MAWPUN (Krem)
25.259700,91.566100
Location
An unspecified cave entrance (unidentified shape, unidentified dimensions, unidentified orientation, unidentified characteristics) is said to give access to a generally horizontal cave. ETYMOLOGY: Fully unexplored remains not only why the cave is called "Krem Mawpun" but also if this name means something along the lines of »Pregnant Rock Cave« or »Natural Bridge Cave« (note 1). The interesting creation of a certain »Krem Mawpum« (Brooks et al 2010.03.29 Mss "Survey summary.xls" table) gives the impression that this cave name is based on the Khasi word "pum" (note 2) but may be based on an effective (careless) approch to typing. SITUATION 2010a: Not only in an unidentified setting, which still remains to be understood, but also at an unspecified location somewhere in a quickly thought-up and easily offhand-created but, at a closer look, not only unheard of but also unspecified »Mawsynram / Nongjiri area« (note 3). SITUATION 2010b: »On the way back« (Anonymous et al. 2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc) from the village of Lawbah (25°14'00”N: 91°33'55”E) along the 13 km long road generally north »to IB« (note 4) and without identified spatial relation »at Jyniaw village« (note 5) but »upstream of the two known Jyniaw caves« (note 6). APPROACH 2012: In February 2012 the cave entrances to Krem Mawpun, the –>Jynniaw caves, and the –>Woodcutter Cave (Bäumler 2012) had been reached from a bridge (near N25°15'25”: E091°34'38” WGS84) on the road from Mawsynram generally southwest via Lawbah towards Phlangwanbroi: »Georg locates a bridge on the road from the Jynniaw Caves to Mawsynram at GPS N25 15' 25" E 091 34' 28 (WSG 84) this is where the dry stream bed that Georg followed up hill to find Woodcutter's Cave passes under the road« (Brooks, S J 2012.08.25 personal correspondence). »Yes from the road bridge it is NE ish to Mawpun and South to the Jynniaw« (Brooks, S J 2012.09.03 personal correspondence). POSITION 2010: The survey station 1/0 has been measured to lie at a liner distance of 16. m on a bearing of 150.1° / +11.2° from the GPS position (confabulated precision error allegedly ±20 m) near N 25°15'34.4”: E 091°33'58.1” (Vikram Singh Kirola 2010.02.03, GPS Garmin Etrex in: Arbenz, T 2011.12.11 Mss) and hence near N 25°15'34.9”: E 091°33'58.1” (WGS84). POSITION 2011: N 25°15'33.5”: E 091°33'58.1”: 1170 m asl (Arbenz, T 2011.12.10 "Krem Mawpun.pdf" cave plan; Arbenz, T 2011.12.11 Mss). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2010: None reported (note 7). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2012: A more or less »impressive river cave formed mostly in sandstone rather than limestone« (Brooks, Simon J undated "Meghalaya 2012 - Overview (Descent) V3.doc" forwarded 2012.06.23). PROSPECTS 2010: »Cave still wide open« (Anonymous et al. 2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc). PROSPECTS 2011: »Several leads. One at stn 8/5 looks very promising« but »to push 8/5 lead: 7m rope or ladder needed« (Arbenz, T 2011.12.11 Mss). PROSPECTS 2012: In spite of the many arduous exploration efforts by inter- and multinational teams comprised of 24 caving experts over a period of three full years and 13 days (2010.02.03 to 2012.02.16), the sense and the meaning of the cave name "Krem Mawpun" has not been discovered. CULTURAL HISTORY - human use: Pedro Silva Pinto, Ryan P. Baker, and Helen Blyth could not help admitting to have detected on 8th February 2010 »at the end of the 2010 survey« (about 1.5 km from the cave entrance) in a cave chamber »of roughly 15 m by 60 m« and beyond »a way over the top of the boulders« followed by a »climb up through the boulders (a bit of a wriggle)« the »evidence of previous human presence. This included betel nut residue, footsteps [more likely: foot prints] and sticks; however, this would appear to be from local visitors, not cavers« (Anonymous 2012.03.10 Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Team 2 Diary). »Despite Pedro’s persistence, no route to the surface could be found. It was surmised that the way may have become blocked« (Anonymous 2012.03.10 Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Team 2 Diary, entry Saturday 11th February, 2012) without even considering to make allowance for accepting the obvious fact that »the locals« are, of course, also familiar with parts of the cave which past-time sportsmen from abroad took so much trouble to reach. SPELEOMETRY 2010: Krem Mawpun had been partly »explored« (sic! qua: in parts topographically "surveyed" to a degree) in March 2010 to yield »1659 m« (Brooks, S J et al. 2010.03.12 Mss: Overview 2010.doc) or »1683.78 m« (Arbenz T 2011.12.11 cave plan Mawpun.pdf) of lengthwise measured distances presumably surveyed straightforward to nothing less than to BCRA Grade »Xc Distox / Toporobot« (Arbenz T 2011.12.11 cave plan Mawpun.pdf). The survey data amassed in March 2010, however, amount to a survey length of 1693.78 m at a vertical range of ±37 m (+26.94 m / - 0.06 m). SPELEOMETRY 2012: Simon J. Brooks invented one more phantasmic survey length by taking the »best« (i.e. the largest) survey length that ever had been constructed by the 2010 team (1683.78 m) and added not only 10 m picked from the air (1693.78 m) but also simply all the survey lengths (847.19 m) to arrive at a most bestest and 2540,97 m long one (anonymous Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary (Team 2).xls). Ross Davidson, following blindly, opines that »GSG members Fraser Simpson, Graham Marshall, Ross Davidson, Thomas Arbenz, Mark Tringham, Sharry Ghazy, Simon Brooks and Brian Kharpran Daly … achieved … the further exploration and extension of the large river cave known as Krem Mawpun, from 1,694 m to 2,541 m to become India's 2nd longest sandstone cave [DAVIDSON, Ross 2012]« in what is rather an arenaceous limestone than a calcite cemented sandstone.
