UM THALONG (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A vaulted the big entrance sinkhole (up to 35 m wide, 15 m high) in an unidentified, so-called the sandstone faces south and gives access to a cave passage that allows visitors to descend (-45°) down to an unidentified kind of limestone with a cave chamber or cave passage with minor inlets at a level about 20 m below the entrance. A downstream branch leads to an unexplored sump and an area characterised by dislocated boulders indicating one or several events of breakdown or collapse. ETYMOLOGY: The Lakadong Khasi -krang- and standard (Sohra) Khasi -krem- or English -cave- appears to be named after an -um- or stream of water called -thalong- and -thalang- (or so). So far recorded, however, have been only very few distinct cave names, that is to say Cave 1 RUEDI, M et al. (2014: 6679) Cave near Pynurkba RUEDI, M et al. (2014: 6679) Krem Um Thalang Anonymous (2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 19th February, Wednesday; 21st February, Friday) Krem Um Thalong Arbenz, T (201404.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx); anonymous Brooks, S J et al. (2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 18th February, Tuesday); Anonymous (2014.04.05 Expedition Survey Log 2014 (8-3-2014).xls); Brooks, S J & Arbenz, T (2014.04.05 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2014 - Overview (Final).doc); Arbenz, T (2014.12.26 Mss: 22-02-2014 Krem Um Thalong.doc). SITUATION 2014.04.05: Somewhere in the vicinity of the village referred to as Pnarkba (Survey of India 1922 toposheet 83-C/SW) or Pynurkhla (RAJA RAO, C S 1981: 76) and Pynurkba (note 1), which stands on the northern rim of the Lakadong - Umlatdoh Plateau and on the interfluve between the rivers Luber in the east and Lynriang (also Lyngriang) in the west. SITUATION 2014.12.26: In densely forested depression and rather 300 m (note 2) than ca. 800 m west of Pynurkba (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: 22-02-2014 Krem Um Thalong.doc). SETTING 2014.12.26: Three … caves located near the villages of Pynurkba (cave 1; 25°15’N & 92°1’E; 860 m) and Umlatdoh (cave 2; 25°12’N & 92°16’E; 730 m) … [and] near Thangsah (cave 3; 25°11’N & 92°12’E; 420 m) … were large, collapsed doline cavities, with very wide (up to 15 m) and high entrances (up to 15 m) and situated in gullies covered with secondary, semi-evergreen forests. The general topography of the region around these caves is hilly, with relatively flat areas being covered by grassland or cultivated fields, interspersed with patches of forests. Small, temporary streams flowing into the gullies bring additional moisture to these patches of vegetation (RUEDI, M et al. 2014: 6679-6680). POSITION 2014.04.29: WGS84 ±8 m N25°15'10.6” E092°17'09.6”: 856 m (Arbenz, T 2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx). POSITION 2014.12.26: WGS84 ±18 m N25°15'12.6” E092°17'09.6”: 856 m calc. 858 m (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: 22-02-2014 Krem Um Thalong.doc). APPROACH: From the church in Pynurkba (N25°15'07.4”: E092°17'18.7”) take the footpath down to the Baaw / Borghat road. Follow the road (direction Bataw) to a transport contactor site (N25°15'05.2”: E092°17'12.8”) and turn off the road. Go through the gate of the site and pick up the path at the west wall of the house. Follow this path due north to reach a burn [note 3] and boggy area. Follow the burn downstream about 100 m to a creek. Follow the creek downstream into the forest and to the cave entrance (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: 22-02-2014 Krem Um Thalong.doc). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.04.05a: The vaulted cave entrance was described as a 40 m wide by 18 m high opening of semicircular shape at the terminal end of a descending cave passage that was said to start sloping down at an angle of roughly 45 degrees [into a basically knowable direction]. At about minus 20 m the passage left the sandstone layers and dipped into limestone. The chamber got lower and soon hit a limestone wall with three low narrow tubes going on at different levels. These petered out in a low and eventually too ight maze of cave passages. The surveyors then followed the water, getting into a streamway but very found that this ended in [sic! qua: gave access to] a sump and breakdown (anonymous Arbenz, T. in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 18th February, Tuesday). Within a few days Peter Ludwig and Elena or Elena Buduran went ferreting ahead and found, quite to the surprise of Thomas Arbenz and Tudor Tamsa, what was generously interpreted as everybody’s surprise that … they could pass through … [because] the active stream passage had just a trickle of water but flood debris in the roof showed pretty good what the monsoon rainfall would do [or, more likely, what one of the last spates had washed into] the 7 m wide and 1.5 m high cave passage. After a short stretch the gallery turned sharp in a pointed angle and came back on itself beneath the main chamber of the cave. This trend continued then for another 150 m. Then it dipped into water … [where]Peter and Elena … got about another 60 m until they arrived in a chamber that had only low and narrow passages going on. These soon petered [and, in this case, also elenad] out (anonymous Arbenz T in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 21st February, Friday). