Letter form the President of UIS

Statement by the President of the International Union of Speleology

Reference the 16th International Congress of Speleology 

Brno Czech Republic July 21st to 28th 2013

The next (16th) International Congress of Speleology is now less than a year away. Indeed scientific papers have to be in by the 17th of December (this is a delay from the previous deadline of the 1st November). Please look on the website www.speleo2013.com for further information.

The basic registration for the whole conference if paid before the end of January 2013 is only a little over 140 Euros, very good value for a weeklong conference. In addition pre-booked accommodation starts under 5 Euros per night in a camping, next to the Australian pub!

The wonderful pre and post congress excursions are selling out fast so the sooner they are booked the better. The prices of these starts at 100 Euros for 4 day camp in Budapest. The quality and variety of excursions is wonderful, again look on the website.

Booking cheap flights to Brno needs reviewing, but certainly Ryanair from London Stansted will open their booking for July early in 2013 and will probably cost something in the region of 30 Euros return for the first people to book.

The venue is excellent being an old conference centre built before the second world war and as such makes it very suitable for a Caving Conference, plenty of room and not too many frills.

The Hotels and dormitories around the Conference Centre are of all standards, some being very comfortable indeed. I am sure there will be some magnificent parties, both official and unofficial. During the week long congress there will be a day of excursions, either to some pretty impressive local caves or visits to cultural and natural world sites they all look very enjoyable to me.

Finally, don’t forget the entries for the competitions. Like any caving conference there will be competitions for cartography, caving art, multi-media presentations and during the conference there will be caving Olympics with rope climbing etc. In addition the International Union of Speleology also gives prizes for the best discovery that they consider has been made since the previous conference and there will be mention of the best books published over that period. There will also be a UIS poster prize presented to the best poster in Brno. There are some substantial prizes so please get working on your presentations. There should be in the region of 2,000 likeminded cavers at this conference and I am certain it is going to be extraordinarily interesting and enjoyable.

I look forward to seeing you all there in July 2013.

ANDY EAVIS – PRESIDENT

INTERNATIONAL UNION OF SPELEOLOGY

Argentina Subterránea 31

Argentina Subterranea 31

San Actun and dos Ojos cave System - World's 2nd biggest cave

 303km (303.356,80m)

Speleo TV

Speleo-TV is a project of the European Federation of Speleology (FSE).

The main purpose of Speleo-TV is to offer the opportunity for all the cavers to connect and share their underground explorations and works with the speleological community in Europe and all over the world.

Speleo-TV serves also as a directory for speleological films.

The European Federation of Speleology (FSE) enhances the possibility to find, enjoy and share the best caving movies and videos in one spot : Speleo-TV.

Visit the: Speleo-tv

Boletín de la Sociedad Española de Espeleología y Ciencias del Karst: 8

SEDECK, núm. 8
Boletín de la Sociedad Española de Espeleología y Ciencias del Karst. Madrid
(2012) 80 + 62 p., col., 280x211 mm.
ISSN: 1696-1897


- 01 El karst del Parque Nacional de Haitises (República Dominicana)
A. González-Ramón, N. Irazabal, J. Les, R. Ferrer, N. Olid, I. Gainza, M. Alonso, L. Barroso y U. Uriarte.


- 02 Bandas de Moebius, Boxworks y otras raras Geoformas en arenisca de la Formación Jaizkibel
C. Galán y M. Nieto.


- 03 Aplicación de la radiolocalización y comunicaciones inalámbricas a través del terreno en el karst: la experiencia del GTE
J.L. Villarroel, A. Muñoz, N. Ayuso, V. Bataller, F. Lera, R. Larma y J.A. Cuchí.


- 04 Riqueza y usos históricos del agua en Tierra Estella
D. Alegría Suescun.


- 05 El potencial hidrogeológico de los acuíferos de Tierra Estella
J. Castiella Muruzábal.


