RINA (Krem)

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A perennial spring of water (on 13th February 2013 an estimated 20 ltr/sec, Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss) issues from a triangular shaped cave entrance, which faces north-west and is about 2 m wide and high (Bailey, N et al. 2012.02.13 survey data) 1.5 m x 1.5 m large (Arbenz, T 2013.08.07 Mss ”B.D.K. Daly 2012.02.13” (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012) 1.2 m high x 2 m wide (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012) above the orographically right (locally south-east) bank of a stream recorded as the Wah Lympriang Arbenz, T (2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012); Arbenz, T (2013.11.09 cave plan: Rinaplan.pdf) Um Ptiang Arbenz, T (2013.10.21 personal correspondence) Wah Umpriang Arbenz, T (2013.08.07 Mss ”B.D.K. Daly 2012.02.13” (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012) and gives access to what has been interpreted as a stream- and resurgence cave (with sump), flowing into Wah Lympriang. Draining the area of the lower reches NW of Wah Lympriang (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012) or a clean washed resurgence cave, flows into Wah Umpriang (Arbenz, T 2013.08.07 Mss ”B.D.K. Daly 2012.02.13” (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012) and an active resurgence to a sump (anonymous Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls). At a closer look, the cave contains not only a kind of mud and washed-in flood debris but also secondary calcite formations (speleothems) identified as flowstone barrier along with stalactites and curtains, some of which are eroded by high water flow (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). ETYMOLOGY - Rina: The Synteng Khasi (Pnar) cave name -Krem Rina- (note 1) was said to originate from Name of a person, a woman from Moo Knor. The guides [Lius Manar, Bet Lyngdoh, and Paulus Manar] did not know if there was a story behind the name but said the land belonged to tht woman (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss: Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem). It is the cave which was recorded as Krem Rina Anonymous Arbenz, T (2013.08.07 Mss: Meghalaya Expedition 2013 Diary: 2013.02.14, Thursday); Arbenz, T (2013.10.23 Mss: Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem) Krem Rina (Um Krem) Arbenz, T (2013.11.09 cave plan: Rinaplan.pdf after Bayley N, Kharpran Daly B D & Chhikara V 2012.02.13) Um Krem anonymous Brooks, S J (2012.06.23 undated Mss Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls) anonymous Arbenz, T (2013.08.07 Mss: Meghalaya Expedition 2013 Diary) (Krem) Um Krem Arbenz, T (2013.08.07 Mss ”B.D.K. Daly 2012.02.13” (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012); Arbenz, T (2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). ETYMOLOGY - Lympriang or, perhaps, Myntriang (note 2): Little doubt remains that each of the seven different appellations Lympriang creek, Lympriang Gorge, Lympriang river, Um Priang, Um Ptiang, Wah Lympriang, and Wah Umpriang (note 3), which Thomas Arbenz creaed for this stream of water, refers to one and the same stream, which is indicated to join near (±30 m) N25°25'03”: E092°38'19” (±30 m, WGS84, Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Lympriang square: Bild 2.png) the orographically left (locally south) bank of the Kopili River. SITUATION 2013.10.23: Below Moo Knor village, dierection NE. At the SE-bank of Wah Lympriang (contributary to Kopili River), about 200 m upstream from the Kopili (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). SITUATION 2013.10.21: The entrance to this cave is a source of water which issues from the wall of a certain -the canyon- (note 4) at a place almost 200 m from the confluence of the Um Ptiang with the Kopili (Arbenz, T 2013.10.21 personal correspondence). SITUATION 2013.08: About 300 m in a direct line due south from a bend (N25°25'03”: E092°38'18”) on the Kopili River and at the head of the Wah Umpriang, a tributary stream and valley from the south to the left bank Kopili River (Arbenz, T 2013.08.0 Mss ”B.D.K. Daly 2012.02.13” (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). SITUATION 2013.10.23: Below Moo Knor village, dierection NE. At the SE-bank of Wah Lympriang (contributary to Kopili River), about 200 m upstream from the Kopili (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem). POSITION 2013: Near (±18 m) N25°24'56.0”: E092°38'16.0”: 741 m asl / N25.415556°: E92.637778°: 741 m asl (WGS84, Arbenz, T 2013.02.13 GPS Garmin e-trex) and about 1.856 m in a direct line almost due north (note 5) from the following POSITION 2012: Near (±40 m) N25°24'56.0”: E092°38'15.2”: 757 m asl / N25.415556°: E92.637556°: 757 m asl (WGS84, Bailey, N 2012.02.13 GPS Garmin Etrex). APPROACH 2013.02.13: Brian D. Kharpran Daly and Thomas Arbenz met Khahnar headman Lius Manar at his house at 9 a.m. They proceeded by car to Moo Knor and then down towards the Kopili. Short of the river they left the car at N25o24’57.3” / E92o37’55.4” and walked ten minutes down in an easterly directon to the bank of Wah Lympriang. Going down the western bank at N25o24’56.8” / E92o38’15.2” they reached [the cave entrance to] Krem Rina after just 20 metres (anonymous Arbenz, T 2013.08.07 Mss: Meghalaya Expedition 2013 Diary: 13th February, Wednesday). APPROACH 2013.08: Follow a Shaktiman track from the village of Moo Knor (25°23'27”N: 92°36'16”E) north-west towards the Kopili river up to an unidentified spot near an unspecified GPS position where a left turn is taken after passing a hut at an unidentified spot near an unspecified GPS position. There are no obvious footpaths. Consult a GPS and head generally west until you find a little valley, the stream Wah Umpriang at an unidentified spot near an unspecified GPS position. Follow this upstream to the cave entrance (Arbenz, T 2013.08.07 Mss ”B.D.K. Daly 2012.02.13” (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). APPROACH 2013.10.23: At the crossroads in the center of Moo Knor take the road that leads down to the Kopili. Shortly before the road end, at N25°24’57.3”: E92°37’55.4” take the footpath that leads down to a farm at N25°24’59.1”: E92°38’01.0”. From here proceed in an easterly direction through a short bit of forest and across a field in a depression to reach N25°24’56.8’/E92°38’15.2’’ at the edge of the slope to the Lympriang creek. Bear straight down the river bank and find the cave at N25°24’56.0”: E92°38’16.0” (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2012a: Um Krem, an active resurgence into a river bed [note 6] about 50 m from the river. The cave was a single clean washed floor with muddy side banks, which quickly lead to a low duck under some calcite formations. A little further on, a sump pool put an end to the survey (anonymous Arbenz, T 2013.08.07 Mss: 2012 Diary.doc). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2012b: Not only 94 but also active resurgence to a sump (anonymous Brooks, S J 2012.06.23 undated Mss: Meghalaya 2012 Survey Summary Kopli.xls). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2013a: Peter L., Urs and Bian started surveying Krem Rina … and got 84 metres of [survey length in a relatively] small phreatic [sic! qua: vadose, phreatic-shaped cave] passage which ended in a [continuation of the cave passage at a] sump (anonymous Arbenz, T 2013.08.07 Mss: Meghalaya Expedition 2013 Diary: 14th February, Thursday). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2013b: 1.5m x 1,5m. An active resurgence that flows into Wah Umpriang, which eventually flows into the Kopili. The cave is a clean washed phreatic tunnel [sic! qua: tube] that ends in [sic! qua: leads upstream to] a sump. The passage is obviously flooded in the monsoons (Arbenz, T 2013.08.07 Mss ”B.D.K. Daly 2012.02.13” (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). CAVE DESCRIPTION 2013c: The cave entrance is Low, triangular shaped, 1.2 m high x 2 m wide. Water steadily flowing out (est.20L/sec on 13.2.2013) and gives access to an active resurgence that flows into Wah Lympriang, which eventually flows into the Kopili. The cave starts [at it's end, the cave entrance] as a low windin passage with clean washed floor and several roof formations (stalactites and curtains, some of which are eroded [note 7] by high water flow. The 55 m-long winding river passage is interrupted after 30 m by a flowstone barrier [at a point where] the way-on is a short crawl under the barrier. It leads to a 40 m long roomier chamber (2 m high by 3 m wide) which gradually gets lower again and narrows down to 1 m. The end [at the beginning of the known part of this cave] is a lateral a sump on the North side of the passage. Flood debris indicates that the passage is obviously flooded during high water conditions (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). PROSPECTS 2012: The cave