Cave Depth Record Achieved Using KISS Rebreather

Expedition diver Jason Mallinson describes a record-setting dive into the Western Hemisphere’s deepest cave, using the Classic KISS rebreather.

Mexico’s Sistema Huautla is perhaps one of the most complex of the world’s deep caves. With 17 entrances and numerous independent and physically demanding deep routes, dropping nearly a mile into the earth, this dark labyrinth requires extensive rope work and multiple days of effort to reach the lower depths of the system. The last extension to the cave took place in 1994, when Dr William Stone used his self-designed CIS Lunar rebreather to pass what was then considered the terminal sump. Staging their dive from a portable platform suspended over a pool of water, the transiting a flooded tunnel and went on to discovered some 3.3km (2 miles) of new passage, but were ultimately stopped by Sump 9.

(...)
Read more: UnderWaterJournal.com

BCN TEK 2013

Conferences:


Jason Mallinson, Cave Diving Group, West Yorkshier UK
Exploracions al Sistema Huautla, México -1545m (2013)
Exploracions al Pozo Azul (Burgos)


Frank Vasseur, Céladon, Herault, France
Exploracions a Laminako Ziloa, Piedra San Martin, Zuberoa, Euskalherria
Us del CCR en espeleobusseig


Xesús Manteca, Cave Diving Group, G.E.Gorfolí, Asturies,
Exploracions al Sistema de Orbaneja del Castillo (Burgos)
Exploracions al Pozo Azul (Burgos)


Carmen Portilla, TVE Directora de Al Filo de lo Imposible, Madrid
Espeleobusseig y Busseig Tècnic amb Al Filo de lo Imposible


Hilari Moreno, PROTEUS, Associació Catalana d'Espeleologia Subaquàtica, Barcelona
Exploracions en sifons terminals a Escuain i Cotiella (Huesca)


Andrea Marassich, Instructor GUE, Trieste, Italia
Exploracions d'espeleobusseig a Bosnia


Ricardo Constantino, Instructor GUE, SPE Sociedade Portuguesa de Espeleologia, Lisboa, Portugal
Exploracions de la SPE en el Maçico Calcário Estremenho (Portugal)


Dani Santamaria y Amaia Olea, URTABI, Urpeko Taldea Bilbo, Euskadi
Exploracions a la Fuentona de Muriel (Soria)


Xisco Gràcia, Grup Nord de Mallorca, Illes Balears
Exploracions al Mijorn mallorquí Sistema de Sa Gleda, Cova des Pas de Vallgornera


Josep Maria Castellví, Societat Catalana de recerca Subaquàtica, Lleida
Estudi i documentació dels derelictes del Golf de Sant Jordi (Tarragona) 1a Guerra Mundial.

Cave Converter

A new version of my Cave Converter tool is now available. It converts between various cave survey file formats. Primarily to enable users of DistoX devices to get their existing data into PocketTopo, and their new survey data out of PocketTopo and into Survex format. Help and download link on the home page. Source code available under GNU GPLv3 license.

http://wscc.darkgem.com/caveconverter/

A summary of the changes in this release:

- Added support for nested series in the data model. Survex reader and writer no longer flatten the survey series hierarchy when series are inside other series.

- Fixed issue where Survex output files put data inside duplicated begin/end blocks.

- Improved series naming in PocketTopo converted data. Series now have the series number as

their name rather than the full cave name and series number, so the name is not duplicated in the outer series name and inner series names. The outer series name is now the full name from the input file (previously any numbers on the end of the name were removed).

- PocketTopo converted data links to series not included in the PocketTopo file now use the correct series number and station number for the linked external series instead of dummy data.

- Toporobot format generation is much faster, and handles more complex cave surveys which could crash the converter in previous versions.

- Fixed crash in Toporobot writer when converting directly from PocketTopo format.

No Place on Earth

No Place on Earth OFFICIAL Trailer

NO PLACE ON EARTH brings to light the untold story of thirty-eight Ukrainian Jews who survived World War II by living in caves for eighteen months, the longest-recorded sustained underground survival. Built upon interviews with former cave inhabitants, as well as Chris Nicola, the caving enthusiast who unearthed the story, NO PLACE ON EARTH is an extraordinary testament to ingenuity, willpower and endurance against all odds.

Cartography Salon at ICS

A cartography salon will take place during the 16th ICS. The Cartography Salon is open to all cave surveyors and encompasses many various categories of cartography works. More information and detailed criteria of the Cartography Salon can be found here: http://www.speleo2013.com/page/show/cartography.

Please find below the summary of all 16ICS salons and important deadlines.

During the 16th ICS the following salons and competitions will be taking place:

Photo Salon – a competition of cave photography

SpeleMedia – a competition for films and multimedia presentations

Both of these salons will be judged prior to the ICS, and for that reason the deadline for all entries is April 30, 2013.

Art Salon – for an art related to caves

Cartography Salon – for cave maps and cartography works 

Art Salon and Cartography Salon will be judged during the ICS, so the deadline for submitting entries is July 1, 2013, or entries can be brought personally to the ICS by noon July 21, 2013.

Awards for all salons and SpeleMedia will be announced and presented to the winners during the ICS Salon Award evening. Winners will receive very valuable plaquettes from genuine Czech crystal!

We are look forward to all your entries!