- 06 Sostenibilidad de los recursos hídricos del acuífero de Itxako (Baríndano)
M. Napal, P. Areta, R. Lana, GEE/LET


Agua, alimentos y kilovatios sostenibles.
LA HIDRIDACIÓN INTEGRADA EN EL VALLE DEL EBRO, EL CANAL DE NAVARRA Y EL CIERRE DE LA CENTRAL NUCLEAR DE GAROÑA
M. Gaviria.

http://www.sedeck.org/web/

16th International Symposium on Vulcanospeleology

16th International Symposium on Vulcanospeleology 

Galápago Islands, República del Ecuador 

March 15-22, 2014 

(Field trips March 10-15 and March 22-30)

"Let me tell you a bit about a magic (and relatively inexpensive) place called Galapagos! "The Galapagos Islands in the same way as Hawaii have been generated by a hot spot and are therefore all volcanic. We have had various expeditions there in recent years, most of them with experienced U.S. cavers lead by Aaron Addison from Washington University in St. Louis Missouri besides my own Ecuadorian teams. The recent findings are spectacular including not only easily accessible lava tubes but also inner parts of volcanoes, one with an inner depth of 101m, besides others. The not yet published, volcanic, entomological and paleontological (among other research) results are also nothing less than spectacular. "As being part of an Army University called ESPE close to Quito, we have many advantages other universities do not have like installations in the islands, cheap quality transport to the islands and at the islands, infrastructure, etc. We are right now in a transition time of becoming the most powerful university including aerial and naval infrastructure by incorporating the INOCAR (Ecuadorian Oceanographic Naval Institute). besides others in the soon new named University of the Armed Forces (Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas). The Director of the university General Carlos Rodriguez has been the witness of honor in the foundation of the Ecuadorian Scientific Speleological Society and an amateur caver as well as a big fan of research activities in the Galapagos. 

"About Galapagos besides geology, I guess, there is no need to talk much about. It's amazing, it's extraordinary, it's unique. If you would like me to send to you pictures of myself and my students or friends swimming with sharks, dolphins, manta rays, playing with sea lions or sea turtles etc or having contact with hawks, blue footed boobies etc in cm distances just let me know! 

"Many regards from Quito, Ecuador and Galápagos are waiting for you.


From Dr. Theofilos Toulkeridis

Lusoblothrus aenigmaticus

Lusoblothrus aenigmaticus (Foto: Ana Sofia Reboleira)

Lusoblothrus aenigmaticus é um novo género e uma nova espécie de pseudoescorpião cavernícola, descoberto numa gruta do carso Algarvio. Este animal de porte médio é despigmentado e cego, além de ter os apêndices moderadamente estilizados.

Este animal tem a particularidade de não ter parentes próximos em toda a região Holártica, sendo por isso considerado uma relíquia biológica.

Esta descoberta vem enriquecer o património espeleológico Português, juntamente com animais descobertos recentemente, como Squamatinia algharbica, Litocampa mendesi ou Titanobochica magna.

Mais informação: Zootaxa

Aquatica

Aquatica from Janne Suhonen on Vimeo.

- 225 m in Hranicka Abyss

On Monday, October 1, 2012 Polish diver Krzysztof Starnawski (member of Hranicky kras Caving group of the Czech Speleological Society) reached unique depth of 225 m in hydrothemal (carbon dioxide-rich slightly warm waters) Hranicka Abyss (northern-central Moravia, Czech Republic) very close to Zbrasovske Aragonite Caves (where thermomineral = hydrothermal karst was defined by Kunsky for the first time in World karst literature). At the depth of 217 m he used measuring device, which reached the depth of 373 m. The dive lasted 8 hours and 45 minutes.
Details will be available on:

 www.hranickapropast.cz (in Czech).

New 2013 caving products

	BASIC: Multi-purpose compact ascender The BASIC is a compact ascender that offers excellent grip for rope ascents. The lower attachment hole is large enough to hold the carabiners for the lanyard and the footloop.
	CROLL: Chest ascender The CROLL chest ascender is unmatched for efficiency on fixed lines. Compact and lightweight, it does not interfere with progression. The stainless steel wear plate improves durability by reinforcing the rope friction zone.
	PANTIN: Foot ascender - right and left Used with a CROLL, ASCENSION or BASIC ascender, the PANTIN foot ascender keeps the body vertical and makes rope ascent more efficient and less tiring. The compact shape and durability of its attachment strap allows it to remain constantly attached to the foot. The PANTIN is available in both LEFT and RIGHT footed versions.
	TRIOS : Caving helmet with integrated ULTRA VARIO headlamp The TRIOS helmet is designed for cavers looking for a two-in-one solution that is complete, durable and comfortable. Lighting is ensured by the rechargeable ULTRA VARIO headlamp. With four multi-beam lighting modes, it is ideal under any conditions, for example for proximity vision with maximum battery life or to light at a great distance.

