EuroSpeleo 2016

Recent Exploration in Luoshui Kong, Wulong, China

Oral|Ms Erin M Lynch

Abstract

Luoshui Kong is a 220m surface shaft located at the northern edge of the Houping Tiankengs cluster of South China Karst UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. For the last three winters, small Hong Meigui CES expeditions have taken advantage of the dry (but miserably cold) weather to push this flood-prone cave. LSK is tantalizingly close to Sanwang Dong and Erwang Dong - two of the longest caves in China - and has potential to connect to both. Now 7km long and 380m deep, the cave continues to defy expectations, with recent finds including 60m-wide gypusm-encrusted borehole heading north into unexplored territory.