirms that »Des, Kate and Joel« noticed on 2008.02.07 »… lots of insects, spiders, bats …« Antony 'Tony' Boycott (2008.03.20 Mss: Bat droppings) confirmed the presence of bats (Chiroptera) when he collected (2008.02.18) »around survey point 1/7« in »Krem Syrnum N 25deg 20’ 15.4" E 092deg 32’ 52.4"« the bat guano sample no. 7 (note 3).
NOTE 1: SINGH, N (1906: 217) lists neither "syrnun" nor "syrnum" (or so) but "ka synrum" is »the rubbish« (SINGH, N 1906: 217) and the standard Khasi adjective ”ba jyrngum” means »green (coloured)« as the noun ”ka rong jyrngum” signifies »a blackish green colour« (SINGH, N 1906: 175). NOTE 2: The recorded GPS positions (unspecified precision error) indicate a spot which lies about 2.6 km in a direct line approximately south-south-east (193°) from the Litang tea house (N25°21'37”: E92°33'13” WGS84: 855 m asl). NOTE 3: The Khasi noun ”u dyngkhiet” is »a porcupine« (SINGH, N 1920: 389). NOTE 4: Boycott, Antony 'Tony' (2008.03.20 Mss: Bat droppings) tells me he posted guano sample no. 7 on 29th February 2008 from Shillong to Prof. Harish C. Gugnani (Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, University of Delhi, Department of Medical Mycology, Delhi 110 007) to be tested for fungi (Histoplasma capsulatum).
Histoire
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 1999.04.05, trip 1: Larsing Sukhlain and Gregory D. Diengdoh guided Paul A. Edmunds, Katharina "Kate" Janossy and Andrew "Andy" Peter Tyler with a team of senior students from the Wells Cathedral School to one »Krem Syrnun« where Nick Cain, Sophie Kumar, Robert Lamb, Louise Le Fluffy, Eleanor Lock, Buntie Pettifer, Helen Philp, Matthew 'Matt' Truman, Oliver 'Oli' Truman and Alex Willey "surveyed" (sports caver standards) 469.2 m to a degree yielding a "survey" (total sum of survey leg lengths) but no cave survey (cave plan). 2008.02.07, trip 2: »Tom, Peter, Axel, Des, Kate and Joel went to the Letein valley to survey Krem Syrnun. … Des, Kate and Joel continued south to Krem Syrnun and surveyed 131 m of passage with lots of insects, spiders, bats and side passages, still going« (Brown et al. 2008 Mss "Meghalaya 2008 diary" Thursday 7th February). 2008.02.08, team 1, trip 3: »Two teams went to Krem Syrnun. Des, Jayne and Liz continued up the main passage, where they surveyed 113 m until they stopped at a draughting dig in dry mud, with a passage visible beyond« (Brown et al. 2008 Mss "Meghalaya 2008 diary" Friday 8th February). 2008.02.08, team 2, trip 4: »… Kate, Axel and Joel started the survey of side-passages in Krem Syrnun. The first was a nasty tight muddy crawl looping under the floor. The second passage continued through animal droppings« (Brown et al. 2008 Mss "Meghalaya 2008 diary" Friday 8th February). 2008.02.09, trip 5: »Jean-Pierre, Jayne, Joel and Axel went to Krem Syrnun to continue surveying the side passages, leaving one ongoing low passage« (Brown et al. 2008 Mss "Meghalaya 2008 diary" Saturday 9th February). 2008.02.18: »Kate, Axel, Jayne and Liz went to Krem Syrnun and finished surveying side passages and collected guano« (Brown et al. 2008 Mss "Meghalaya 2008 diary" Monday 18th February). According to Janossy (2008.02.08 Mss), Krem Syrnun was »re-surveyed Feb 2008« (no date mentioned).
Cavités proche
| Distance (km) | Nom | Longueur (m) | Profondeur (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | RNGI (Krem) | ||
| 1.2 | KHONGDONG WAH | ||
| 1.2 | LIAT SDE (Krem) | ||
| 1.3 | SARANG, Lum Manar, 1st (Krem) | ||
| 1.3 | SARANG, Lum Manar, 3rd (Krem) | ||
| 1.4 | JRI, Lum Manar (Krem poh) | ||
| 1.5 | UM MANONG 1 (Krem poh) | ||
| 1.5 | SARANG, Lum Manar, 2nd (Krem) | ||
| 1.5 | PASTOR 1 |