Check the new caving equipments: PETZL

Caving Calendar 2013

2013
Caving Calendar
Höhlen-Kalender
Calendrier spéléologique

Amazing photos of Robbie Shone

He has dedicated his life to exploring and photographing some of the world's most remote caves.
His incredible journey has taken him to countries such as Indonesia, China and Portugal.
But as these pictures show, despite travelling the globe, it seems that adventure photographer Robbie Shone, 32, found the best cave in Sheffield.

 

Incredible: Robbie Shone, 32, has travelled the globe for the world's best cave but seems to have found the best one in Sheffield. This is the the Giant storm drain called Megatron beneath Sheffield City Centre

Stunning: In order to stay dry in such a cold cave, explorers improvise and use a small inflatable dingy to cross Lake Cadoux in this famous french cave The Gouffre Berger

Daredevil: Suspended 300m below the roof and over 200m off the floor, one of the team ascends the rope deep underground in Miao Keng, China

Huge: Cave explorers add scale to this massive cave passage called Deer Cave, one of the largest cave passages in the world, located in Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Borneo

Beautiful: Some of the cave explorers progress downstream in Clearwater River Cave - the eighth longest cave in the world in Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak, Borneo

Dangerous: A cave explorer stands in the main chamber of Gaping Gill in the Yorkshire Dales as it is hit by a raging flood pulse. Minutes later, the floor of this room was completely covered with water

Brave: A cave explorer climbs up the entrance out of Cow Pot, a classic cave in the Yorkshire Dales

Dark: A cave explorer climbs out of this wet cave

Mysterious: Thin whisps of clouds slowly rise out from this cave in the French Vercors known as The Gouffre Berger

Different world: The photographs are a collection of six years work by Mr Shone from some of the most beautiful and remote caves ever discovered. This is a cave chamber in China

Amazing: Cave explorers add scale to this massive cave passage called Deer Cave in Borneo

Hazardous: A British cave explorer climbs a rope out of the giant river cave called The Whiterock River, deep underground in Clearwater Cave

On the edge: Hanging on a thin rope, Portuguese cave biologist Sofia Reboleira makes her way up to the daylight and the entrance to one of Portugal's largest caves: Algar da Lagoa, Sico-Alvaiazere Massif

Action man: Robbie Shone is pictured at work in one of the many caves he has visited

Massive: The Sarawak Chamber is the largest cave chamber in the world

Bold: A caver travels in the water in Papua New Guinea

Underground: This is a stunning cave chamber in a French cave

Luxurious: This plunge pool is a place halfway along a streamway leading to Sarawak Chamber in Borneo

Chilly: At just above freezing point a cave explorer tries to increase his body temperature in the Gouffre Berger high up in the French Alps

A caver travels in the water in Papua New Guinea

Read more in: Daily Mail

2012 Peru Caving Expedition Visits the World’s Highest Caves

Photo by Martin Holroyd/Peru Caving

An international expedition to visit the world’s highest caves is underway in the Andes mountains of Peru. The team, made up of cavers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, departed on their six week long adventure in late September. Split into two parts, the first three weeks of the expedition will be spent in the Cajamarca area in northern Peru, where in 2010 a sinking river was located. Meanwhile, the final three weeks will take the group to the area around the Puyo valley to continue explorations of caves started during earlier expeditions. To check in with the progress and follow along the remainder of the trip, which continues until the beginning of November, visit the

expedition journal at peru.commscentral.net.

Descoberto novo salão na Caverna de Santana: Salão Pierre Martin

"A Caverna de Santana (Caverna do Roncador) foi descrita pelo alemão Sigismund Ernst Richard KRONE em 1909, e identificada como nº 41 em uma lista das cavernas conhecidas no estado de São Paulo na época. Apesar de não explorada na ocasião, foi sugerida como potencial para ser uma das maiores cavernas do estado de São Paulo.

Em 1975 os integrantes do CEU (Centro Excursionista Universitário) durante a Operação Tatus (experiência de permanência subterrânea e cronobiologia de 15 dias realizada na Caverna de Santana) descobriram o Salão Taqueupa, ícone de uma rede de galerias denominada Rede Tatus, reconhecida pela variedade e profusão de espeleotemas raros, delicados e belos.

Desde então, as descobertas posteriores na caverna se limitaram a galerias ou pequenas salas.

A continuidade da nova topografia em andamento desde 2007 pelo GPME (Grupo Pierre Martin de Espeleologia) cada vez mais apresenta obstáculos que vão além da simples exploração horizontal. Com todo o desenvolvimento com predominância horizontal praticamente mapeado, entramos em uma nova fase do Projeto Caverna de Santana. A exploração vertical…

No decorrer do feriado de 7 de setembro de 2012, 37 anos após a realização da Operação Tatus, uma escalada alcançou e descobriu um amplo salão inédito, que recebeu a denominação Pierre Martin (1932 – 1986), em homenagem ao principal explorador da caverna, que completaria 80 anos em 2012.

