speleonet

Caving Swildons Hole

Some interesting vintage caving footage here...

Two found dead in Yorkshire cave

Via UKPress...

Phil Haigh from the Cave Rescue Organisation said the team of 20 rescuers gathered just after midnight and found the bodies in the cave at 3.20am.

"The cave system at Alum Pot contains stream passages and it looks as though the pair were trapped by rising water," he said. "It's quite tragic."

... more here.

Inside Black Country [Mines]

... clip is here.

Black Spots Threaten Cave Drawings

Via the AP...

This July, caretakers noticed new black spots covering some of the drawings. Samples taken from them showed the stains were caused by two fungi, ulocladium and gliomastix, that developed on top of a sublayer of existing bacteria.

Targeted biocides, which are substances that can kill bacteria, were tested on the samples. At a meeting this week, the Lascaux Caves International Scientific Committee approved the use of the localized biocides to treat the affected cave areas.

... more here.

Rivers Do Not Act As Barriers For Groundwater Flow

Via sciencedaily.com...

The research team from the Geodynamics Department at the University of Granada and the Spanish Institute of Geology and Mining (which is part of the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science) has studied the hydrogeology of the karst aquifers in the Mediterranean climate. It has been found that, contrary to popular belief, rivers do not act as insurmountable barriers for groundwater flow.

... more here.

Elderly Swiss cave diver goes missing in southern Greece

Via focus-fen.net...

The Greek coastguard was looking Tuesday for a Swiss diver who disappeared whilst exploring an underwater cave in the Peloponnese peninsula south of Athens, the merchant marine ministry said cited by AFP.

... more here.

Mars caves forged by volcanoes and meteors

Via News in Science...

The Hawaiian lava cave microbes are particularly fond of those minerals in the caves which are made of rocks that have weathered away by water.

So if there were ever watery times on Mars, lava caves would probably have evidence of them, plus signs of any past life.

... more here.

Vandal attack on treasured cave

Via the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...

Police and Parks and Wildlife Officers are investigating vandalism at the entrance of one of Tasmania's premier underground caves.

... full text here.

Injured NZ caver freed from Nelson cave

Via thewest.com...

Brewer was one of four cavers exploring and surveying the Green Link/Middle Earth cave system on Takaka Hill, near Nelson, when he was hit by falling rocks about 5pm on Saturday.

Two cavers went and raised the alarm while another remained with Brewer, 47, an experienced caver.

... read more here.

Meghalaya's ancient caves crying for conservation

Via Indiaenews.com...

In the past decade, at least 1,000 ancient caves have been discovered in Meghalaya. Yet mushrooming cement factories and indiscriminate coal mining are posing a great threat to these fragile and little known natural wonders in this northeastern state.

... read the rest.