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From the large entrance, the way on is along a wide ledge above and to the left of a pool. A climb down and scramble over boulders goes under two large and wet avens. Easy going, past traces of human activity (possibly mining) leads to a further down slope and a small chamber where a misfit stream sinks. 150 m further on, the main fossil passage is intersected by an invasive vadose passage. This passage contains a stream flowing from right to left (i.e. E-W). Right the passage can be followed upstream as a narrow, joint controlled canyon which finally ends at a bifurcation where both forks, which are too low, emit a howling draught. Left continues as a high, narrow rift, carrying the main stream. This was not followed, but probably emerges as one of the numerous springs at the limestone/shale boundary referred to in the introduction. |
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The main way on is in a trench cut by the stream in the mud floor where more easy going leads to a massive collapse feature. Up and over leads down to a large chamber on the right with a route through to a wet aven. Straight on past the chamber is the continuation of the passage over more fallen debris. Active avens and other drips have led to the build up of considerable flowstone deposits in this area, a sharp narrowing of the passage and a termination where water fills a low section. This cave was surveyed to just over 1,000m total length.
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Long Lao Dong (Active) Alt: approx 985m This impressive resurgence cave (approx 4 cumecs) is approached by a climb over boulders into an entrance 20m wide by 10m high. This is quickly followed by a chamber some 25m wide containing a large, but shallow pool and a streamway. Easy going up a slope over boulders after 100m reaches a muddy ledge running along the right hand wall 2 -3m above water which fills the full width of a passage approximately 10m wide. This can be followed for a further 120 m, until a more awkward traverse above the water ends at a silent sump pool. |
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Long Lao Dong (Fossil)
Situated 30m vertically above the active system, this interesting cave is approached via an easy, but long and increasingly narrow ledge. There are two entrances, one is 17m wide by 8m high, and the second, 10 m further along the ledge, is 16m wide by 5m high. The first entrance contains the remnants of attempts to wall it up. |
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Within a few metres there is a vertical mud wall some 4m high with a small (50cm x 50cm) hole leading to the foot of a perfectly cylindrical, possible grain storage pit expertly dug in the mud. This was 1.65m in diameter and 2.60m deep, giving it a very useful capacity of approximately 8.5 cubic metres. The small hole could well have been used to draw grain off as required. Next to the right hand wall is a staircase cut out of hard mud. At its head, and proceeding past the mouth of the pit on a smooth mud floor, the size reduces rapidly to a slot 1m high by 4m wide. This leads to a broad sloping stooping passage which emerges after a few metres into a chamber 40m x 25m with a large, but shallow pool, fed by several drips, on the left hand wall. The only way on is right past a large detached block to a second daylight chamber. Channels have been dug in the floor to conduct the water from the pool to two stone sided storage tanks (each approximately 2.90m x 2m x 1m) and then out to the entrance. There are extensive signs of human occupation in this 20 x 32m chamber. These include speculated fire pits and sleeping platforms. We had no way of determining the age of these remains. There is said to be another cave entrance further along the cliff face, but it cannot be seen from this entrance or the area below the cave. The ledge does not continue further, so closer investigation would mean climbing. |
| Chiao Zhe Dong
This cave is situated a few minutes walk from the road on the edge of a cultivated area. A spacious, dry entrance opens up to over 2000m of easy walking passage of railway tunnel dimensions. This is an ancient abandoned resurgence cave which heads, joint-controlled, into the hillside. |
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| It was clearly worked in antiquity for the extraction of saltpetre throughout much of its length. The hard earth floor is covered in places in pits, some of which are 5m deep. The sheer volume of the workings suggests that this process spanned many years, but other than the disturbed floor, and remnants of mud walled settling tanks, no artefacts survive.
Here and there drips have produced deposits of flowstone, especially towards the far end. Exploration terminated at a low, too tight, section, possibly quite close to the surface, because it was occupied by a very active bat population. |