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.04.05b: Other new caves located and explored [note 3] … included … Krem Um Thalong in Pynurkba Village at 460 m and Krem Hurah [Krang –>Amhurah] near to Predengshakap [sic! qua: Pdengshakap] at 280 m (Brooks, S J & Arbenz, T 2014.04.05 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2014 - Overview (Final).doc). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.04.29: Big doline, sink, breakdown chamber, stream and contact cave sandstone-limestone (Arbenz, T 2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2014.12.26: Sink and contact cave in sandstone and limestone. Doline with big entranc portal 33 m wide x 18 m high, descending at 35°, facing West. Waterfall from above the entrance. Theentrance lies in sandstone. A large boulder slope with some vegetation leads down into the limestone zone at -15 m. A large chamber (12 m wide x 5 m high x 35 m long) forms the main level of the cave. at its ent 3 low and narrow passages lead into a maze of rift controlled passages which soon get too small to be entered.On the north side of the chamber the surface stream reaperars from under the boulders and follows a lower level of the cave that ends party in a sump and partly in a boulder choke. To the south, again in the lower level, the stream can be followed through a squeeze (or duck, depending water level) into a meandering passage of walking to stooping height, and 3 m to 4 m wide. After about 80 m the passage drops and turns almost 180° to follow a low gallery that is blocked by a sump in a small chamber a good 50 m under the entrance boulders (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: 22-02-2014 Krem Um Thalong.doc). CAVE CONTENTS: Blocks, slabs and boulders of limestone. Rounded boulders ad gravel of sandstone, shale, sand and mud (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: 22-02-2014 Krem Um Thalong.doc). CAVE POTENTIAL 2014.04.29: Speleotopographical progress was finished (Arbenz, T 2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx). CAVE POTENTIAL 2014.04.05: Unknown. Another trip will be required to finish the cave (in the sense of to continue the topographical survey of this cave) and also to find a way through the blockage (anonymous Arbenz, T. in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 18th February, Tuesday). CAVE LIFE: Spiders (few), crickets, snotgoblers [larval stage of fungus gnats]. Bats: small roost (ca. 40 individuals) of the very rare (endangered) otomops wroughtoni (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: 22-02-2014 Krem Um Thalong.doc) in the sense of Arachnida conf. Aranea; Orthoptera; Diptera: Mycetophilidae; Chiroptera: Molossidae: Otomops wroughtoni Thomas 1913 (Wroughton’s free-tailed bat).entrance lies in sandstone. A large boulder slope with some vegetation leads down into the limestone zone at -15 m. A large chamber (12 m wide x 5 m high x 35 m long) forms the main level of the cave. at its ent 3 low and narrow passages lead into a maze of rift controlled passages which soon get too small to be entered.On the north side of the chamber the surface stream reaperars from under the boulders and follows a lower level of the cave that ends party in a sump and partly in a boulder choke. To the south, again in the lower level, the stream can be followed through a squeeze (or duck, depending water level) into a meandering passage of walking to stooping height, and 3 m to 4 m wide. After about 80 m the passage drops and turns almost 180° to follow a low gallery that is blocked by a sump in a small chamber a good 50 m under the entrance boulders (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: 22-02-2014 Krem Um Thalong.doc). CAVE CONTENTS: Blocks, slabs and boulders of limestone. Rounded boulders ad gravel of sandstone, shale, sand and mud (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: 22-02-2014 Krem Um Thalong.doc). CAVE POTENTIAL 2014.04.29: Speleotopographical progress was finished (Arbenz, T 2014.04.29 undated Mss: Cave record overwiev 2_ 2014.xlsx). CAVE POTENTIAL 2014.04.05: Unknown. Another trip will be required to finish the cave (in the sense of to continue the topographical survey of this cave) and also to find a way through the blockage (anonymous Arbenz, T. in: anonymous Brooks, S J et al. 2014.04.05 Mss: Diary Meghalaya 2014 Second Edit: 18th February, Tuesday). CAVE LIFE: Spiders (few), crickets, snotgoblers [larval stage of fungus gnats]. Bats: small roost (ca. 40 individuals) of the very rare (endangered) otomops wroughtoni (Arbenz, T 2014.12.26 Mss: 22-02-2014 Krem Um Thalong.doc) in the sense of Arachnida conf. Aranea; Orthoptera; Diptera: Mycetophilidae; Chiroptera: Molossidae: Otomops wroughtoni Thomas 1913 (Wroughton’s free-tailed bat).