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Black Keld 1997 BreakthroughLast revised: 1/3/01
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| Access to Black Keld Is Not Allowed!
Despite many attempts, the Black Keld system had resisted a major breakthrough for nearly thirty years. In the spring of 1997 Phil Howson and Brian Judd set about a systematic search inside Black Keld resurgence. |
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The previously undived Stretch Cavern Sump proved on investigation to be tight and unattractive, but it was noticed that in high flow conditions most of the water seemed to be coming from an underwater bedding plane entering Lake 2. After a couple of attempts, a 10 metre wriggle was found through the bedding plane and this quickly led to much bigger passage. The key to breakthrough in Black Keld had been found! |
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| "The bedding plane breakthrough was awkward, but at least air cylinders didn't have to be removed to pass it. Having managed to squeeze forward there was now time to relax a little, knowing that the squeeze would not have to be reversed and there was room to turn round. In order to allow the visibility to clear a bit, I swam on into unexplored passage. After less than 50 metres, the new passage (Sump 2) surfaced in air. It was a really great moment!" Before the breakthrough Black Keld had a surveyed length of 396 metres. By the following week this length had doubled with the discovery of two more sumps and 250 metres of dry passage measuring about 3m x 4m. |
Brian Judd just after Sump 2 |
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 Sump 5 |
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