NOTE 1: ka wah (Khasi, noun) a stream, a river (SINGH, N 1906: 244); a mountain stream (ALLEN, W J 1858: 61), binomial: ka wah - ka um (SINGH, N 1906: 244). long (Khasi, verb) is, to exist, to become (SINGH, N 1906: 118); to be, become, betide (SINGH, N 1920: 39, 40, 44). u máw long (Khasi, noun) a big stone or rock (SINGH, N 1906: 130); crag, rock (SINGH, N 1920: 100, 444).u soh long (Khasi, noun), a lemon (SINGH, N 1906: 208; BAZELY 1992: 34). NOTE 2: Wahlong, literally: Big Stream (of water), is the same as »Wolong« (Major Bivar in: MEDLICOTT, H B 1865: 391 table) and »Wullong« (MEDLICOTT, H B 1865: 421). In November 1995 I recorded at a populated place called Wahlong the GPS position (±150 m) 25°12'29”N: 91°43'25”E : circa (±200 m) 800 m asl (WGS84 modified from 25°12'27”N: 91°43'35”E Everest 1830, Gebauer, H D undated 1995 November unstable 4-channel GPS Garmin 4) where the Survey of India sheets 78-O/12 indicate a village called »Mawthangsokkhyllum« (edition 1912) or »Mawthangsok Khyllum« (edition 1937), apparently a contraction of "maw" (stone) + "thang" (to burn, deflagrate, enkindle, fire, light) + "soh khyllum" »a sour fruit resembling a guava« (SINGH, N 1906: 207).
Documents
Bibliography 09/02/2016- Davidson, Ross 2012.
Histoire
EXPLORATION HISTORY: 2010.02.03, trip 1: An unidentified guide showed Brian D. Kharpran Daly, Phrang Kupar “Teddy” Mawlong, Peter Ludwig, Commander Vijay Chhikara (Indian Navy), Vikrant Shukla, Amulya Prasad Parihar, Prakash Bishnoi (Leading Seaman), Karma Choki Bhutia (Leading Store Assistant), Vikram Singh Kirola (Leading Seaman), Pankaj Rai (Seaman 1st Class), Roshan Singh Yengkhom (Medical Assistant) and Vinklo Sumi the way into the cave entrance of »Krem Mawpun« which »… was explored briefly to reveal a fairly good system« (Anonymous et al. 2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc). 2010.02.04, trip 2: »Vijay, Teddy, Prakash, Amulya, Karma and Vikram started surveying Krem Mawpun and mapped some 700 m« (Anonymous et al. 2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc). 2010.02.05, trip 3: »Peter, Vijay, Vikrant, Prakash, Amulya and Vikram continued the exploration of Krem Mawpun to take it to just over a kilometre« (Anonymous et al. 2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc). 2010.02.06, trip 4: »Vijay, Vikrant, Amulya, Prakash, Karma and Vikram continued the exploration of Krem Mawpun and got another 400 m or so« (Anonymous et al. 2010.03.29 Mss: Diary (current) 2010.doc). 2012.02.08, trip 5, Hiamdor Rapsang, Gregory D. Diengdoh, Georg Bäumler, Ksan Kupar "Ronnie" Mawlong, Simon J. Brooks, and Sharareh "Shary" Ghazy: »Accompanied by Hiamdor Rapsang all team drive to Krem Mawpun where they split into three surveying teams.Hiamdor and Gregory go into woods and cut a 5 m (not a real bamboo) bamboo pole [i.e. scaling pole] and give this to Georg. Georg, Ronnie, Simon and Shary go to station 8/8 some 10 m from the entrance. The 6 m rope required turns out to be pitch down so the bamboo pole is not required. Using ladder attached to boulder belay a 4.5m pitch was descended to find a blind aven and a small passage connecting back to the original cave. 69.13 m of new passage surveyed. The team then returned to the mainstream passage to take some photographs before meeting the other teams further upstream« (Anonymous 2012.03.10 Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Team 2 Diary). 2012.02.08, trip 6, Jean-Pierre Bartholeyns, Andre Abele, and Kyle Wayne Baker: »Jean-Pierre, Andre and Kyle go to middle section of the cave where they spend the day surveying 129.43 m ofside passages and taking photographs« (Anonymous 2012.03.10 Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Team 2 Diary). 2012.02.08, trip 7, Pedro Silva Pinto, Ryan P. Baker, and Helen Blyth: »Pedro, Ryan and Helen go to boulder choke at the end of the 2010 survey. Initially they explored a lower route that followed the stream; however, the way was fairly small so they decided to look for a way over the top of the boulders. After some ferreting, Pedro found a way to climb up through the boulders (a bit of a wriggle). This opened into a chamber of roughly 15 m by 60 m. Several leads branched off from all sides of the chamber. In the chamber there was evidence of previous human presence. This included betel nut residue, footsteps and sticks; however, this would appear to be from local visitors, not cavers. They followed a lead in the southern end of the chamber where a draught could be felt and there was a sense and smell that it was close to the surface. It was suspected that there was another entrance to the cave that the previous visitors had used, although no exit could be found. One possible route would involve a necky climb. There was no time to survey this. At the northern end of the chamber there were at least two routes back down to the streamway. These continue but were not surveyed. Above these, it might be possible to climb over the top (exposed). 