O Salão Pierre Martin foi mapeado no dia 13 de Outubro de 2012 e revelou uma área de aproximadamente 1.200 metros quadrados e um desenvolvimento de 93 metros (projeção horizontal) considerando as galerias laterais. Duas galerias superiores ainda não acessadas no interior do salão são o objetivo da próxima atividade de escalada, entre outras por toda caverna.

Atualmente a Caverna de Santana, com os dados da nova topografia  em andamento pelo GPME, está com os seguintes dados de desenvolvimento junto ao CNC-SBE:

• 8.255 metros (Projeção Horizontal)
• 8.421 metros (Desenvolvimento Linear)
• 63 metros (Desnível)

A descoberta do Salão Pierre Martin, localizado em ponto aonde não se conhecia nenhuma galeria ou salão superior, confirmam a hipótese histórica sugerida por Manoel Marques da existência de redes superiores fósseis associadas ao trecho inicial da caverna.

O acesso vertical, em lance de 19 metros, revela não apenas um novo salão, mas uma riqueza de espeleotemas que o colocam como um dos mais belos da Caverna de Santana, ou Sant´Anna, como Pierre Martin preferia chamar."

By Ericson Cernawsky Igual in GEPM

Jornadas Carste 2012

Thierry Viallet

É com profunda tristeza que relatamos o desaparecimento de um grande espeleólogo francês Thierry Viallet, de 43 anos. Voluntário do Espeleo Socorro Francês, espeleólogo experiente e sobretudo dono de um humor e uma alegria impar, esta representa mais uma grande perda para a Espeleologia mundial, a somar aos inúmeros acidentes de espeleo-mergulho desde que o início de 2012.

O acidente ocorreu na exploração da gruta Trou de Motus, no maciço de Chartreuse em Isére, no passado dia 21.09.2012, provocado pela queda de blocos a -150m de profundidade. Thierry era conhecido por Bronto (ou Ursuspeleus) e era um membro activo do grupo de espeleo "Furets Jaunes de Seyssins".

O Blog Profundezas envia as mais sentidas condolências à família do Bronto.

Gournier en Orque por ursuspeleus

Proceedings of VIII European Simposium of Exploration Speleology

Available here: Proceedings

Lethal cave diving accident in Ilyuhinskaya cave Arabika massif (Western Caucasus)

On August 20th cave diver Alexei Savelyev passed away after an accident in the second siphon of the Ilyuhinskaya cave (Arabika Massif, Western Caucasus) at a depth of -1000 m.

He was a member of the Sokolniki club, who were exploring the cave. Together with his diver partner Aleksey Aksenov he was on his way back from explorations beyond the 4th siphon. His dive partner tried to resuscitate him but he was unsuccesful. 

Currently, participants of nearby expeditions (Kuybishevskaya, Voronya) are working together with the expedition team to extract the body from the cave.

Given the depth and many obstacles along the way (including a siphon), the rescue action is going to be long and difficult.

Our thoughs go out to all family, friends and fellow cave divers.

UnderGround Positioning System – UGPS

The UGPS (underground positioning system) is a revolutionary system that enables the positioning of voids underground.

The UGPS offers new perspectives for numerous applications in fields such as the measurement of mining tunnels, positioning of caves, the research for underground water reserves and safety management in confined space.

The traditional methods using théodolite are difficult and time-consuming. The new methodology is rapid, accurate and simple to execute.

Check more: UPGS

Proceedings of the X, XI, and XII International Symposia on Vulcanospeleology

AMCS Bulletin 19
Proceedings of the X, XI, and XII
International Symposia on Vulcanospeleology
Edited by Ramón Espinasa and John Pint
305 pages plus CD, softbound
2008


The XII Symposium was held in Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico, in 2006. This bulletin contains the abstracts and 18 papers from that symposium. Since the proceedings of the previous two symposia had never been published, the abstracts from the 2002 and 2004 symposia are also included, along with a total of 12 papers from those events. A CD is included that contains a PDF file of the bulletin, with illustrations in color where available, as well as some supplementary material submitted by a few of the authors.


Jointly published with the Sociedad Mexicana de Exploraciones Subterráneas as SMES Boletín 7.

Detailed table of contents (200 KB PDF file)