continues unexplored beyond (upstream) a sump where both the February 2012 survey and the February 2013 resurvey was abandoned at the exploration's conclusion. PROSPECTS 2013: The unexplored lateral a sump on the north side of the cave passage was declared as te end and interpreted as no leads (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). CULTURAL HISTORY, human use: food source, fishing ground: On 13th February 2012 the pools along the river bed [in the open air] had been poisoned with bark, and there were several dead fish in them (anonymous Arbenz, T 2013.08.07 Mss: 2012 Diary.doc). Thomas Arbenz confirms that Locals catch fish in the lake (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012) or, perhaps, -ka duriaw bah- (Khasi, noun), the ocean. CAVE CLIMATE: Nicola Bayley noticed on 13th February 2012 at an unspecified time the presence of no drought due to sump (Bailey, N 2012.02.13 survey data comment) in the sense of an apparent absence on an air current due to water flooding the cave passage. CAVE LIFE: Either Thomas Arbenz (13th February 2013) or Brian Dermot Kharpran Daly, Peter Ludwig and U. Waelchli (14th February 2013) noticed the presenceof Harvestmen (many), Huntsman spiders (2) pigmented and unpigmented fish (several), shrimps (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). Keywords: Crustacea: conf. Decapoda. Arachnida: conf. Sparassida: Heteropoda; Opiliones. Pisces.e end and interpreted as no leads (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). CULTURAL HISTORY, human use: food source, fishing ground: On 13th February 2012 the pools along the river bed [in the open air] had been poisoned with bark, and there were several dead fish in them (anonymous Arbenz, T 2013.08.07 Mss: 2012 Diary.doc). Thomas Arbenz confirms that Locals catch fish in the lake (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012) or, perhaps, -ka duriaw bah- (Khasi, noun), the ocean. CAVE CLIMATE: Nicola Bayley noticed on 13th February 2012 at an unspecified time the presence of no drought due to sump (Bailey, N 2012.02.13 survey data comment) in the sense of an apparent absence on an air current due to water flooding the cave passage. CAVE LIFE: Either Thomas Arbenz (13th February 2013) or Brian Dermot Kharpran Daly, Peter Ludwig and U. Waelchli (14th February 2013) noticed the presencee end and interpreted as no leads (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). CULTURAL HISTORY, human use: food source, fishing ground: On 13th February 2012 the pools along the river bed [in the open air] had been poisoned with bark, and there were several dead fish in them (anonymous Arbenz, T 2013.08.07 Mss: 2012 Diary.doc). Thomas Arbenz confirms that Locals catch fish in the lake (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012) or, perhaps, -ka duriaw bah- (Khasi, noun), the ocean. CAVE CLIMATE: Nicola Bayley noticed on 13th February 2012 at an unspecified time the presence of no drought due to sump (Bailey, N 2012.02.13 survey data comment) in the sense of an apparent absence on an air current due to water flooding the cave passage. CAVE LIFE: Either Thomas Arbenz (13th February 2013) or Brian Dermot Kharpran Daly, Peter Ludwig and U. Waelchli (14th February 2013) noticed the presencee end and interpreted as no leads (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). CULTURAL HISTORY, human use: food source, fishing ground: On 13th February 2012 the pools along the river bed [in the open air] had been poisoned with bark, and there were several dead fish in them (anonymous Arbenz, T 2013.08.07 Mss: 2012 Diary.doc). Thomas Arbenz confirms that Locals catch fish in the lake (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012) or, perhaps, -ka duriaw bah- (Khasi, noun), the ocean. CAVE CLIMATE: Nicola Bayley noticed on 13th February 2012 at an unspecified time the presence of no drought due to sump (Bailey, N 2012.02.13 survey data comment) in the sense of an apparent absence on an air current due to water flooding the cave passage. CAVE LIFE: Either Thomas Arbenz (13th February 2013) or Brian Dermot Kharpran Daly, Peter Ludwig and U. Waelchli (14th February 2013) noticed the presenceof Harvestmen (many), Huntsman spiders (2) pigmented and unpigmented fish (several), shrimps (Arbenz, T 2013.10.23 Mss ”Thomas Arbenz, T 2013.02.15” Krem Rina / (Krem) Um Krem 13.2.2012). Keywords: Crustacea: conf. Decapoda. Arachnida: conf. Sparassida: Heteropoda; Opiliones. Pisces.