84 m was surveyed« (Anonymous 2012.03.10 Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Team 2 Diary). 2012.02.09, trip 8, Pedro Silva Pinto, Helen Blyth, and Kyle Wayne Baker »… went to survey the cave at the southern end of the large chamber found yesterday. This was accomplished and all leads at this end were closed. Next, the team went to check out the leads in the northern part of the chamber. The first, on the eastern side, was closed. When approaching the leads at the far end, an interesting possibility was spotted from station 1/66. This was followed over a dropped block and then passed behind the boulders at the far end of the chamber. Climbing up, the route gave way to another large chamber. This was checked for obvious leads then quickly surveyed due to time constraints. No obvious leads were noticed, although it might be worth a second opinion. 151 m were added to the survey« (Anonymous 2012.03.10 Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Team 2 Diary). 2012.02.09, trip 9, Simon J. Brooks, Andre Abele, and Ryan P. Baker »… set off to finish off a few open leads in the central section of the cave. One of these yielded circa 140 m of crawling passage finally blocked by a blockage of blocky blocks. Other leads were also pushed and corrections were made and more detail added to the 2010 survey. The team did some photo documentation of the larger main passages. A total of 195 m of passage surveyed« (Anonymous 2012.03.10 Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Team 2 Diary). 2012.02.11, trip 10, Pedro Silva Pinto, Simon J. Brooks, Helen Blyth: »… returned to Krem Mawpun to clear up the last remaining leads and question marks. To start with, some surveying was tidied up in entrance area of the cave, particularly around series 8. They then proceeded to the far reaches of the cave where work was started to survey the stream passage that went under what was the terminal boulders choke, near station 1/56. At times, it was necessary to clamber up, over or under the boulders to stay in contact (more or less) with the water. Eventually, as the passage became more boulder, a small cairn was spotted. It was correctly guessed that this had been left by Ryan on 8th February and that we were now almost within the large chamber. The survey was tied in to station 1/65 (check). The next task was to take a few photos of the chamber, before having a final look for leads in the top chamber. Pedro negotiated a climb at the far end of the chamber, which led to a passage in the roof heading roughly northwards. This was surveyed to a conclusion [abandonment of the survey progress]. Despite Pedro’s persistence, no route to the surface could be found. It was surmised that the way may have become blocked. In total, 218.29m of passage was surveyed« (Anonymous 2012.03.10 Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Team 2 Diary, entry Saturday 11th February, 2012). 2012.02.13, trip 11, Georg Bäumler, Andre Abele, Sharareh "Shary" Ghazy, and Ksan Kupar "Ronnie" Mawlong »… make a reconnaissance trip in the proximity of Krem Jynniaw and Krem Mawpun where they find a pothole and another cave« (Anonymous 2012.03.10 Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Team 2 Diary). 2012.02.16, trip 12, Erfan Fekri, Farhang Khatami, Marzie Peymari, and Samira Zareei a.k.a. »Erfan, Farhang and team« a.k.a. »Iranian Film Team« had been driven in a Sumo (a kind of road vehicle, typically with four wheels, powered by an internal combustion engine and able to carry a small number of people) as close as possible to the cave entrance of Krem Mawpun where they »spent the rest of the afternoon« and shot a lot of nice animals, sorry: »took lot of nice shots of the animals that live there« (Anonymous 2012.03.10 Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Team 2 Diary, entry for Tuesday 16th February 2012).
Cavités proche
| Distance (km) | Nom | Longueur (m) | Profondeur (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 | JYNNIAW CAVE 3c »Pothole« | ||
| 1.7 | KYNTURSNIANG (Krem hajan) | ||
| 1.9 | PHUD JASIM, 1st (Krem) | ||
| 1.9 | PHUD JASIM, 2nd (Krem) | ||
| 2.0 | PAMSKEI (Krem) | ||
| 2.0 | MADURI (Krem) | ||
| 2.0 | PURI (Krem) | ||
| 2.6 | JYNNIAW CAVE 2a | ||
| 2.6 | JYNNIAW CAVE 1st |