Zdenek Motycka

Chairman of 16 ICS

Rompe una estalactita de la cueva de Valporquero y se enfrenta a 18 meses de cárcel

"Un hombre de 55 años se sentará en el banquillo de los acusados por haber roto, presuntamente, una estalactita de la cueva de Valporquero. La Fiscalía reclama una condena de 18 meses de cárcel, 5.400 euros de multa y que pague 2.500 euros a la Diputación por los daños causados. Según las calificaciones provisionales del Ministerio Público a las que ha tenido acceso este periódico, los hechos se remontan a las 15:00 horas del 16 de agosto de 2009 cuando el imputado, mayor de edad y con antecedentes penales no computables, se encontraba en el interior de la cueva de Valporquera en Vegacervera. El procesado formaba parte de un grupo de unas 60 personas que estaban llevando a cabo una visita guiada por estas cuevas que, tal y como destaca el fiscal, han sido declaradas de alto valor científico y cultural. Al parecer, el procesado hizo caso omiso de las advertencias de prohibición de tocar las estalactititas y las estalagmitas llegando, presuntamente, a saltar el muro de protección de la cueva conocida como ‘Sala de las Hadas’. Presuntamente, acabó rompiendo una de las estalactitas causando un daño tasado pericialmente en un mínimo de 2.500 euros. El Ministerio Fiscal considera que se trata de un delito sobre el patrimonio por el que exige 18 meses de cárcel y 18 meses de multa a 10 euros diarios (5.400 €), así como una indemnización a la Diputación (responsable de las instalaciones) de 2.500 euros."

Info: La Cronica de León

16 ICS Spelemedia

Dear colleagues, Dear caving friends
Since we have published the information in regards to the PhotoSalon, many of you have shown interest and already submitted your photographs to the competition. Thank you very much!
I am very happy to announce that we have also published more detailed information about SpeleMedia on the 16 ICS Congress website!
SpeleMedia is a traditional and prestigious competition among producers of moving-image depictions related to caves, cavers, and caving. Entries will be judged prior to the ICS by an international panel of jurors and during ICS by people who watch them. Prizes will be awarded to the top three entries.
Spelemedia is also great global festival because people from all around the world can meet at the ICS and share their films and slideshows! We welcome all movie makers and photographers and look forward to your entries to Spelemedia!

Detailed information can be found here: http://www.speleo2013.com/page/show/spelemedia
Additional details regarding the 3D will follow soon!

Zdenek Motycka
16 ICS Chairman

Parabéns Bambuí

Este ano o Grupo Bambuí comemora 30 anos de existência.

O blog Profundezas... felicita o Grupo de Pesquisas Espeleológicas Bambuí, pelo seu 30º aniversário!

Summer School on Speleothem Science

We are very pleased to announce you that the registration for the "Summer School on Speleothem Science" will be open from February 1st to April 1st.

The summer school will be held on 28 July - 3 August 2013 in Heidelberg, Germany, and is aimed at an international audience. PhD students, young scientists and undergraduates that are active, or otherwise interested in this field of research, are kindly invited to join.

The “Summer School on Speleothem Science” – S4 – is organised by a group of 20 PhD students specialized in speleothem research. As our field of study is rapidly advancing, it seemed important to hold a summer school on speleothem science where students and high-profile senior researchers can share their experience and meet the expressed needs of the young scientists in this research field. This will provide a comprehensive overview of the most current and innovative techniques used, or being developed.

Lectures will be combined with discussions and seminars on a range of relevant speleothem related topics, providing a lively and comprehensive summer school. Practical exercises and experiments will also be held.

Some fields that will be covered are:

• O and C isotope proxies
• Geochemistry/Monitoring/Trace-Elements/Proxies
• Techniques AMS/ICPMS/SIMS/Laser
• Statistics (Age models and Time series analysis)
• Frontiers of Paleoclimate Research
• Fieldtrip to the Herbstlabyrinth cave system

Poster sessions will also be held during this week and young scientists will be able to present their work, discuss and troubleshoot the challenges of their own research.

À poster of the S4 (5.6 Mb) can be downloaded using this link. We would greatly appreciate if you could find the time to forward it to researchers and students you think would be interested and/or place it on a relevant blackboard at your institution for interested students to find it there.

Please visit our website for further information about the registration, as well as the schedule of the "Summer School on Speleothem Science". 

Best regards,

Laia Comas Bru

On behalf of the Organising Committee

Summer School on Speleothem Science (S4)

28 July - 3 August 2013. Heidelberg, Germany.

speleothem2013@uni-hd.de
www.speleothem2013.uni-hd.de

Subterranean Biology 10 (2013)

The volume 10 of SIBIOS Journal “Subterranean Biology” is now online!

CONTENTS:

Nicole COINEAU, Claude Boutin, Malvina Artheau. Origin of the interstitial isopod Microcharon (Crustacea, Microparasellidae) from the western Languedoc and the northern Pyrenees (France) with the description of two new species. 1-16

Camile Fernandes, Maria Bichuette. Shape variation of Aegla schmitti (Crustacea, Decapoda, Aeglidae) associated to superficial and subterranean stream reaches. 17-24

Valerio Ketmaier, Claudio Di Russo, Mauro Rampini, Nadine Bernhardt,Ralph Tiedemann, Marina Cobolli. Molecular divergence and evolutionary relationships among Aemodogryllinae from Southern China, Laos and Thailand (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae). 25-35

Harry Smit. Three new hyporheic water mite species from Australia (Acari: Hydrachnidia). 36-42

David C Culver, Peter Trontelj, Maja Zagmajster, Tanja Pipan. Paving the Way for Standardized and Comparable Subterranean Biodiversity Studies. 43-50

Ana Reboleira, Fernando Gonçalves, Pedro Oromí. Literature survey, bibliographic analysis and a taxonomic catalogue of subterranean fauna from Portugal. 51-60

Marina Cobolli. Lazare Botosaneanu ‘Naturalist’ 1927 – 2012. 61-73

New taxa described in this volume. 75

World karst science reviews. 77-82


Check the SUBTERRANEAN BIOLOGY site for previous publications.



Info: SIBIOS