Hidden Earth 2018

Caving in the Abode of the Clouds 2018, Meghalaya, NE India.

45 minute Lecture|Mr Simon Brooks

Abstract

In 1992 a small team of Cavers managed to get access to the small state of Meghalaya in NE India, in a part of the world that that was expected to not have significant caving potential. 26 years later a 26 strong International Team visited Meghalaya in the 26th year of what has become yearly expeditions under the auspices of the Caving in the Abode of the Clouds Project. This years expedition was particularly fruitful, focusing on two area within the first of which (The Sakwa Area) the stunning Peilklieng Pouk/Sakwa System grew to 26.5kms in length and in the second (Mawsynram area) the maze like Krem Puri was extended from 12.4kms to 24.5kms in length to become the world longest cave formed in a sandstone type rock. With another 22.8kms of excellent passage being mapped in 2018 taking the total cave passage mapped in Meghalaya since 1992 to 491kms it would seem like there is a bit more cave within the Indian Subcontinent than was first thought.